illustration of electric cars users installing a wallbox

Things to consider when installing a wallbox

Installing a wallbox at home lets you charge your electric car cheaply, securely, and conveniently at home. Who will install your charging station and what do you need to consider in advance? 

Find out all about wallbox installation here:

  • A pre-check will confirm whether your proposed site meets the requirements of the selected charging station.
  • Wallboxes can only be installed by accredited electricians. 
  • Depending on the service, a professional electrician will perform a preliminary check, register the unit with your energy supplier, install and then commission the unit. 

Installing a wallbox – why a home-charging station is important

Get home, park your electric car, charge it overnight and head off the next morning 'recharged': it is anticipated that drivers of electric cars, like the Volkswagen ID.3, ID.4, or ID.5, will charge 80 percent of their car's energy from a private home-charging station. There are many benefits of doing so, particularly for people who opt for a wallbox and charge their electric car from a unit specifically designed for this and their particular car's needs. Unlike charging at public charging stations, your charging station is at your front door or garage door and you have 24/7 access to it.

Unlike conventional household power sockets, which charge electric cars more slowly, wallboxes are specifically designed for longer 'refuelling' with a higher load. Wallboxes also charge your electric car faster than a household power socket. If you connect an ID.3 with a 58 kWh net battery capacity to an 11 kW wallbox, your electric car will be fully charged after around six hours, considerably faster than using a 3-pin plug. Charging your electric car becomes more convenient and fits around your lifestyle.

Installing a wallbox: the pre-check

Regardless of the charging power you opt for, first up you need to check that the wallbox is compatible with your electric car and can be installed at your home or rental apartment . This is essential to determine whether installing a wallbox charging station is feasible.

At a glance: things to consider

  • Installing a wallbox is eminently feasible for tenants in an apartment block who have their own parking space. However, we advise them to contact their landlord or landlady.
  • The  electrical company responsible for the installation needs to register each wallbox with the grid operator. Models with a charging power of between 11 and 22 kWh need to be approved by the responsible grid operator.
Ohme installation pod connected to a wall.

Our recommended Wall box provider

The best way to minimise your electric car charge cost is to charge at home. Volkswagen recommend Ohme as our preferred wall box supplier. Your local Volkswagen Retailer can help you order a Ohme home charger and even guide you through the process of applying for a grant. You may be also eligible for the EV chargepoint grant⁠⁠⁠ to help you with your electric car charger installation cost if you own or rent a flat (you can get either £350 or 75% off the cost to buy and install a socket, whichever amount is lower.) The Cost to charge an electric car at home will differ depending on your energy supplier.

Find out more about home wall boxes
1.
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) replaced the Electric Vehicle Homecharge scheme (EVHS) with the new EV charge point grant. The Government grants are subject to full terms and conditions and eligibility may be revised or withdrawn at any time without prior notice. This information is correct as of September 2022. Find out more about the EV chargepoint grant at https://www.gov.uk/electric-vehicle-chargepoint-grant-household

Next steps

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