Is An 11kW Home Charger Worth It?
An 11kW charger is something most homeowners would like as it charges your EV that bit quicker.
In order to have one though you need a three-phase supply as in most homes, you get a single phase which has a maximum charging speed of 7.4kW. Most people don’t bother upgrading as it means improving your electrics and by that we mean the main fuse box and the cables running into your property.
Is it worth doing all that for an extra 10 miles of range per hour on average?
Some people think so, and that’s what you can expect if you are to upgrade. A 7.4kW gives you about 30 miles of range per hour, whilst an 11kW will give you about 40 miles of range per hour. So if you were to charge for 4 hours, you would have an extra 40 miles of range but is the upgrade worth it, it’s down to you.
How Does An 11kW Charger Compare to 7.4kW
If you are desperate for extra charging speed, the upgrade probably is worth it in the long run. If you were to charge daily and use your car all the time, then you would certainly get use out of the 11kW home charger.
In terms of percentage, an 11kW is 57% faster than a 7kW so it is quite a noticeable difference. If you are to charge an EV over the course of 8 hours on a 7kW, this could charge the same amount in about 5 hours on an 11kW as well as depending on other factors.
If you charge overnight there’s probably not much point in having the larger charger as you will always be around full capacity anyway in the morning. It’s more beneficial for people who charge their EV for a few hours then want to get out for the day, that few hours might get you an extra 40-50 miles of range.
In most homes, you get between 7kW and 7.4kW as standard as these charge at a fairly good rate and are much faster than 3.6kW. 11kW chargers are typically 25% more expensive and are useless unless you have a three-phase supply.
More and more electric cars are starting to support 11kW AC charging and as the industry grows and costs go down, all EV’s will support it.
Electric Car Charging Speed At Home
Below are the charging ranges you can expect per hour:
- 7kW – 25 miles of range per hour
- 7.2kW – 28 miles of range per hour
- 7.4kW – 30 miles of range per hour
- 11kW – 38 miles of range per hour
As you can see, there’s not a lot of difference between 7kW to 7.4kW, but then quite a jump to 11kW.
Are 11kW Home Electric Car Chargers Worth It?
They are certainly worth it if you want an electric car charging point that will give you that extra mileage when out. This could be the difference between making it home to charge or having to stop at a public charging point, those extra 20-60 miles could well be the difference.
If you do not have a three-phase supply in your home, then it’s worth serious consideration if you’ll get the use out of it as the upfront cost to improve your electrics is not cheap. If you already have a three-phase supply then I would certainly consider upgrading to 11kW EV charging for your electric car.
It just makes life a bit easier knowing you’re getting that extra few miles every hour your vehicle is charging and in the future we expect 11kW to become a lot more of a standard practice than just 7.4kW.
Last Word
Hopefully, you can see the benefits of upgrading to an 11kW but know that it comes at a price. It all depends on how often you charge your EV and whether you’re charging it during the day or at night, these are the sort of factors that will affect how much value you’ll get out of upgrading from 7.4kW to 11kW.
It’s likely that as car batteries get bigger in the future, the need for faster charging will be present, it just all depends on whether you can afford to upgrade now or later down the line.
To see other great electric vehicle articles that might be able to help, head over to our main page.
