EV Fest 2012
Electric Vehicle Show

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

There might come a day when you do not fill up with gas at your local station; vehicles running on gas could become obsolete. Electric cars are already making inroads onto the market albeit slowly. Electric cars are still more expensive than the gas ones, but this will change as more and more people are looking to buy into the new technology.

The major factor of the new cars is when and where one would be able to charge the batteries. Gas stations intend to make the facility available to motorists who drive electric cars but you will also have to be able to charge your car at home. House wiring You will need to speak to an electrical contractor to ascertain whether the wiring of your house is up to it. All electrical outlets as well as other hardware are checked to see whether they will support the new car`s charging requirements. As a service to their clients, many dealers may do home assessments as part of the purchase price of the vehicle.

The costs The cost of the installation may vary from place to place but you can keep the following factors in mind: *Firstly, you will have the cost of installing the charging equipment in your garage. You will have to get a quote from your electrical contractor. * You might have to install a second electrical meter at a cost of about $250. Your current meter only measures the electrical usage in your home and you will need the second one to read the electric car`s usage. *If you prefer the faster charging option, you might have to do an electrical panel upgrade since the faster Level 2 option uses 208 - 240 volts.

The load to the electrical panel increases and an upgrade of the panel is recommended. Once again, the electrical contractor can supply the cost. *Upgrading of your utility service may be necessary to enable you to install the second electrical meter. The cost will be determined after an assessment. Responsibility The homeowner is responsible for the electricity from the meter leading into the house as well as all the circuits and wiring in the house itself. In other words, the utility side of the meter is the power supply leading to the electrical meter of your house and that is the responsibility of your utility company. The responsibility is yours on the other side of the meter and into your house.

Unfortunately, you would have to repeat the whole process if you decided to move house. You will have to check the wiring of the new house in the same way as before and will have to install new meters and panels. The electrical contractor can supply these quotes for you. Nevertheless, the number of electric cars on the roads will increase over the years and there might come a time when all or most of the houses will be electric car ready. There may even be a time when new houses are built with the additional meters and panels in place.

Also, keep in mind that you might consider buying a second electric car and at that time, your utility company will have to make sure that you have sufficient capacity for the charging of two electric cars. If you don`t want to make use of their services, you can contact an electrical contractor who can do it for you. In the event that you sell your electric car, you can have the electric vehicle service turned off; this disconnection carries no charge. You can keep the additional screws and fixings in your garage and use it for something else in the future.

When you might want to charge beyond your home - where can you do that? There are a nuber of useful websites listing where to charge in public. One of the most useful in North America - is Plug Share - www.plugshare.com. There is also - Blink, Chargepoint, Source London, Zap-Map, EV-Network UK, and more.

Here are some EV Charging (Electric Vehicle Service Equipment) Suppliers and Installers:

Eaton Canada - Equipment - Ontario Installers - Home Depot Canada 
AV Aerovironment - Equipment - Buy at Amazon.com 
Sun Country Highway - Home - Equipment
Schneider Electric - EV Link Info - Home Depot USA / Canada.
LEVITON - Evr-Green - Home Depot Canada

There are many websites now offering where to buy EV Charger interfaces also - like Pronto.com.

And - Some Quick links on Government Rebate Programs - Schneider Electric. (Schneider Electric Attended EV Fest 2012!)

Other previously available Common Options for Electric Vehicle Charging, include Plugs and connectors like the NEMA-L6 Plug or Connector, or a NEMA-5-20R GFCI Receptacle, that can accept a standard (15A) Service Cord and Plug, or a 20A Service Cord.

When a Common J1772 EV EVSE Plug is not avalable - these plugs and a set of Adapters can stand you in good stead and keep you from calling for help.

Also In future - be prepared for New Plug and Charger Systems - Like the J1772 Combo Plug, or - if you are thinking of the Tesla Model S and future Vehicls - The Supercharger system.

(Updated December 3rd, 2012)