Must Knows To Charge Your Electric Car At Home

The two main workhorses of electric cars have been autonomy and recharging time. The first has already been solved with higher capacity batteries, such as those of the Volkswagen ID.3, which with alternatives of 58 and 77 kWh, offer up to 420 and 549 kilometers of range, respectively.

The second is still in process, and although it is progressing with the deployment of an increasingly widespread public charging network, there is still a long way to go. And that’s where a reliable and well-performing charging infrastructure at home becomes almost essential.

Because it will be our private gas station to supply us with electricity in less time than with conventional household plugs.

To meet that need, Volkswagen offers all plug-in hybrid or electric model customers with ID wall chargers. Charger, a simple solution, easy to use and with affordable prices. Above all, Volkswagen offers a qualified, personalized and professional installation and assembly service.

The equipment consists of a wall device (it can also be placed on other fixed surfaces) with a modern design and contained measurements (about 40 x 30 centimeters).

And it’s available with three trim variants, each with different customization options. In addition, it is even compatible with models from other manufacturers that use a type 2 charging connection, that is, with practically all European electric vehicles.

The customer can choose between three variants, all of them compatible with single-phase recharges of 7.4 kW (80% load between seven and eight hours for the ID.3) and three-phase of 11 kW (80% in six hours for the same model ), which can be chosen depending on the electrical installation of each home.

The first alternative is the ID. Charger (399 euros), the most basic model, which has an integrated charging cable to facilitate the process and avoids the hassle of taking it out and picking it up after the car and having a place to store it when you finish at home.

The ID. Charger Connect (599 euros) is the intermediate solution and adds additional functions, such as access protection via RFID, a radio frequency identification and communication system that, for example, prevents someone else in a community garage from using the charger.

And also Internet connectivity, either by Ethernet cable or by Wi-Fi, and all from a mobile application, either to control the charging processes, give permission to other vehicles so that they can use the charger, etc.

Lastly, the ID. Charger Pro (849 euros) includes all of the above and adds a meter with MID (Measurement Instrument Directive) certification, which allows you to accurately calculate and record electricity consumption, a very useful function for cars and company fleets.

The hiring process is very simple, it can be done online and allows you to configure the different options of the charging station at the click of a button: choose the 4.5 meter cable (free) or the 7.5 meter cable (per 50 euros), select the load capacity and specify the type of home where it will be installed.

Installation prices vary depending on whether it is a single-phase or three-phase system, whether it is a single-family home or a flat, and the chosen charger. And they cover a range that goes from 950 to 1,430 euros.

In the case of single-family homes, they do not depend on anyone outside to do the installation, but in garage spaces in neighboring communities it is necessary to connect the charging point to their own electricity meter and, although their approval is not required, they must notify the president of the community or the administrator 30 days in advance.

The service offered by Volkswagen includes a technical verification to assess the feasibility of the installation, home inspection, installation and configuration of the ID.

Charger and 24 months warranty. In addition, the price includes 15 meters of cable if it is a single-family home and up to 25 meters with its pipeline if it is a community of neighbors, a maximum of two wall steps, electrical protections and an electrical panel with IP sealing 65 – IK 09 – Class II and lock in case of floor installation.

If additional items, materials or services are required that are not included in the initially described standard package, additional costs may be incurred directly with the Volkswagen installation partner.