Why do you need to check the Consumer unit or fuse box prior to an EV charge point install?

Do you have a spare “way” or trip switch blank in the unit. A non RCD switch will be added for the EV charge point.   No spare “ways” on the RCD unit? You may need the consumer unit upgraded or an additional singular consumer unit for the EV charge point on its own. Do you have space near the conumer unit to add a new unit?! You may need to send photos of the consumer unit location to the electrician.

Where do you want your charge point located?

Where are you parking your electric car? Driveway, Parking Space, Street? Where will vehicle be and which side is the charge port? How will you be parking the vehicle? Which orientation etc? Which side is the charge point on the vehicle? e.g. Tesla = Left rear of vehicle Tethered Chargers often have 6.5M length of cable. You can also have an untethered length of charge cable, more about this later. Cable trailing, trip hazard on your property, keep it short. Where will the charger look nice? Side of house, Wall, Garage? Charge point has to be at a set height of minimum 750mm from the ground and maximum 1200mm maximum as per regulations (as of 2023).

New cable from the consumer unit to the charge point!?

The cable run must be regulation compliant and safe. Do a drawing of where you would like the cable inside and or outside. Take a photo and then edit or draw on the photo or make a sketch of the installation for your electrician of how you want the EV charge point to look when installed. Conduit (surface mounted cable), trunking etc for hiding the cable. For underground cable installation a galvanized steel armoured trunking is available.

Which charge speed rating do you require? How quickly is your EV car going to charge?

Charge Speed required? Do you really need super fast charging? Example: 7Kw charger Tesla Model 3 from 0 – 300 Miles Range in approx 10 hours. What is your mileage per day? Average is 30 – 40 miles and then recharging when using from home. Most Vehcles are limited to the charge power e.g. 12Kw or 11Kw Example: VW E-Up is rated at 3.5 Kw! It has a Small battery and so charge speed is lower. 7Kw hours is good for most people who do under 50 miles per day from home and therefore need less charge speed, thus saving money on expensive charge points.

What functionality do you need on your EV charger?

Tethered or untethered charge cable?

Tethered EV Charge Cable
Plug is retractable into the charger body.

Untethered EV Charge Cable You have a seperate cable with two plugs you can carry in your car boot etc.

Dumb Charger

Benefits:

Mobile App Monitoring (monitor whole house and or car charging expenditure)
Solar Power charging (instead of sending back to grid charge your car)
Timed Charging Off Peak charging  (cheaper electricity)
How much electricity is your EV charger using (monitor on mobile app)
Aesthetic Design is Futuristic or in-keeping with the house design/style