If you're planning to buy an electric car, you may wonder what you'll do about a charging station. It's convenient to charge your car in your garage at night rather than sit at a public charging station during a workday. However, you want to make sure your home's electrical panel can handle the demands of an electric car charger. If your current system can't, you'll need an electrical panel replacement. Here are important things to know.

The More Power Your Panel Has The Quicker It Charges 

The more power your panel can provide, the quicker your electric car will charge. So, if you have a panel with low power, you'll need to charge your car for more hours at night to get a full charge. You might not need a full charge every night. It all depends on how far you drive every day.

If work is just a few miles away, you may not need to charge your car to the maximum, so you could charge it for longer hours at a lower power just to get it half full. If you have a long commute and drive many miles each day, you'll probably want a charger that has a lot of power so your car can charge fully overnight.

Talk to an electrician who is familiar with installing EV charges for help in determining your needs when it comes to charging your car. This helps you decide if you need an electrical panel upgrade.

An Electrician Can Calculate The Electrical Load Of Your Home

A helpful assessment when determining if you need an electrical panel upgrade is an electrical load calculation. This takes into account the appliances your home has running and the size of your panel. The results let the electrician know if your current system can handle an EV charger.

New construction homes usually have higher amps. An old home may have fewer amps. If you live in an old home, there is a good chance you'll need to have an electrical panel replacement, and your electrician may recommend upgrading to more amps so you have plenty of power. 

An Electrical Panel Replacement Is A Valuable Upgrade 

If it turns out you need a new electrical panel, you shouldn't feel bad. Older panels are getting outdated, and your home will be safer with a larger, newer panel. Plus, a new panel gives you room for future expansion.

With a new panel, the electrician has no problem hooking up an electric car charger that can charge your car fully overnight so you never have to worry about sitting at a public charging station unless you're on the road away from home. 

To find out more, contact an electrical panel replacement service provider today.