There are dozens of residential charging stations to choose from. We've tested and reviewed units from almost every manufacturer. These appliances are known in the industry as EVSE, an acronym for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment.
See profiles of the most popular EVSE charging stations: Charging Station Profiles
The guide to charging at home. The Residential EV Charger Buyers Guide showcases the most popular Level 2 chargers for garage, carport and driveway use.
Electric fuel is cheaper. Learn more about charging your EV at the lowest rates available.
Charging at home can be done with either ordinary house current or a dedicated 240V circuit. 240V charging is generally between 2x to 10x as fast as 120V charging because in addition to higher voltage, the circuit and charging electronics use higher amperage also (higher pressure, and higher flow).
To charge at home using Level 2, you'll need:
Electrical circuits that handle “continuous load,” like car charging, must be derated to no more than 80% of their maximum capacity. For example, a charger that supplies 40 amps would need a 50 amp circuit. Charger model numbers usually reflect the type of circuit they require, and supply the lower derated 80% value. For example the Clipper Creek LCS-30 uses a 30 amp circuit and supplies 24 amps of current at 240V, which is 5.8kW of power.
Almost all residential EV chargers can be purchased with a plug and installed as easily as any other appliance – simply mount it on the wall with the provided screws and mount plate and plug it in to an existing or newly installed 240V outlet. The cost should be the same as installing an outlet for a 240v electric washer or dryer. The exception is high power chargers like the 80 amp Tesla HPWC. Chargers 50 amps or greater need to be installed by an electrician and hard-wired to a dedicated circuit.
