Charging solutions for electric cars
The condition, age and implementation of a residential building's electrical system have a big influence on the type of charging solutions recommended for the property and how safe it is to charge an electric car, for example directly from a household socket. The sufficiency of your electricity connection should also be examined. If its capacity must be increased to enable charging of electric cars, the electricity distribution network may also need to be strengthened. For these matters, you should consult an electrical designer.
Consider the following issues when purchasing and using charging points for electric cars
Kilometres driven
The need for charging power depends the most on how much the cars are driven per day. For typical commuting, it is not always necessary to charge the batteries to capacity. Even with slow charging, several dozen kilometres of driving can be charged overnight. The size of the car's battery and the ambient temperature affect how quickly the battery will take in charging.
Charging point and energy meter
On many sites, charging devices can be installed using the electrical wiring of an existing outdoor socket for car heating. The charging point can also be a household socket or a stand-alone rapid charger. In a housing company, it is important that energy meters are installed at the charging point to allocate electricity consumption to the users.
Property electrical system
The adequacy and condition of the property's electrical wiring should be checked in this context.
Load balancer
Load balancing is needed if several electric cars are charged simultaneously at high power or if your electricity connection does not have enough capacity for all the cars. The load balancer ensures that the combined power demand of electrical appliances and electric cars does not exceed the capacity of your electricity connection, even if all electric cars are being charged at the same time.
Free capacity of your property's electricity connection
Your property's electricity connection affects the available power and can limit the options. The free capacity of the electricity connection and, if necessary, the means to increase it will be clarified during the survey visit. One idea to increase the electricity capacity are solar panels.
Other projects in the yard
Replacing the cabling should be done in connection with a yard refurbishment or other renovation that requires excavation work. It is also advisable to postpone laying asphalt in the yard, for example, until after the cabling has been surveyed.
Most common charging connectors and their powers
To find the best charging solution, it is important to identify the current status of your electricity connection and consider which type of charger is best suited to your mobility needs.
The types of charging connectors vary depending on the car model. The charging powers vary depending on the electricity connection and the house's internal network.
Charging at home and at the workplace
For home charging, either the familiar Schuko socket outlet or a Type 2 connector specially designed for car charging is usually used. The Type 2 charging method is usually used with a charger, while the Schuko socket outlet can be located directly on the outdoor socket for car heating or on the wall of the house. For many, rapid charging at home or at work is unnecessary due to the long parking times.
Socket outlet (Schuko)
- Charging at a rate of approximately 10 km per hour
- The general recommendation is to charge at up to 8 A
- Electrical installation work may not be needed
- The charging connector can use the cabling of an existing outdoor socket for car heating or be a household socket
- Before charging, it is important to check that the socket outlet and internal network are in good condition and that the charging cable is compatible with the electrical system
- Enables 1.8 kW of charging power
Large current (three-phase socket outlet)
- Charging at a rate of approximately 20–60 km per hour
- The available charging power depends on the model of socket outlet and the fuse sizes
- Enables 11 kW of charging power
Type 2
- Charging at a rate of approximately 20–110 km per hour
- Enables single-phase and three-phase charging
- A standardised charger type compatible with most electric cars
- The most common solution for separately installed electric car chargers
- Enables 22 kW of charging power
Public charging points
CCS Combo
- Charging at a rate of up to 600 km per hour
- Direct-current (DC) charging
- Suitable for cars from manufacturers such as BMW, Volkswagen and Tesla
- Enables 350 kW of charging power
Chademo
- Charging at a rate of up to 315 km per hour
- Direct-current (DC) charging
- Suitable for cars from manufacturers such as Nissan and Mitsubishi
- Enables 62.5 kW of charging power
Charging point calculator
Charging point calculator
ARA subsidy can be applied for electrical system changes
If at least five charging points or more are to be installed, the housing company or its parking company can apply for a subsidy from ARA (Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland). The subsidy can be used to cover the costs of needs analysis, project planning, cabling and electrical work. If the charging equipment is owned by the housing company, ARA subsidy can also be applied for the cost of the equipment. The subsidy amounts to 35% of the costs for normal projects and 50% for efficient charging points, up to a maximum of EUR 90,000.
Frequently asked questions
What does is cost to install charging points for electric cars?
At its simplest, a charging point can be a household socket or a charging device that uses the electrical wiring of an existing outdoor socket for car heating. Installing this type of 'slow charging' requires no electrical work. The electrical safety of a household socket for charging a car should, however, be checked with an expert. Charging devices cost around 700–1,200 euros.
Faster Type 2 charging solutions cost slightly more for the equipment and are more likely to require changes to the electrical system.
When acquiring multiple charging points, the cost of the work per charging point is usually lower than in small projects. When at least five charging points are installed, it is also worth applying for an ARA subsidy, which can cover up to 50% of the alteration and equipment costs of the electrical system.
What affects the choice of a charging solution?
The condition, age and implementation of a residential building's electrical system have a big influence on the type of charging solutions recommended for the property and how safe it is to charge an electric car, for example directly from a household socket.
The sufficiency of your electricity connection should also be examined. If its capacity must be increased to enable charging of electric cars, the electricity distribution network may also need to be strengthened. For these matters, you should consult an electrical designer.