Create Your Home Electrification Plan [Part 2: Getting Around]
Electrifying your gas vehicles and planning for EV charging
This is the second post of a series on creating a personalized home electrification plan for comfortable, carbon-free living. See here for part 1
Welcome back Volted faithful! In the last post on plugging in, we explored how generating clean electricity and beefing up our electrical service creates a foundation for whole-home electrification.
Now, we will turn our attention to how you get around. This is the largest source of emissions for the average U.S. family (~45%) thanks to the gas-powered cars most of us still drive. In this post, we’ll walk through how to pragmatically approach replacing your gas cars with electric vehicles (EVs). In addition, we will consider planning for how you will charge your EV.
If you started your home electrification plan using our template in part 1, copy and paste this section to the bottom of your sheet before moving on. This will extend your plan to include the Getting Around category.
Electrifying Your Vehicles
Replacing your gas car(s) with an EV is a critical piece of your electrification journey because of the personal benefits that EVs offer, combined with the large chunk of our carbon footprint that driving represents.
Most of us are familiar with what type of car we drive and whether it is gas-powered or electric. It’s pretty simple: if you stop at the gas station to fill up, your car uses an internal combustion engine (ICE) in some capacity and should be a candidate for electrification. That being said, there is some nuance around types of vehicle engines that are important to understand.
The transition from gas cars to EVs did not happen immediately, but rather over time through a series of innovations that moved cars closer to being fully electrified:
Gas [❌ Not electric]: Traditional cars that rely entirely on an internal combustion engine (ICE) powered by gas to operate.
Hybrid (HEV) [❌ Not fully electric]: Combines a gas engine with a small electric motor + battery to increase gas mileage.
Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) [🟡 can operate as fully electric, but not always]: Combines gas with electric motors like hybrids, but can be operated as a pure electric vehicle for limited range (20-50 miles) before switching to the gas engine.
Electric Vehicle (EV or BEV) [✅ Fully electric]: Rely entirely on an electric engine + battery to operate. No gas engine on board and must be charged through plugging in.
The differences between these types of cars is summarized below:
Although hybrids and plug-in hybrids are often marketed as electric, only EVs are zero-emission vehicles. Therefore, it should be part of your electrification plan to ultimately replace all gas and hybrid vehicles with EVs. Despite being more efficient, both variations of hybrid vehicles will still use gasoline and create emissions to some degree. Even a plug-in hybrid will switch to using gas for longer trips, and can kick over to the gas engine at high speeds or colder temperatures.
For those that may still have hesitations about making the switch to all-electric, there has been significant maturity in the EV market in recent years to hopefully reassure you:
Quality: There are an increasing number of available EVs on the market at various price points and configurations to suit any family’s needs. A vast majority of EV owners are very satisfied with their vehicle and say they would purchase an EV again.
Range anxiety: Many EVs can now get 250 miles or more per charge thanks to improved battery technology. In addition, EV charging infrastructure has significantly improved in the U.S., with a government-backed goal of reaching 500,000 public chargers nationwide.
Cost: A variety of EV rebates & tax credits are now available at the federal, state, and local level across the United States — including a $7,500 federal tax credit available to qualifying EVs and families. The combination of increasing availability of EV options across manufacturers and these incentives is making purchasing an EV more affordable for more people.
That being said, you don’t need to go trade in your car for an EV tomorrow. Fuel efficiency impacts priority. There is significantly more urgency to replace a traditional gas car with poor gas mileage when compared to, for instance, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that can use very little fuel. In fact, for those using a PHEV for local trips with a fully charged battery, it can run as a pure EV a majority of the time.
Relatedly, the remaining useful life of the car should factor into your plan. If your car is relatively new, may not make financial sense to replace it imminently — especially with trade-in values beginning to decline. However, if your car is many years old and beginning to show signs of wear, it may be time to think about an EV.
ADDING THIS TO YOUR PLAN
Add the following information about your vehicle(s) in the Getting Around section under Electrifying Your Vehicles:
Make/model/year of your vehicle(s)
MPG/MPGe: Fuel economy of your vehicle(s)
Engine Type: Gas, Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid, EV
Estimated Remaining Life: <1yr, 1-3 yrs, 3-5 yrs, 5+ years
Is it a candidate for electrification?
All non-EVs should be marked ‘Yes’ in Column F. EVs should be marked ‘No’.
If your vehicle(s) are a candidate for an electrification, choose a Priority level:
🟢 High:
Your non-EV(s) have <3 years of estimated useful life.
Your non-EV(s) have poor or average gas mileage
🟡 Medium:
Your non-EV(s) have >3 years of remaining life
Your non-EV(s) have very good or excellent gas mileage
🔴 Low:
You have a plug-in hybrid that you use primarily for local trips and use it in full EV mode a majority of the time
Jeff’s plan as an example:
EV Charging
Up-front planning for how you will have easy and reliable access to EV charging will ensure that your experience owning and driving an EV is convenient and stress-free.
The most important question to ask yourself is where you can realistically charge your EV. In short, there are three places where it’s possible to charge:
At Home. 80% of all charging done by EV drivers is done via home charging1 in garages or driveways.
In Public. Parking lots, public garages, and dedicated EV charging stations
At Work. Many workplaces are offering private EV charging to their commuting employees
Where you charge will depend both on your living situation (e.g. do you live in a single-family home or apartment?) and lifestyle (e.g. do you commute or work from home?). As a general rule of thumb, if you can feasibly charge your EV at home it is recommended — given the convenience, reliable access, and cost savings over time when compared to public charging.
At Home Charging: Level 1 vs. Level 2
All EVs will include what’s called a Level 1 charger that plugs into a standard 120V outlet. While using the Level 1 charger can be convenient because it uses the same outlets already available in your home, the downside is the slow charging speed. Level 1 chargers can only provide 4-5 miles of charge per hour, meaning it would take a full day or more to charge your EV2. Not ideal if you're driving your car every day.
That’s why if and when you get an EV and are planning to charge at home, it is quite useful to install a Level 2 charger. These more powerful chargers can charge ~6x as fast: most EVs can fully charge in 8-10 hours using a Level 2 charger. Level 2 chargers require a higher voltage outlet (240V vs. 120V) to deliver the increased charging speed.
There’s a great video from This Old Home that explains the differences between Level 1 and Level 2 clearly with helpful visuals:
Summarizing key insights covered in the video:
To get Level 2 charging at home, you will need to both a) purchase the Level 2 charging station and b) have an electrician install a 240V circuit if not already available where you want to charge your car.
Level 2 chargers range anywhere from $200-$1000, and the electrical work to correctly install them can be between $800 to $1,300.
Similar to purchasing the EV itself, there are available tax credits and state/local rebates you can use to offset the up-front cost of a Level 2 EV charger installation
It may be wise to combine your EV charger installation with other electrical service upgrades you plan to make for whole-home electrification (see part 1: upgrading electrical service capacity).
Talk to your electrician about whether it is best to hardwire your EV charging station directly to your circuit panel or install a 240V outlet
Note that if you are a renter or live in a multi-family dwelling, you may need to work through a landlord or HOA to install level 2 charging at home. Here is a template letter from Tesla you can use as a starting point for engaging your HOA Board, and here is a similar resource for building a case for installing EV chargers in condo and apartment buildings.
Public Charging
If home charging is not a realistic option for you, tools like PlugShare and Charge Hub can show you where public charging stations are around you. These can also be helpful even if you plan to charge at-home — for when you go on longer trips with your EV.
There are multiple companies that operate public charging networks (Charge Point, Electrify America, Tesla). Each will have associated cost with using their public chargers, priced by the kilowatt-hour or by the minute. Tesla charging stations will only work for Tesla vehicles, while Charge Point and Electrify America will work with any EV.
A subset of public charging stations use Level 3 charging (a.k.a. DC fast charging or Tesla’s Supercharger) — the fastest and most powerful charging technology available. These chargers can bring an EV to 80% charge in 15-20 minutes. Use of these chargers is priced at a premium.
While out of the scope of this blog, if you’re interested in bringing EV charging to your workplace, check out this guide from ChargePoint which you can review with your employer.
ADDING THIS TO YOUR PLAN
Add the following information about your vehicle(s) in the Getting Around section under EV Charging:
Primary Charging Location: Do you plan to charge at home, at public charging stations, or at work?
Level 2 charger installed at home? [If planning to charge at home] Do you already have a Level 2 charger installed?
Feasibility to install? [If planning to charge at home] Do you have full ability, some ability, or no ability to install a Level 2 charger?
Is it a candidate for electrification?
If:
You are planning to charge your EV(s) at home, AND
You don’t have a Level 2 charger already installed, AND
You have full ability or some ability to install a Level 2 charger
Mark‘ Yes’ in Column F. Otherwise, mark ‘No’.
If this is a candidate for an electrification, choose a Priority level:
🟢 High: You are purchasing an EV soon, will be driving it daily, and have full ability to install a Level 2 charger in your home
🟡 Medium:
You are purchasing an EV soon but don’t drive very often. 1-2 day charging speeds at home is sufficient most of the time, but there could be some times where this could be inconvenient
You are purchasing an EV within the next few years and will need Level 2 charging, but just not right away
🔴 Low:
You are a renter or live in a multi-family building where Level 2 EV charger instillation is unlikely, and you have reliable access to charging infrastructure in public or at work
You are not planning on purchasing an EV anytime soon
Jeff’s plan as an example:
What’s Next?
I hope the content here is helping you create your path to comfortable, carbon-free living for you and your family. I am so appreciative of your readership and support.
I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below with any feedback and feel free to share your plan with the Volted community!
Next, we’ll tackle staying warm — how you should think about electrifying heating your home and water. This is another important aspect of whole-home electrification. Stay tuned!
https://chargehub.com/en/electric-car-charging-guide.html#homecharging
Electrify Everything in Your Home from Rewiring AMerica. https://www.rewiringamerica.org/electrify-home-guide