Over the last decade, electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have made their way into the automotive world, increasing exponentially in popularity over the last few years. Backed by new sustainability initiatives by states like California, support for renewable infrastructure by the Biden Administration and new EV models from leading manufacturers such as Volvo, Nissan and even Ford with their F-150 Lightning™, EVs are becoming a more common choice for Americans. With the average American household owning 1.79 cars as of 2019, it’s likely we will start to see families who own two or more EVs at home, which could lead to questions about how to go about charging multiple EVs at a time.
So how do you use dual or multiple EV chargers for the home at the same time?
Electrical Usage for EV Charging Stations at Home
Like most electronic devices that are plugged in, EV charging stations draw power from your home’s electrical panel. (EvoCharge units can be plugged into a 240v outlet or hardwired to the panel by a certified electrician.) Electricity to your panel isn’t an unlimited supply; anyone who has ever had to flip a circuit breaker because they’ve run too many devices off the same circuit at the same time will understand that there’s only so much electricity you can use at once. Therefore, if you have two or more EVs that need to be charged at home, you may find you want to stagger the use.
How Do You Charge Two or More EVs at Home?
If your electrical panel can’t work with two or more EV chargers working at full capacity at the same time, you’ll want to find the best way for your family to charge without taking too much electricity at once.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to manage your standard Level 1 charging through the unit itself (although you may be able to through your vehicle; consult your owners manual to learn more). But new innovations in Level 2 charging means you not only charge up to 8x faster than Level 1; there are ways to manage multiple Level 2 chargers.
While our iEVSE and iEVSE Plus (for commercial use) have local load management which creates a protocol for sharing power to multiple stations at once, scheduling for home use is even easier with our iEVSE Home unit. With the iEVSE Home, you have access to our free app (available on Android and iPhone) and web portal where you can use your home Wi-Fi to schedule and control charging from anywhere. Just plug in both of your EVs and schedule when you want them to charge. This way, you can manage dual EV chargers to work at different times of the day or week when you’re home. Say one car arrives home earlier than the other three days a week: the app allows you to schedule the first charger to begin at a specific time on specific days, and the second charger will begin later in the day or even overnight.
EVs truly are the future of sustainability in America. Even if your household only has one EV currently, you may want to plan for the next 5-10 years when you’re looking to purchase a Level 2 charger. In that case, an EvoCharge iEVSE Home smart EV charger will provide you with the capabilities you need to manage charging for multiple vehicles in the future. Learn more about the iEVSE Home.
