Choosing the right electric-vehicle (EV) home charger is about more than simply cost. Electric vehicles charge at different rates. Therefore, depending on your model, buying the most powerful charging unit might not be the most cost-effective approach. Read on to learn what factors to consider when choosing the right home charger for your new electric vehicle.

There are two main ways to charge an EV at home. You can use the charge cord that all new EVs come with or install a wall charger.

Some cords, like Chevrolet's Dual Level Charge Cord, will provide Level 2 charging when connected to a 240-volt outlet like the ones used for electric stoves or clothes dryers. A Level 2 charger is powerful and quick enough to refill an EV's battery overnight, but most charging cords are limited to Level 1. Level 1 devices can only slowly charge an EV, adding around 2-5 miles of range per hour.

Many EV owners who use a home charger opt for a Level 2 unit for the higher charging rate. But there is more to selecting a wall box than opting for one simply because it's a Level 2 charger.

One crucial factor is the unit's power output, ranging from around 7 kW to 20 kW. Look for the amperage rating if you don't see a kW rating on a wall charger you're considering buying. One manufacturer of wall boxes, JuiceBox, offers three versions of its home EV charger. The 32-amp version is equivalent to 7.7 kW, the 40-amp unit provides 9.6 kW, and the 48-amp model produces 11.5 kW. Higher numbers allow for faster charging, but only if your EV can accept that faster charge.

One online resource for determining the time it will take to recharge your battery is the EV Charging Time Calculator by EVGoForth. To use it, you'll need five pieces of information about your car and charger, which you can easily find in the owner's manual or driver information screen.

Even if you're not yet an EV driver, you can use this calculator to see how amperage ratings affect charging times. For example, plugging in a fictional EV with a 50-kWh battery pack and a 6.6-kW acceptance rate to a 16-amp Level 2 home charger would take 14.5 hours to charge from zero to 100 percent. With a 40-amp unit, this drops to 8.5 hours.

An older EV with a lower acceptance rate will limit charging speed when connected to a high-kW Level 2 charger. Even so, installing a more powerful home unit might make sense if you're committed to EV ownership and want to future-proof your setup.

The electric panel partly controls the electricity that flows through your home's electrical system. Depending on your EV and charging unit, you might need to update your current home electrical panel to a newer unit with a higher rating. Many older homes have 100-amp panels, which might not be capable of charging one or two EVs while also running large appliances.

Even if your panel can handle the energy your charging unit needs, replacing old hardware with a new 200-amp unit can prepare you for your next EV and increase the value of your home.

A new feature on some EVs is the ability to send electricity from the car's battery back to the house. Currently, the Ford F-150 Lightning is the only EV for sale in the United States capable of this feat, but the technology exists on other EVs in other countries and will likely become more common in the future. Taking advantage of this bi-directional energy flow requires either an update to your current panel or a new one. The hardware for Ford's Home Integration System costs $3,895, plus installation.

There are ways to add higher-power EV charging solutions without upgrading the panel. In the summer of 2022, Siemens announced a distributed energy resource (DER) with its partner ConnectDER. DERs are small, local energy systems like solar panels or EV chargers that can generate or manage energy "behind" the meter.

Siemens' new DER is a "collar" that you install directly on the meter. It bypasses the electric service panel and allows the EV charger to connect directly through the meter socket. Siemens says its new EV charging DER adapter could reduce charger installation costs by 60 to 80 percent compared to upgrading an electric panel.

The right EV charger for you might include additional hardware, like solar panels or a home storage battery. For example, in fall 2022, Sunrun will offer a 40-amp, Level 2 EV charger bundle with solar panels and a battery. Buying everything together is not necessary, though. If you already have solar panels on your house, they will still provide zero-emission power for your EV.

Like cell phones, automakers design all EVs to accept a current from the electric grid, and, just like cell phone chargers, higher power ratings can mean shorter charge times if you have a compatible phone.

If you don't want to do the math, you can buy any Level 2 charger for your EV. Sometimes, a plug adapter is required, but any home charger can recharge any modern EV. The information here can help you buy a home charger perfectly suited to your EV. This knowledge might also help you decide on a more powerful charger to prepare for tomorrow's electric vehicles.

To learn more about new EVs, check out our Shopping Guides section.

Real insights from real owners

© 2022 J.D.Power. All rights reserved.

© 2019 J.D.Power. All rights reserved.