Charging your car at home? Don’t boil the kettle, says National Grid

Brew or battery charge?

Another potential snag for electric car owners in a hurry, as Auto Express reports.

Electric vehicle owners may not be able to rapidly charge their car at home at the same time as boiling a kettle, National Grid has warned.

The grid operator said that using a fast charger, which can be installed at home to reduce charging times, is likely to trip a house’s main fuse if used simultaneously with other ‘high demand’ items such as kettles, ovens and immersion heaters.

The average household has a main fuse of 60 to 80 amps and an above-average sized 11kW EV charger requires 48 amps, so adding a small number of 13A appliances risks exceeding the limit, according to the company.

In a report on the challenges to increasing the uptake of electric cars in the UK, National Grid said household electricity capability is a ‘pinch point’ for motorists who want to charge their electric car fully at home. It added that compromises may need to be made between the speed of home charging and the capacity of household electricity supplies.

Full report: Charging your car at home? Don’t boil the kettle, says National Grid | Auto Express