TAKING AN EV HOME

How to prep your house for an electric car?
November 22, 2010 (USA Today)

"…How you prep your house for [an EV] varies widely, depending on the model, your home's wiring and how quickly you want to charge it.

"The batteries that power electric cars can be charged by plugging them into a standard wall socket or nearly twice as fast with a charging station. Yet a station could cost at least $2,000, including installation, and possibly $4,000 higher if you need a new electrical panel…"

From Charge Net (click to enlarge)

[AP:] "The main thing to consider is…If your commute is short, or there's a charging station near your office, you might not need much of a charge at home. You can get away with topping off your battery overnight."

From Aerovironment (click to enlarge)

"…The $41,000 Chevrolet Volt and the $33,000 Nissan Leaf, both of which are slated to go on sale next month, have different batteries and charging requirements…
…The Volt has a relatively small battery because it also has a gasoline-powered generator that powers the car when the battery runs out. Chevy expects the car to be able to go 25 to 50 miles on electricity and then an extra 300 miles or so with the help of the gas motor. A standard socket will fully charge the Volt in about eight hours. A charger will do it in four. [Chevrolet says a charger is optional]…

"…The Leaf is powered entirely by electricity, and therefore has a much bigger battery. Nissan says the Leaf can go about 100 miles on a full charge. It will take 20 hours to do this with a standard outlet, and eight hours with a charger. Nissan strongly recommends a charger…"