I'm a lifestyle blogger, married with three children living in a small market town in the Cotwold's. I'm an average person, aware of electric cars (EVs) but I usually categorise cars by colour so I'm by no means a petrol head - if that term can even apply anymore! Then EvieLife - an electric car charger installation company based in Cirencester, Gloucestershire - approached me to write my journey of discovery around all things EV. So if you've ever asked yourself: how to charge my electric car at home? or how to install an EV socket then join me as I try to demystify what's what and learn about electric car charging in the UK and EV charging options and EV charging installation.
Did you know
the sale of petrol and diesel fuelled cars will be banned beyond 2030? That's only 8.5 years away which means, it's very likely the next car you purchase, will need to be an electric vehicle. Choosing a new car is a tricky enough process but did you know that you'll have to choose how to charge an electric car at home too? Although every major car manufacturer now offers a range of electric vehicles, they don't create the car charging points. Your home car charging type needs to be arranged separately and there are companies which manufacture the chargers and yet more companies to install the charging points. That's a lot of products to research and companies to look into and decisions to make.
So, let's start with chargers
if, like me, you're thinking about your next car being electric, you'll need to start thinking about electric car charging at home which means, you'll need an EV charging point - it's as simple as that...or is it? EvieLife is leading the charge in EV car installation at home and has done a lot of the investigative work for you. The team there, has identified Rolec charging points as having an extensive range of EV home chargers to suit all brands of electric vehicles but also with different homes, locations and families in mind.
All EvieLife EV charging points are fitted by a qualified, specialist installer, trained and certified by Rolec. They can be discreetly mounted to an external house or garden wall so the charger is connected to the fuse box and still allow the cable to reach the car. EvieLife can help you identify the most suitable location for your EV charging unit and this can even be done remotely. All you need to do is upload a short video of your fuse box and it's immediate vicinity and then another video of where the car will likely be when it's charging.
There is of course the cost to consider
when I first started searching home electric car charging units, I discovered that car charging points could be bought and installed for around £1000. This felt like a huge extra cost on top of a new car but then the long term savings are, I think, are very compelling. A full EV charge can cost as little at £6 and last for, on average, 180 miles. When I think of my very average two year old petrol VW Polo, 180 miles worth of fuel costs me about £27. (based on my own calculations using the cost of supermarket petrol in May 2021 and the number of miles displayed on my dashboard counting down when I will need to refill).
There is also a grant
the Government's OZEV (Office for Zero Emission Vehicles) grant - which can save you £350 on this cost and is redeemed by the installer not by the consumer so on a £1000 charging unit purchase including installation, you need only pay out £650 and the EV charger installer will sort out the grant payment claim. For me and my Polo that would be the equivalent of only 11 full tanks of petrol which amounts to 54 charges for the same mileage. I'd make my money back very quickly and that's not even considering how I could spend the time I currently waste queuing for petrol on the school run with bored (loud) children...
So, actually the components to consider when thinking about transitioning from a fossil fuel car to an electric one (charging my EV at home, Choosing a charger and EV charger installers) don't seem as daunting as they once did. I'm looking forward to discovering what has motivated those who have already taken the plunge and bought an electric car, how long it takes to install an EV home charger, options and grants for EV chargers in the work places and if chargers will work with second hand electric vehicles.
If you have any queries or issues you'd like me to explore send them to:
info@evie-life.com
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