The popularity of electric vehicles continues to rise as the years go by, and that's probably because these efficient vehicles not only get better and better as time goes on, but they become more affordable as well. Of course, people are also becoming more and more environmentally conscious as well, which probably contributes to their decision to drive cleaner, green vehicles. Having said this, it's no secret that one of the most attractive features of these kinds of vehicle is that they can save a substantial amount of money on your monthly or annual fuel costs, since they require less or no gas.

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Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charging Station - San Rafael

Since there are two kinds of electric vehicles, people's needs for fuel and energy differ between the two. There are all-electric vehicles, which require no gasoline to function. These kinds of cars instead use only electricity to get the driver and their passengers from one point to another. There are also hybrid type models, hybrid in this context meaning that the vehicle is capable of transporting the passengers with traditional gasoline fuel but also uses electricity. In many cases the car can run off of electricity alone for a certain amount of miles, making gasoline optional. It depends on the kind of model that the driver has.

Whether you're driving the latest model of all-electric vehicle from Tesla or you've just picked up a new Nissan Leaf, you may wish to consider installing a home charging station for the added convenience that this can offer you. Since you wouldn't have to go out and find a charging station anymore, with a home charging station you could simply plug in and charge the vehicle at home. There are some pretty bad DIY instructions available for this kind of thing on the Internet, but we would advise you to work with a qualified electrician for your installation—while we hope that you'd choose to work with us here at Lowes, it's still a good idea to have a professional install your home charging station because it means that you'll get it done correctly the first time

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Oftentimes having a professional electrician like the ones here at Lowes Electric in San Rafael install your home charging station will be far cheaper than the DIY alternatives, and you'll likely find that the charging station will be more reliable. If you'd like to experience the benefits of a home charging station for your Tesla Roadster or Nissan Leaf (among just about any other kind of electric vehicle), we highly encourage you to call us today and schedule a consultation so that we can provide you with the best possible advice and get the project started as soon as possible.

Different Charging Systems and the Best For Homes

Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charging Station - San Rafael

While there are many, many traditional gas stations here in San Rafael, the unfortunate reality is that there aren't many third party charging stations available yet for electronic vehicles. While this might change in the future, it isn't the case now—which means that many owners of electric vehicles have to face the inconvenience of not being able to charge their vehicles whenever they want. The solution is with a charging system installed at your home, place of business, or both. Let's take a moment to examine the different kinds of charging systems.

We can provide you with installation of a Level 2 charging station at a reasonable price. Despite what you may think, having this kind of device installed in your home is quite affordable. Level 1 charging stations are typically what most home owners start with, but these kinds of systems are very inefficient. They use a standard 110 volt outlet, which is the same kind of outlet that might be used to run your appliances. However, Level 1 charging stations won't give you much “juice” since they can only give your vehicle perhaps around 2 to 5 miles of charge per single hour spent charging. For most drivers, this simply isn't enough — even if they leave their cars charging for half of the day.

Instead, we would suggest getting a level 2 charging station installed into your home. These kinds of vehicle charging stations utilize 240 volts of power, which you may already have the capability to support in your home since this is the kind of outlet needed for high powered appliances such as electric dryers. 240 volt power is also quite common in commercial buildings, which is good news for those who wish to have a charging station installed at their place of business. These charging stations are more efficient since they can provide ten to twenty miles of charge in your electric vehicle per hour spent charging.

If you'd like to learn more about how to get an in-house charging station installed, please contact Lowes Electric today at (415) 524-0477.