I bought a Chevy Bolt recently and I’m currently a renter. We’re hoping to buy our first house in the coming months, and buying a home charger is one of my first priorities after we close.
Houses are older in my area (metro Detroit), especially at our price point. Most garages are detached, some non existent.
Is there anything specially I need to look or ask for to ensure the house is EV Charger acceptable? Does the electrical equipment need to be somewhere specifically?
Finally, would I be able to purchase a free standing charger if it’s unable to attach to the house?
Most “faster” (Level 2) charging done at home is with 240V circuits.
This is not standard in older garages, so if you want to go with a faster charge you may need to have an electrician evaluate your home’s overall power availability and then run conduit/trench out to the garage where a circuit can be installed.
This will range from $1500-$3000 in most cases if there is trenching involve and may be panel upgrades.
The electrical is BY FAR the most expensive an intrusive and having a charger “attached” to the house is just two screws and I wouldn’t worry about it.
If you can’t afford that level of new wiring, you can charge a Bolt on a standard electrical outlet, but you’ll only get about 3 mph of charge out of it. That will work for someone who’s only doing 30 miles per day, however, so you decide what’s worth it for you.