Home EV Charging
Like a mobile phone, most EV drivers will do the majority of charging at home overnight, during off-peak times, when electricity prices and demand on the grid is at it’s lowest. What this means is that pretty much every day you will be starting off with a full charge.
Installing a solar-compatible EV charger will reduce your electricity bill. This is most suitable for people who work from home or are at home during daylight hours or travel low kilometres during the week and can charge up over the weekend.
Level 1 EV Charger
For some EV drivers, such as those with Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) with a small range 30-50km, the standard portable charger that comes with the vehicle may be enough to cover their needs. These trickle chargers can plug into a 10amp or 15amp home socket, and will very slowly charge the car over a full night (8-33 hours). EVSE Australia recommends an electrician inspect the socket and the line to ensure it is safe and ideally dedicated purely to EV charging given it will be running for long periods of time.
Level 2 EV Charger
A specific level 2 electric vehicle charging station is the best solution for an EV owner given the increased charging speeds, enhanced safety features, and the connectivity to the vehicle and even to your smart home or solar PV system. The majority of the cost of setting up a Home EV Charging station will come from the hardware itself, which will range from between $1000 up to $2500 plus installation
When considering what EV charging station is right for your home, it’s always worth thinking about your needs now and into the future as this could save you a lot of money down the track. Installation is necessary through a licensed electrician/EV charger installer and can be a very simple process, taking around one to two hours for about $700 if the installation is straightforward.
What increase the cost of installing an EV Charger
- Long cable runs
- Surface conduit
- Single (7kW) or three-phase cabling (11-22kW)
- Underground wiring system
- Switchboard upgrades
- Single or two-story homes
- Your geographical location
Public AC 7-22kW EV Chargers
Public EV charging stations at workplaces, car parks, shopping centres and councils are more expensive than home chargers, with costs varying over a large range depending on the number of stations being set up, the type of installation and the specific site requirements.
Single-port public EV charging station hardware costs range from $1950-$3000 depending on the features and brand of the machine. Type 2 Socket systems are also the preference for public projects as this allows open access to all EV drivers on the road, and minimises potential damage associated with a tethered cable. Public EV charging stations are more robust and are often pedestal mounted allowing for maximum versatility and usability.
Dual socket systems or dual mounted public EV chargers are also available with installation costs decreasing relative to the number of chargers being set up, but the charger price does increase to $4500-$7000.
Unlike a home EV charging station, where the hardware component comprises the major cost, installation is the major contributor to public EV charger cost (60-80% of the total). Distance to the breaker box is usually the most critical factor in determining the installation cost, and will usually range from 15-30m. Runs longer than 40m are usually too expensive to justify station installation and therefore a change in location of the charge point needs to be considered.
Car park and garage installations are the simpler and more economic public EV charger options and will typically cost around $6000 with the EV charger and wiring all being wall mounted. Curbside and pedestal mounted stations can become more expensive than a car park EV charger due to the additional trenching or directional boring to run conduit and wiring to the EV charging station. Added costs will arise if the stations require connection to Ethernet or 4G connectivity for management and billing purposes.
Public DC EV Chargers
Level 3 or DC EV charging provides rapid recharge of your electric vehicle to around 80% full in 40 minutes depending on the charger and vehicles charging capabilities. Vehicles that have DC fast charge ability they will require one of three specific connections to their respective electric vehicle of either CHAdeMO, CCS 2 or Tesla (CCS 2 with a different shaped earth pin on the plug).
Hardware costs for a Public DC electric vehicle charging station are very expensive ranging from between $25,000-$100,000+ per charging station plus installation.
Battery Storage EV Chargers
As technology has advanced in battery storage and EV chargers over the past few years, manufacturers have developed EV chargers with internal batteries and charging capabilities of 300kW+. These chargers are designed for EV charger locations with power limitations and supply upgrades that are too expensive or not available.
You can install a Battery Storage EV Charger with a supply of as little as 63amps three phases, which will significantly reduce your installation costs. The downside of these chargers is their size, weight, and cost, which is $300,000 and above.
Public EV Charger Installation Cost
Installation costs can vary depending on the complexities involved. A budget of between $15,000 and $80,000+ should be allocated to your installation.
What to consider when budgeting your EV Charger installation.
- Distance from the electrical supply (switchboard)
- Underground wiring (trenching, conduit, concrete, asphalt)
- Switchboard modifications
- Are night works required so as not to interrupt business trading?
- Electrical supply upgrades. If unknown have a power study carried out first.
- Line marking and signage.
- Futureproofing the site for expansion
EV Chargers