Some EVs come with three-pin charging cables that can be plugged into a powerpoint. The rate of charging will depend on the amperage (A) of the powerpoint. Most powerpoints are 10A (2.3kW), and it will take approximately 4 hours to charge your EV if you have travelled the average daily distance of 40km.

Charging will be faster with a 15A (3.4kW) powerpoint. An electrical contractor can install one for you.

These are some options for charging via a powerpoint:

• Overnight charging - If you regularly charge overnight and your EV battery is rarely below half full, then charging via a powerpoint could be fine for you most of the time
• Day time charging - If you mostly charge during the day and your EV battery is rarely below half full, then using a powerpoint should meet your EV charging needs. If you have a solar PV system, charging your EV during the day when your system is operating should help you save on your energy costs
• Time-of-use tariffs - These are a great option for charging via a powerpoint and could help you to reduce your power bill
• Economy tariffs - You can connect a powerpoint for EV charging to an economy tariff, but you will lose the ability to charge off your solar PV system with this setup.

Safety tip: The electricity demand of a charging EV can be high, even if only charging from a powerpoint. Powerpoint circuits are not typically designed to take such a high load for an extended period. A dedicated EV charger installed by a licensed electrical contractor may provide you with a safer solution, with a lower risk of electrical overload at your home.

Many EV owners choose to install a dedicated EV charger in their garage or chosen charging location, usually wall mounted. The advantages are:

• Faster charging - The Tesla Model 3 will charge from 20% to 80% in around 7 hours, more than three times faster than charging from a powerpoint. This can be handy when the car is used often and/or not at home for long periods, or you don’t want to be plugging it in regularly
• Three-phase charging - If your home has three-phase electrical wiring, you can install a three-phase EV charger for the fastest and most convenient at-home charging possible.

Most homes have single-phase electrical wiring. More information is below for single-phase and three-phase wiring.

Most residential connections within homes have single-phase wiring, which allows you to have a 32A (7kW) dedicated EV charger. There are three options to choose from to install a dedicated charger on single-phase wiring.

All these options require a licensed electrical contractor to undertake work at your premises.

Option 1: Economy tariff

Economy tariffs are great for appliances that don't need a constant supply of power. They can be cheaper because the supply on these tariffs is interruptible and the network manages the times when power is available.

The time of day this will occur may change from day to day and vary in duration and location. Economy tariff 33 (sometimes referred to as a controlled load tariff) has a minimum of 18 hours of power supply available per day, which is typically only interrupted during the evening in summer. This option won’t allow you to charge off a solar PV system.

Option 2: Primary tariff with a dynamic connection

Dynamic connections are a new technology where there is two-way communication between the dedicated EV charger and us. With this connection type you can charge off your solar PV system and take advantage of a time-of-use tariff.

You can charge your EV at any time, however if there is high demand on the network during peak times, we may reduce the charging rate via a signal through a third party EVSE solution provider.

This may be directly to your charger, or to a device installed on your charger (the EV charger will still have a minimum supply of 1.5kW). These peak times are typically during the late afternoon or early evening. All power usage is charged at your primary tariff rate.

Option 3: Primary tariff with basic active management

This option also allows you to charge off a solar PV system, with a network device installed in the meter board and connected directly to your EV charger. There is no charge from us for the installation of the network device – depending on your switchboard, your electrical contractor may need to undertake work to make it suitable to have the network device installed.

The device may be operated if the network is under pressure, to turn off power to the circuit supplying the dedicated EV charger. These supply interruptions are generally during the late afternoon or early evening peak period and only when the network is in high demand.

With this connection type, your dedicated EV charger is connected to your primary tariff and energy usage is charged at that rate. It’s not available in some areas, such as remote communities, and you can use our NMI* Search tool to check your premises.

*Your premises National Metering Identifier (NMI) can be found on your electricity bill.

Since December 2017, metering rules were amended such that new or replacement meters must be smart meters, however there are some exceptions to this general rule. You should consult with your electricity retailer to understand this.

If your premises does not already have a smart meter, requesting the installation of a network device (relay) may result in the metering being upgraded at your installation. You should consult with your electricity retailer to understand if this upgrade will result in any changes to your retail electricity tariff. You can visually check if you have a smart meter already installed by looking for a communications antenna connected to the meter or by contacting your electricity retailer.

If you have three-phase wiring in your home, you can install a dedicated charger up to 22kW, if it is connected and switched simultaneously across all three phases. This setup will allow for much faster charging, and does not require active device management.

If you don’t have three-phase wiring in your home, talk to your licensed electrical contractor about whether you can upgrade your wiring and the costs involved.

Many EV owners also have a solar PV system and are keen to run their EV on renewable energy as much as possible.

However, many EVs consume much more power than the existing solar PV system can provide. And it’s often challenging to charge an EV in the middle of the day when there is most likely to be excess solar power.

The average EV uses around 10kWh/day. The average 5kW solar PV system generates around 23kWh/day and exports around half of that to the grid. Therefore, if you want to maximise charging your EV from renewable energy, you’ll need to prioritise charging in the middle of the day, almost every day.

Another option is to install a battery energy storage system to store your renewable energy, so you can use it to charge your EV at night. This is an expensive investment, and the entire EV/PV/battery system needs to be carefully designed by an experienced professional to optimise the benefits and minimise the upfront and ongoing costs.

Consider your charging options at home before purchasing your EV and talk to a specialist EV dedicated charger installer, or a licensed electrical contractor, for advice on options and costs.

When you first purchase your EV, it’s also a good idea to charge your EV via a powerpoint for a few months until you have a better understanding of your charging needs and whether you think you need to have a dedicated charger installed.

Some electricity retailers offer attractive rates for EV charging, so make sure you do some research on what’s available in your area.