Prepare Your Home For An Electric Vehicle
If you’ve recently bought or leased a Ford electric vehicle in the Highland area, there are a few steps you should take to make sure your home is ready when it arrives. Electric vehicles have a lot of benefits—they’re great for the environment, save you lots of money on fuel, and qualify you for tax incentives—but they also require a bit more home preparation. While there are more and more electric vehicle charging stations becoming available in the Schererville area and beyond, you’ll likely be doing most of your charging from a Ford home charger. Luckily, it’s pretty straightforward to prepare your home for an electric vehicle, and we’ve got everything you need to know in the guide below. Read on for details about electric vehicle charging batteries, installation, and more!
1. Decide on a Charging Type
The first step of the preparation process is to decide on a charging level for your electric vehicle. There are two available charging types–Level 1 and Level 2. Here are the details:
- Level 1 EV chargers use the same three-pronged electrical outlets as everything else in your home. While you can plug your car into these, the power level is low enough that it often takes days to fully charge a fully-electric vehicle.
- Level 2 EV chargers are the standard for F-150 Lightning charging or Mustang Mach-E charging. With a Level 2 Ford home charger, you can get around 28 miles of range after an hour of charging, with a full charge overnight. You can easily plug in your Ford EV before going to bed and have it fully charged for your morning commute to Munster.
2. Get Your Garage Ready
Be sure to clean and organize your garage before your Ford EV arrives–take out any clutter and clear enough space for the car and the charging apparatus.
3. Locator Your Power Panel & Assess Your Home’s Consumption
Next, you’ll want to locate your home’s power panel, which is in charge of distributing electricity throughout your property. The power panel will be rated for a maximum amount of current flow, measured in Amperes–this will be printed on the side of the main circuit breaker. Do a self-assessment of how much electricity you consistently use in your house, so you can calculate how much electric power can safely be used by your electric vehicle home charger. You don’t want to accidentally overload the distribution panel by using too much power.
4. Hire an Electrician
The next thing you should do is hire an electrician to install a dedicated 240-volt plug in your garage for your electric vehicle home charger. The electrician can also add a hardwired circuit back to the power panel. This tends to cost a couple hundred dollars on average, but you can expect to pay anywhere between $1,000 or $3,000 if the power panel needs upgrading because it isn’t sufficient.
5. Buy Your Charger & Have it Installed
Finish your research into what level of home charger you’d like, and have it professionally installed by the electrician of your choice.
Contact Webb Ford to Learn More!
As the owner of a Ford electric vehicle, you can take advantage of the Blue Oval™ Charge Network, the largest chain of electric vehicle charging stations in North America, in addition to your home charger! With a public fast charger, you can get your F-150 Lightning charging and Mach-E charging done in no time. For more information on electric vehicle charging batteries, stations, and benefits, feel free to contact our office anytime. If you’re on the fence about buying or leasing an EV, you can stop by our dealership and take an available model out for a test drive near Hammond. And be sure to check out our general maintenance advice for more ways to keep your Ford in top condition.
