How To Prepare Your Home For an Electric Vehicle Charging Station in Oregon

Oregonians love being environmentally conscious! If you’re waiting to take delivery on your new electric car, now is the ideal time to prepare your home for an electric vehicle! While you’ll find public electric vehicle charging stations around Portland, you still need to prepare your garage with an electric vehicle home charger. Below. the team at Mercedes-Benz of Portland covers the four steps to prepare your house for an electric vehicle charging station. 

1. Choose a Charging Type (AKA Charging Level)

If you haven’t researched types of electric vehicle home chargers, now is the time. EV home chargers fall into two categories, Level 1 or Level 2. Here’s more information:

• Level 1 EV charging can take over 24 hours to charge an electric car fully. 
• Level 2 EV charging takes several hours to charge an electric car fully. You can typically reach between 60-200 miles of range in 20-30 minutes with Level 2 DC charging. This is why many Wilsonville drivers often intermix daytime “top-off” Level 1 charging with Level 2 overnight charging.

2. Prepare Your Garage

If you haven’t cleaned or organized your garage, it’s time to start! Make sure you prepare your Oregon garage for an EV before it arrives by cleaning out your clutter to make room for your electric vehicle home charger.

3. Locate Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption

The power panel in your Beaverton home distributes electricity throughout your property. It must be rated for maximum current flow (measured in Amperes). Next, research how much electrical energy you typically consume every month in your house by self-assessing your usage before installing an EV charging system. You want to avoid overloading your electric distribution panel!

4. Hire an Electrician

Now, it’s time to hire an Oregon-certified electrician. Discuss your power consumption and that you want to add an electric vehicle charging station. They may want to install a dedicated 240-volt plug or add a hardwired circuit to your power panel. Usually, the cost is just a few hundred dollars, but if your power panel is insufficient and needs upgrading, it could cost several thousand dollars. 

Order Your New EV From Mercedes-Benz of Portland Near Vancouver

If you’re still shopping for an electric vehicle, or you have questions about electric vehicle charging batteries, contact us at Mercedes-Benz of Portland. Keep your eyes on our new vehicle specials to see if you can save some money, and don’t forget that we also provide full service and maintenance for your Mercedes-Benz!