Two EV households can charge at the double

The rise of the two electric vehicle (EV) household will drive demand for home charging points with two outlets to charge two EVs at once, predicts CTEK.

More and more families with one EV have already bought a second EV – Zapmap’s annual survey of EV drivers in 2022 found 10% of EV drivers had two or more EVs, up from 7% in 2020 and 9% in 2021.

There are more than eight million British households with two or more vehicles. English households with two or more cars or vans are 33% of all households in the country.

Cecilia Routledge, CTEK’s Global Director Energy and Facilities, says, “Early adopters of EVs tended to be home owners with access to off-road parking and therefore able to install a home charging point. Almost all the home chargers installed to date have been single outlet.

“But now more and more EV driving households are adding a second EV when their secondary petrol or diesel car is due for replacement. Having two EVs on their driveway or in their garage which need charging, but only one single-outlet charge point is a problem.

“For many it will mean they cannot plug both EVs in overnight to take advantage of cheaper off-peak electricity. Only one EV will be charged up fully in the morning.

“We are beginning to see households with two EVs install dual-outlet charge points – either to replace a first generation charge point or as their initial installation.

“Installing a dual-outlet charge point rather than two separate charging units means less new wiring is required, making it a simpler and cheaper install job.

“A dual outlet charge point such as CTEK’s CC2 works best when installed with dynamic load balancing to optimise charging efficiency and protect a home’s main fuse. The load balancing monitors the incoming power to the house so the charge point draws an optimal amount to charge one or two EVs.”

Case study: Peak District pioneer plugs in both his EVs overnight

When Ben’s charge point failed to cope with the Peak District winter, the businessman turned to CTEK for a more robust solution that could also simultaneously charge his two electric vehicles and ensure both were fully ready for him each morning.

Fed up with a single-outlet charging unit that would fail to charge, Ben did his product research and contacted CTEK, who supplied a dual-outlet Chargestorm Connected 2 and put him in touch with installer Sean from Mulcahy EV.

Ben says, “I had struggled through last year, and in particular last winter, with another manufacturer’s charge point which had come from by my electricity supplier. It was failing in the colder weather. I would plug it in each evening and it would shut down overnight, so the car wasn’t fully charged in the morning.

“I was running a single BMW EV for a year and decided to replace our second, hybrid car with another EV. So, I wanted the option of charging two vehicles at once overnight. I saw CTEK’s charge point on YouTube and had already had CTEK 12 Volt chargers, so I knew CTEK sold products with solid engineering.

“I was reassured with how reliable the brand is and that twin charging was offered, with load balancing. I could have both EVS on overnight at 16A each and when one was fully charged, the other one could have 32A. I could also reliably pre-heat both vehicles in the morning on the AC power.

“We are in Derbyshire so we do get inclement weather, but CTEK’s charge point was designed to cope with Swedish winters, so I knew it would manage the English weather, even in the Peak District.

“After struggling through last winter with the old unreliable charge point I wanted CTEK’s dual one installed this spring, so I was ready for next autumn, winter and beyond. CTEK put me in touch with Sean and the installation was straightforward. I had previously jumped a few hurdles with the DNO and getting the main fuse upgraded, so it was a relatively easy install for Sean.”

Sean, from electric vehicle charging specialists Mulcahy EV in Darwen, Lancashire, installed the new charge point in March. He says, “The customer’s existing charge point failed and its manufacturer wasn’t keen to get involved in a repair. Part of the selling point for CTEK’s CC2 was how robust it is. The customer’s home is in a location where it is not unusual to get quite heavy weather conditions.

“We checked the supply was adequate. We had a 40A supply so could easily charge two EVs. And CTEK’s CC2 load balances, so it knows if there is one EV or two charging. That’s a big benefit.

“We have done a few twin chargers in domestic settings. As more families get a second EV, they will also want the option of a dual charging unit.”

Ben adds, “The software setup of the CC2 was equally as easy and Sean did a little bit of configuration using his computer and the unit was then quickly online enabled and interfacing with the Monta app. I was really pleased with his work. It hadn’t been such a good experience with the previous installation. Sean was a good recommendation from CTEK.

“The charge points have worked fine. The load balancing is functioning well and the Monta app which comes pre-loaded is good. It has far better functionality than the app in the previous charge point. Overall, I’m very impressed.”

Sean concludes, “The customer is happy. He had been let down by his previous charger and did not want to be messed about again I told him the CC2 is designed to keep out Swedish winters. If it works over there it will work over here, even in the Peak.”