Finding the Right Electric Vehicle Charger for Your Home⚡NSW

What Level of Electric Vehicle Charger is Right for You?

Whilst most electric vehicles (EVs) include level 1 leads for outlet charging, they are typically slow and take a long time to charge an EV, especially one with a large battery. A level 2 EV charger is a dedicated box-looking appliance, which is usually mounted on the wall in a garage or driveway, and can also be installed on a pedestal.

These level 2 chargers can provide up to 7kW (7000W) and 22kW (22,000W) of power when recharging your electric vehicle. Using the most popular EV in Australia, the Tesla Model Y, charging the 60kWh battery capacity would take just under 3 hours for a full charge.

How to Choose the Right EV Charger?

Unfortunately, there’s not really a ‘best charger for everyone’ sort of solution as each home will have unique requirements and budgets.

If you own a solar system that has a Fronius or Sungrow inverter, or a Tesla Powerwall 3, the corresponding EV chargers from each brand will be suited for solar system integration, so the user gets all the data through the one app and ecosystem. Zappi is best suited towards retro-fits and installations for other solar systems not listed above.

In order to choose the right EV charger, these are factors you’ll need to consider.

Where do you park your Electric Vehicle?

Depending on where you park your electric car, it will help indicate the kind of charger you will require to get the job done. If your charger is being installed outside, it will need a charger that is designed for outdoors with a strong IP rating to ensure it is weather-sealed.

If your electric vehicle is located further away from your desired charger location, you can opt for longer charging cables which can range in length and style like cable arms, retractable, and coiled options to help reach your EVs charging port.

Additionally, we highly recommend investing in a reputable EV charger installer as they will install your charger to Australian standards, and ensure it is installed safely and for longevity.

EV Charging Time Calculator: How Long Does it take to Charge my EV?

Use this calculator and find out roughly how long it will take to charge your electric vehicle based on the wall outlet (2.4kW) and level 2 charging (7kW & 22kW).

Calculations are estimates only as there are many variables to take into account. Power loss factor is 10%.

EV Charging Types & Plug-types

Most EVs in Australia are based on the Type 2 plug type, which supports both AC and DC charging on the same plug. Some older EVs will have Type 1 plug types.

The Type 2 plug type is the most common in newer electric vehicle in Australia. Charging at home (AC) just uses the Type 2 plug, and charging at a station (DC) uses the CSS Type 2 plug which uses the additional 2 pins.

CHAdeMO is a Japanese-based plug type which is found on some EVs as a separate port for DC charging, but this is slowly being phased out.

Whether your house is single or three phase

The distance to your meter box/switchboard

Any additional trenching or cable runs

Your EV charger location and environment

Whether you need solar integration

Your dwelling type (house, apartment etc.)

What is Solar EV Charging & Load Balancing?

Good news for solar owners, if you get a solar-compatible charger like the Zappi charger, Fronius Wattpilot, and Sungrow AC charger, you can take advantage of your excess solar energy and absorb it to recharge your electric vehicle instead of selling it cheaply via feed-in-tariffs.

Pairing a solar system, a solar EV charger, and electric vehicle, you essentially give yourself the ability to harness and recharge with free electricity. Game-changing stuff.

Whilst load balancing sounds technical, it's really just balancing your usage with the other appliances you may be using at the time. Say you were simultaneously using the kettle, dryer, and oven, the EV charging would lower its power rate until your overall usage went back down to speed up again.

Monitoring & Control for Charging your EV

If you’re someone who is tech-savvy or likes to know what’s happening with your energy, you might opt-in for an EV charging station that enables monitoring and control features for insight into your energy.

You can monitor and track elements like real-time charging data, charging history, scheduling, off-peak and solar charging modes, and even control your recharging remotely.

Using electrical components called CT clamps which your electrician will install, you gain the ability to integrate and monitor your solar to access solar charging (eco) features, as well as using a mix of renewable and grid electricity to charge your EV asap.

Other useful features include RFID cards and app security features for authentication on shared chargers, as well as setting limits, receiving notifications, and also diagnostics and over-the-air updates.