Electric-Car Charging Stations Upgrade The Home Garage
Homeowners are outfitting their garages with heavy-duty outlets, solar panels and battery walls.
Homeowners are outfitting their garages with heavy-duty outlets, solar panels and battery walls.
When Peter Van Deerlin got his first electric vehicle in 2012, the now 57-year-old doctor wanted to be able to charge his car quickly enough to get to the hospital for middle-of-the-night emergencies.
He chose a Tesla Model S with a dual charger inside the car (a feature that the car maker later dropped) and installed a 100-amp electrical line in his garage in Moorestown, N.J.
In the end, Dr. Van Deerlin’s nervousness was unwarranted, said his wife, Vivianna Van Deerlin, 57, also a doctor. But having the 100-amp line—the standard household outlet is 15 or 20 amps—served the couple well as they expanded their fleet of electric vehicles, which now includes a Tesla Model 3, Model S and Roadster.
Around 2016, the Van Deerlins added a second Tesla wall connector and a NEMA 1450 outlet, which can be used to charge any electric vehicle. They also amped up the decor in their garage so that it would be “suitably nice” for the cars, said Dr. Van Deerlin. She said they spent around $13,000 for Tesla-colored paint, a wall-mounted metal logo and decorative floor tiles.
Dr. Van Deerlin, who is president of a local club for Tesla owners, said she was an early adopter of driving electric for environmental reasons but fell in love with the car. “I love that driving electric doesn’t need to be a compromise,” she said.
As more luxury car makers roll out electric vehicles, homeowners are building or retrofitting garages to equip them with powerful charging stations. Options range from installing a simple, 220- or 240-volt outlet to devising elaborate systems that incorporate solar panels and battery walls.
Entrepreneur and investor Rich Levandov, 67, and his wife, Robin Levandov, 65, a painter, are opting for the latter at their home in Sausalito, Calif. The couple, who split their time between Belmont, Mass., and Sausalito, have a simple 220-volt outlet and charger in Massachusetts. In California, they are installing Tesla roof tiles and a Tesla Powerwall, a series of roughly 2-foot by 4-foot batteries. The roof tiles will power the home and charge Mr. Levandov’s Tesla Model Y and four e-bikes, he said.
Electric vehicles make up roughly 3% of U.S. car sales, according to Pew Research. In August, President Biden signed an executive order calling for 50% of car and truck sales to be electric, hydrogen fuel cell or plug-in hybrids by 2030, The Wall Street Journal reported. Some of the pushback by consumers against e-vehicles is their price and the availability of charging infrastructure.
In North America, all-electric cars can be charged using a standard J1772 plug, sometimes called a “J” plug, said Tom Moloughney, an electric-vehicle industry consultant. Teslas can be charged using a J plug but they need an adapter, which comes free with the vehicle. The amount of power a car gets during charging, measured in kilowatts, is a product of the outlet’s amperage, or the volume of electrons present, multiplied by voltage, which is the pressure of the electrical current, Mr. Moloughney explained. Standard household outlets are 120 volts with 15 or 20 amps, which is known as Level 1 charging, according to Mr. Moloughney. That translates to 3 to 5 miles of range per hour of charging, he said.
Level 2 charging uses a 240-volt circuit and cars can be charged at amperages ranging from 16 to 80, depending on the car. “Every electric vehicle can accept different levels of power,” Mr. Moloughney said. “So you match the charger to what your car can accept.” A car that charges at 80 amps on a 240-volt circuit can take 19.2 kilowatts an hour, he said. That translates to 50 to 60 miles of range per hour, roughly 10 to 20 times as fast as a Level 1 charging setup.
While it is common for homeowners to upgrade to 240-volt outlets, wall-mounted charging stations deliver a more powerful and faster charge. The cost of upgrading is typically several thousand dollars, including labour and a few hundred dollars for the charging station itself.
In addition to brand-specific charging stations, dozens of companies sell brand-agnostic systems. One is ChargePoint, which sells charging stations that can work with all electric vehicles on the market, said Colleen Jansen, the company’s chief marketing officer. “Maybe you have a Tesla today and you want a Polestar tomorrow,” she said. “You don’t have to worry about getting locked into any one brand.”
Colin Morales, a 58-year-old executive at a medical device company, has three ChargePoint stations, two at his primary residence in Carson City, Nev., and another at a home in San Jose, Calif. He has ordered a fourth for another home in Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Mr. Morales said he ordered the ChargePoint stations shortly after his partner, Stephanie Macauley, 56, who is retired, traded in her Porsche for a hybrid Range Rover. The thrill of greater fuel efficiency, and of helping the environment, was short-lived as the couple found themselves running all over town searching for a charging station.
Mr. Morales, who drives a Porsche Taycan and has a Ford F-150 truck, said he has plugged the cars into a 15-amp socket at night, only to wake up and find the vehicle 10% charged. “It would literally take three days if you’re on empty,” he said.
In Carson City, where Mr. Morales owns a custom, 5,500-square-foot house, he said he had his contractor install the two charging stations in an oversize, three-bay garage. Both stations are hard-wired into 220-volt outlets, but one is a 50-amp station and one is a 60-amp station. “It charges just a little bit faster,” he said. He estimated the Range Rover takes about 2½ hours to fully charge, and the Taycan takes between 6 and 7 hours if the car is on empty. The Taycan has around 220 miles of range, and the Range Rover has 50 miles of range using electricity plus another 400 miles using gas.
Mr. Morales said the installation was more complicated at his home in San Jose, where his electrician ran wires under the house, between the breaker box and the garage. “I didn’t want the wire to show,” said Mr. Morales, who preferred to charge inside the garage. “I didn’t want this bulky charging thing outside my house,” he said.
Mr. Morales said he spent around $2,000 to install each charging station, including the electrical work. He estimated he is saving hundreds of dollars a month in gas. In San Jose, for example, Mr. Morales said his monthly electric bill has gone up roughly $50 per month since he installed the charging station. By comparison, he said he easily spent $200 a month on gas before switching to electric.
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
Home to Sir Robert Menzies and Dame Pattie, this grand Melbourne estate is a piece of Australian political history.
It may be a well-worn cliche, but if these walls could talk there would be plenty of state secrets to share. The landmark residence at 8-10 Howard St, Kew was once the private residence of Sir Robert Menzies and Dame Pattie between 1929 and 1949, during the Prime Minster’s first term in the top job. He later held the role again from 1949 to 1966, making him Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister.
Historical land records indicate that the Howard St property was sold to Leonard Clinton Shaw, brother-in-law of Pattie Menzies. Robert and Patti then moved to live into The Lodge in Canberra.
The stately arts and crafts era home was built in the 1910s and has reportedly played host to a long list of dignitaries and VIP guests. As rumour has it, the drawing room of the Kew property is where Menzies crafted his iconic speeches and held many clandestine meetings.
Today the imposing five-bedroom residence, which sits on a vast 1874sq m land parcel in the coveted Studley Park precinct, has come to market through Marshall White agents James Tostevin and Chris Barrett with a price guide of $8.3 million to $8.9 million.
According to CoreLogic, the property last sold in 2018 for $7.75 million.
Beyond the expansive parklike grounds that to pay homage to celebrated Australian landscaper Edna Walling, the two-storey house is packed with meticulously maintained period features.
Showcasing the best of arts and crafts design influences, the home has a charming tuck-point brick façade, a tessellated tile veranda, coloured leadlight glass windows, dark stained wood panelling inside, as well as high decorative ceilings and cornices.
The large foyer divides the lower level into two distinct zones; big formal rooms and more casual family-friendly spaces. Built for entertaining on a grand scale, both the lounge and dining rooms rooms have original fireplaces and open out to either the undercover veranda or enclosed sunroom.
Also on the ground level, a spacious family room with yet another fireplace connects to an everyday meals area, and the contemporary kitchen comes complete with granite surfaces, a Paul Bocuse stove, an integrated Miele dishwasher, a walk-in pantry and wine cellar. A home office, or potential guest bedroom, plus a large laundry and two powder rooms round out the lower level floor plan.
Up via a majestic timber staircase, four big bedrooms have fireplaces and built-in wardrobes, while the primary suite is home to a palatial ensuite and dressing room. This accommodation level also houses two family bathrooms and a rear balcony that overlooks the grounds.
Outdoors there are multiple lifestyle features including a north/south tennis court with lighting, a unique rounds swimming pool and all-weather terraces.
Other features include an alarm, hydronic heating, a 60,000L underground tank, a garden shed, a remote double garage and additional off-street parking.
Located on the old Oakland Estate, the Menzies’ former home is close to popular eateries, Xavier College, St Vincents Private Hospital and golf courses.
Expressions of interest close on March 11, at 5pm for 8-10 Howard St, Kew. The home is listed with a price guide of $8.3 million to $8.9 million through agents James Tostevin and Chris Barrett of Marshall White.
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.