How to charge an electric car at home
When your car can be parked on your property, in a garage or in a parking space with access to electricity, home charging is generally the most convenient solution.
The car can be plugged in in the evening and recover overnight the energy used during the day. In most cases, you therefore do not need to fully recharge the battery after every journey.
The choice of equipment mainly depends on:
- The number of kilometres travelled each day
- How long the car can remain plugged in
- Your electrical installation
- Your electricity plan
- The charging power accepted by your vehicle
Can you charge an electric car using a domestic socket?
An electric car can be plugged into a standard domestic socket, provided that the electrical installation is in good condition and properly rated.
This solution is mainly suitable for drivers who travel only a few kilometres each day. Its power is generally limited to approximately 1.8 to 2.2 kW.
Depending on the car’s energy consumption, a domestic socket can provide approximately 10 to 15 km of range per hour of charging.
Eight hours of charging overnight may therefore be enough to recover the range used during a typical day of driving.
Before regularly using an existing socket, it is advisable to have its condition and installation checked by a professional.
Using a reinforced Green’Up socket
A Green’Up socket looks like a standard electrical socket, but it is designed to support more intensive and longer charging sessions.
When used with a compatible cable, it can deliver up to approximately 3.7 kW. It therefore allows you to charge faster than with a standard domestic socket, without requiring the installation of a wall-mounted charging station.
It is a good intermediate solution when:
- A domestic socket is too slow
- You travel a moderate daily distance
- Your car remains plugged in for several hours
- You do not want to install a charging station
The socket must be installed on a suitable circuit with the necessary electrical protection.
Which cable should you use with a domestic socket?
To charge using a domestic socket or a Green’Up socket, you must use a portable charging cable, also known in France as a CRO.
It generally includes:
- A Schuko plug on the electrical socket side
- A Type 2 connector on the vehicle side
- A control unit designed to keep charging safe
To make full use of a Green’Up socket, check that your CRO can operate at 16 A. This information is generally shown on the back of its control unit.
If your vehicle is not supplied with a suitable cable, you can order a compatible model.
⚠️ Never connect a charging cable to a multi-socket adapter or an extension lead. The CRO must be connected directly to a correctly installed socket.
Should you install a home charging station?
When a domestic socket or Green’Up socket does not provide enough range, you can install a home charging station, also known as a wallbox.
This installation is more expensive, but it provides several advantages:
- Faster charging
- An installation designed for regular use
- Charging scheduled during off-peak hours
- Electricity consumption monitoring
- Adjustment of the power available in the home
- A tethered cable on some models
A charging station is particularly useful when you travel a large number of kilometres or when several electric cars need to be charged.
What power should you choose for a home charging station?
The choice depends on your electrical installation and the on-board charger in your car.
In a home with a single-phase electrical supply, a 7.4 kW charging station generally offers the best compromise.
With a three-phase electrical supply, an 11 kW charging station may be considered, provided that the vehicle accepts this level of power.
| Solution | Typical power | Range recovered per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic socket | 1.8 to 2.2 kW | Approximately 10 to 15 km |
| Green’Up socket | Up to 3.7 kW | Approximately 20 to 30 km |
| Home charging station | 7.4 kW | Approximately 35 to 50 km |
| Three-phase charging station | 11 kW | Approximately 55 to 75 km |
These estimates vary depending on the vehicle’s energy consumption and charging losses.
The amount of energy recovered is also limited by the battery’s capacity. A car will naturally stop charging when the battery is full.
Can the car limit the charging power?
The power advertised by the charging station does not always correspond to the power actually received by the vehicle.
Every electric car has an on-board charger responsible for converting the alternating current supplied by the socket or charging station.
Its maximum power may be:
- 3.7 kW
- 7.4 kW
- 11 kW
- More rarely, 22 kW
A vehicle limited to 7.4 kW will therefore not charge at 11 kW simply because it is connected to a more powerful charging station.
⚠️ Some vehicles equipped with a single-phase on-board charger may be limited to approximately 3.7 kW when connected to an 11 kW three-phase charging station.
Check your car’s information page in the Electus application or on the Electus website to find out its maximum alternating-current charging power.
Is a 22 kW charging station useful at home?
Installing a 22 kW charging station is rarely genuinely useful in a residential property.
It generally requires:
- A three-phase electrical supply
- A high-capacity electricity subscription
- Correctly rated wiring
- A vehicle capable of accepting 22 kW of alternating current
Few electric cars accept this level of power. For most drivers, a 7.4 or 11 kW charging station already provides enough range overnight.
However, a 22 kW charging station may be relevant for a compatible vehicle that needs to be charged quickly several times during the same day.
How long does it take to charge at home?
Charging time depends on the amount of energy that needs to be recovered, not only on the battery’s total capacity.
To recover approximately 40 kWh:
| Solution | Approximate charging time |
|---|---|
| Domestic socket at 2.3 kW | Approximately 18 hours |
| Green’Up socket at 3.7 kW | Approximately 11 hours |
| 7.4 kW charging station | Approximately 5 hours 30 minutes |
| 11 kW charging station | Approximately 3 hours 45 minutes |
In practice, you will often only need to recover the energy used during the day. The required connection time will therefore be shorter.
Scheduling charging during off-peak hours
Many cars and charging stations allow you to schedule the start of charging.
You can therefore plug in your vehicle when you arrive home while asking it to begin charging automatically during off-peak hours.
This scheduling allows you to:
- Reduce the cost of charging
- Limit electricity consumption during the busiest periods
- Have a sufficiently charged battery the following morning
Some charging stations can also adjust their power according to the electricity consumption of the home. This function prevents you from exceeding the capacity of your electricity subscription when several appliances are operating at the same time.
Which solution should you choose for charging at home?
A domestic socket may be sufficient when you travel only a few kilometres and the car remains plugged in for a long time.
A Green’Up socket allows you to recover more range without installing a charging station.
A 7.4 kW charging station is suitable for most homes and drivers.
An 11 kW charging station is mainly useful with a three-phase electrical supply and a compatible car.
The best installation is therefore not necessarily the most powerful. It must suit your daily mileage, your car and your electrical installation.