Charging Ahead

Recently I attended a meeting EV enthusiasts where the panel of speakers covered their remedies for the trouble with "Charge Rage".  There were options for home and business charging.  There were a few options for changing how charging is done, either by splitting the charger or making charging open source. But one of these options stood out as something that I could move forward with immediately.

The first speaker was a representative from NRG Energy, a car charging company.  The speaker, Mehrshad Kouhkan, is a business and marketing agent for the company and had many plans for both consumers and businesses.  One of the plans that is offered by NRG energy helps give Electric Vehicle owners, who own a single family home, a method for installing a charging station for a low monthly fee.

There was a 30% rebate on the purchase and installation of a charging station, that covered up to $1000 of the cost.  Unfortunately, that deal ended at the start of 2014.  But with this opportunity through NRG Energy, I will be able to afford the considerable cost of both the install and charging station.

 The homeowners package includes installation and the price of the charging station.  For nearly $40 per month over the next 36 months (which comes to $1440) plus permits, the cost can be under $2000.

But Why Do you Need a Charging Station at Home?

We're all told that we "need" a charging station at the home.  It's a good question to ask why this is necessary.  There are several reasons for purchasing a charging station.

• Speed

The charging station usually has a higher voltage, like an electric stove or clothes dryer.  These devices pull more current at a higher voltage, therefore getting more power at once. Most home appliances are geared for 120V, but certain ones are set for higher.  An electric car can be set for as much as 440V (or more)

• Convenience:

Most people who own an electric car, change their vehicle at home, in their garage.  If you have the plug right there mounted on the wall, then you can easily connect to it when you arrive home. 

• Efficiency

Most electric cars come with a 120V portable charging station.  This device, although effective, is equivalent to reducing your home water inlet to a straw.  It will allow you to get water, but it will be very slow. But with the proper equipment, not only will the charge be faster, but cleaner and more efficient

• Communication

Electric vehicles are quite on the cutting edge of technology, not merely in the fact that they are efficient, but in their ability to communicate with us.  An EV has an on-board data service that can send information to your smartphone or computer.  But some charging stations can also do this.  A smart charging station can send you updates if the vehicle is done charging or if someone unplugs it.

Minor Issue

I'm grateful to finally be getting the charging station.  But I there is only one minor issue that I wish was more likely (in the US).  Although it's good to get a charging station, the on-board charger is the bottleneck.  It's not actually possible to charge faster than the on-board charger will allow.  So to charge faster, you would have to replace a part in the vehicle.  With the Smart, there's no US option for a DC Fast charger (yet), only in Europe.  But in the near future I hope to see more DC Fast charging station in the US, allowing us Smart ED owners to recharge in < 1 hour .