Installing an Electric Car Charger at Home

Three ways to charge at home

Regular socket: the makeshift that doesn't scale

Every electric car comes with a cable that plugs into a residential socket. It works, but delivers very little power: a full charge can take more than a day. Worse, a regular socket wasn't designed to supply high current for many hours in a row — that's how old wiring heats up and becomes a real fire risk. It's good for an emergency, not for routine.

Industrial socket on a dedicated circuit

A step up: an industrial-standard socket, connected on an exclusive circuit, with its own circuit breaker and protection. It costs less than a wallbox and works well for those who drive little and can leave the car charging all night.

Wallbox: the equipment made for this

It's the wall charger proper. It delivers more power, has specific protections for vehicle charging, and connected models let you schedule times and track consumption. It's the option that makes sense for those who use the car every day.

What really defines the cost

The price of the equipment is the predictable part. What varies from home to home is the installation, and three factors explain almost all the difference:

• Distance to the power panel. Every meter of cable in the proper gauge counts. A garage right next to the panel is one scenario; a spot at the back of the lot is another.
• Power available in your service entrance. If the installation already operates near the limit, it may be necessary to upgrade the service entrance with the utility — and that is usually the most expensive item on the bill.
• Single-phase or three-phase. A three-phase grid allows higher power and faster charging. On a single-phase grid, there's a ceiling that no equipment gets around.

That's why a serious quote only comes after a technical visit. Any amount fixed over the phone, without someone seeing the panel and measuring the distance, is a guess.

Who can install it

Installing a vehicle charger is electrical work, with a technical standard and professional responsibility. It must be done by a qualified professional, with a proper design, protection against leakage current and correct grounding. It's no place for improvisation: besides the risk, an irregular installation can compromise the warranty of the car and the equipment.

Elektro Charge operates public charging stations and doesn't do residential installation. This guide exists because the question comes up all the time from those who just bought their first electric car — and because those who charge at home still need fast charging on the road.

Living in an apartment changes everything

In a condo, besides the technical part, there's the collective part: authorization at the assembly, individualized metering of consumption and the capacity of the building's electrical infrastructure. Many older buildings don't have spare capacity for several spots charging at the same time, and the discussion becomes an infrastructure project, not the installation of a single point.

While that process doesn't move — and it usually takes months — fast public charging is what sustains the routine. It's the most common case among electric drivers in apartment buildings in Greater Curitiba.

Home and charging station complement each other

Charging at home is convenient and covers daily use. But home charging is slow by nature, and doesn't solve trips or the unexpected. The fast direct-current charger delivers in half an hour what the home charger takes all night to deliver.

The combination that works is simple: routine at home, trips and emergencies at the charging station. Those who have both rarely think about range.