Comparing Home EV Chargers: How to Select the Right Charger for Your Electric Car

Price per liter of gas? Who knows? Who cares!

You’re cruising right past all those gas stations in your new electric car. (Or maybe, for now, you’re just planning on it.)

But what’s next? Like literally, what do you do if you’ve taken the offramp from gasoline or diesel? What’s your consistent EV charging plan?

Well, you could use the power cord that came with the car and plug it into the wall (more about why that’s not the best idea later). But you’re a smart cookie, so you’re probably looking for a better option — a smart and efficient charger that doesn’t require complicated electrical work.

Let’s be clear, we’re not going to go over every single charger out there (there are just too many). However, we’ll tell you about the different categories, go over the pros and cons, and help you find the best fit for that “my emissions don’t stink” confidence you deserve.

Electric car charging options

Charging infrastructure in the EU is growing, but more likely than not, you’ll want the convenience of charging your electric car at home — we think that’s a huge part of the appeal. Most electric cars will come with a charging cable that can be plugged into a regular wall socket. Which is… fine?

But definitely not what you’re looking for.

First, it’s really slow — we’re talking up to 24 hours to reach a full charge. On top of that, you could overload your home’s power network, especially if you’re planning on charging your car and using large household appliances at the same time. You know, living your home life.

We and most EV manufacturers would agree, this is not a long-term solution and should be used on weekend trips visiting friends and family. (Bonus tip: Don’t forget to leave them a thank you gift for the electricity used).

Wall box options

Most EV car owners opt to install a wall box. These are much more realistic charging options for your commitment to driving an electric vehicle.

Wall box chargers can deliver an alternating current (AC) of 7.4kW up to 22kW — significantly higher than what you’d see from the wall plug. Bottom line, it means a faster charge. And it’s good to know that higher levels are generally available to homes that have three-phase power (luckily that’s in most of Europe).

You’ll also need to consider your charging cable. There are two types of plugs available for charging. Pretty much any vehicle on the European market will have the Type-2 plug (it has seven dots/pins — we’ll leave that to you to check on your car). And most wall box chargers come with two charging cable considerations — tethered and untethered. The difference between them is simple: the former has a cable attached, and the latter does not (meaning you can swap for another compatible cable as needed).

Another nice thing about choosing a wall box charger is that they are even trainable. Well, sort of. Many “smart” wall box chargers can be connected to your mobile phone via an app — meaning they communicate about things like charging status or electricity rates, letting you decide when to charge (read: save money).

The biggest difference between the chargers is charging time, with the higher levels being able to charge EVs in just a few hours from empty. There are some limiting factors. The first is the charging capacity of your electric car battery. The second is the capacity available in your home — in other words, your charger may be able to provide more power, but it can’t do so because of how your house is connected to the grid.

Charge an electric car at home — better

Okay, you’re convinced. A smart wall box charger is the way to go. But is it advanced enough to ensure that you’re using your house’s grid connection most efficiently?

Even if you have a fast-power charger.

Even if it’s smart enough to listen to you and charge only when you’re getting a great rate.

It still won’t be the smartest charger on the block — unless it’s an VOOL charger.

That’s because we didn’t set out to build a better charger — although we did that too. We’re on a mission to build a more sustainable power grid connector. We call it the MultiPhaser. It works with your three-phase connection and keeps the flow of electricity even. It balances the load on your power supply, meaning you won’t be tripping any breakers.

When you use it in one of our chargers, you’re unlocking the full potential of your grid connection.

What that means is you never have to worry about lack of power from your grid connection affecting your car charging. Your car is charged and ready when you need it — even if you’re using a lot of appliances inside.

It’s smart, powerful, and reliable charging that’s easy to install and use.

We’re all about smart choices at VOOL. Reliable and efficient charging is just part of our effort in building a smarter future. Check out the smartest charging option on the EV market.