Before buying an electric car, do you also long for a car life that costs only 1 cent per kilometer? Even after over a year of car ownership, I still remember the excitement when my family first installed a charging station at home. Whether driving a high-performance car or a large off-road vehicle, I no longer envy others because driving for me is almost free.
Speaking of installing a charging station, many friends who have just ordered a car may feel a little confused about whether their residential community can install one, what materials they need to prepare, and what requirements their local power supply bureau has. To address these issues, today we bring you an installation guide for charging stations that will make your car ownership experience more joyful.
Whom to Contact to Install a Charging Station?
Car owners who plan to install a charging station generally fall into two categories: those who want to install a charging station before taking delivery of their car and those who are not ready yet and plan to install one later. Depending on the situation, the personnel you need to contact will differ: if you plan to install a charging station before taking delivery of your car, the delivery specialist will contact you to coordinate. If you plan to install a charging station after taking delivery of your car, please contact your vehicle advisor.
Once the charging station service provider contacts you after you explain your need for installation, you can ask your residential community two questions: 1) whether the community allows the installation of charging stations and 2) from where the electricity supply will come if some residents have already installed them. Once you have a clear understanding of these two questions, the charging station service provider will be able to communicate more efficiently. The service provider will mainly discuss two things with you: 1) the location of the charging station and the type of electricity supply and 2) the materials needed by the local power supply bureau.
In general, car owners have four options for electricity supply: 1) a special meter installed by the State Grid or Southern Power Grid, 2) the existing meter that one uses at home, 3) the residential community’s electricity supply, and 4) the company’s electricity supply.
If you live in a high-rise apartment building and install the charging station in the underground garage, you will generally need a special meter and the community’s electricity supply. If you live in a villa or a self-built house, you will generally need a special meter and your own electricity supply. If you install the charging station at a company or a factory, you will generally need the company’s electricity supply.
If you use the existing meter to supply electricity, you can wait for the charging station service provider to come to survey. If you use the community’s electricity supply or the company’s electricity supply, you can communicate with the community or the company according to their requirements, bearing in mind that your electricity bill may be more expensive than that of State Grid or Southern Power Grid customers. For car owners who have one of these three types of electricity supply, skip to the “[Third Part: Confirming the Installation Plan During the Site Survey]” section.
If you apply for a special meter installed by the State Grid or Southern Power Grid, congratulations! You will be able to enjoy the cheapest electricity ranging from 0.25 yuan to 0.62 yuan per kilowatt-hour (prices vary by region). Of course, this application process requires some patience, as good things come to those who wait.
What Materials Are Required to Apply for a Special Meter?
To apply for a special meter installed by the State Grid or Southern Power Grid, the fastest way is to download the State Grid app [Wangshang Guowang] or search for the Southern Power Grid mini-program on WeChat to view the required materials for your region and avoid visiting the power supply bureau unnecessarily.## Preparation
There are roughly four types of materials needed: 1. Proof of identity 2. Proof of property consent 3. Proof of parking space usage right 4. Installation registration certificate for charging facilities. After preparing the materials and getting them stamped, they should be submitted on the State Grid app and the Southern Power Grid mini program. The power supply department will dispatch a regional specialist to survey the site and confirm the installation plan for the electricity meter. Then the power supply bureau will dispatch another regional specialist to install the electricity meter on site. (The duration between the two visits by the power supply bureau is difficult to estimate and depends on the busy level of the local power supply bureau).
Proof of identity: A copy of your ID card or a copy of your household registration if you do not have an ID card.
Proof of property consent: Obtain a template of the “Agreement for Safety Management of Electric Vehicle Charging Facilities” from the residential property management office where the application for the installation of the charging pile is made (it may not be named just like this, depending on the property management office). If there is no such template, it should be provided by the charging pile installation service provider. Then get the property management office to stamp and confirm the agreement.
Proof of parking space usage right: If you have bought a parking space, it is proof of the parking space ownership or the invoice for the purchase of the parking space. If you lease the parking space from the property management office, the property management office will issue a certificate of the use of the parking space. If you rent a personal property parking space leased by neighbors, the neighbor should provide proof of parking space ownership or a purchase invoice, and a parking space rental agreement between you and the neighbor.
Certificate of registration for charging facility installation: The charging pile service provider will provide a “Certificate of Registration for Charging Facility Installation”. If the local power supply bureau requires the manufacturer’s seal on the registration certificate, obtain the form with a seal. If not, obtain a blank form and fill it out before submitting it to the power supply bureau.
It is worth noting that besides the materials listed above, some provinces and regions have special requirements. The power supply departments in different regions may require different materials. Please refer to the prompts on the State Grid app and the Southern Power Grid mini program, and the local charging pile service provider will also provide reminders to improve efficiency and help everyone complete the electricity meter installation as soon as possible.
Ideal Auto will provide a 7kW charging pile for free, which can be fully charged in 4-5 hours of slow charging. There are two advantages to using a dedicated electricity meter. Firstly, the electricity meter is independent, and the cost is paid in two separate accounts, making it easy to calculate. Secondly, dedicated electricity meters are not affected by tiered electricity prices, and some regions charge “peak and valley electricity” according to charging time. Off-peak electricity costs over 0.3RMB, and peak electricity costs over 0.5RMB, so charging during off-peak hours is more cost-effective. If using a self-owned electricity meter, electricity fees will be charged based on tiered electricity usage.
On-site verification and installation plan confirmation
Once the electricity meter is installed or the location of the electricity meter is confirmed, the starting point of the charging pile cable is also determined. Then the charging pile survey service can be carried out as arranged with the charging pile service provider. The survey process takes approximately 3 hours and mainly involves measuring the distance from the electricity meter to the parking space and reaching an agreement with the residential property management office on the installation plan.
According to the free household charging pile service entitlement provided by Ideal Auto, there are six types of entitlements:1. One Ideal Electric Vehicle Home Charging Station (220V/7kW AC charging station)
- One Leakage Protection Circuit Breaker
- One on-site survey
- 30 meters of cable and supporting installation construction (actual usage within 30 meters)
- Assistance with power supply application
- Construction of charging station pier and foundation (to be equipped according to the actual requirements of the installation site)
The free installation scope includes the installation of Ideal electric vehicle home charging station and the standard laying of 30 meters of cable (excluding special construction projects such as road excavation repair, wall perforation, bridge rack, grounding electrode, and high altitude operations).
So, the source of cost is not only whether the cable exceeds 30 meters, but also some difficult construction behavior. When I installed the charging station, there were no other particularly difficult installation behaviors, so I mainly paid for the excess cable, which was surveyed to be 110 meters, exceeding the range by 80 meters. I remember the cost was around 4,800 yuan, and the specific quotation needs to be consulted with the charging station service provider. If there are no objections between the two parties regarding the survey and installation costs, the “Survey Completion Confirmation Form” and “Cost Confirmation Form” can be signed on site, but the actual cost during installation may vary slightly, depending on the actual installation.
What should we pay attention to during installation and acceptance?
The survey has been completed, and the cost has been confirmed. After the delivery expert or the car owner consultant confirms the receiving information with the car owner, the charging station will be arranged for delivery. It is generally estimated to arrive at the designated receiving address within 3-4 days. If you want to check the logistics progress of the charging station, you can enter Ideal Car App -> Mine -> My Orders -> Product Orders -> Charging Station Orders to check.
After confirming the receipt, the charging station service provider will actively contact you by phone to arrange an appointment for on-site installation. The installation process will take a little longer. I remember mine was installed from 9am to 5pm. After the installation is complete, you can perform a charging test. If there are no problems, you can accept and sign the “Installation Completion Confirmation Form”. If other costs are incurred during the installation, pay the remaining fees to the service provider.
At this point, you can enjoy the convenience of a home charging station. Congratulations on starting a car life of 1 cent per kilometer.
Q&A：
- Will outdoor charging stations be affected by thunderstorms?
The electric vehicle home charging station provided by Ideal Car for free is a 7kW (220V/32A) or 3.5kW (220V/16A) AC slow charging station. The charging station is independently designed and developed by Ideal Car, with a protection level of IP55. It is waterproof and lightning-proof and can be installed outdoors without the need for a protective box. The working environment temperature is -20～50℃, so it can be used with confidence.2. How long can the gifted home charging pile rights be retained? How long is the warranty for the charging pile?
Every ideal ONE car owner will be gifted with home charging piles and basic installation services. For car owners who currently don’t have installation conditions, we will permanently reserve the right to install the charging piles for your vehicle. From the completion of the installation, the ideal car home charging pile and supporting installation services enjoy a 4-year warranty.
- Do you provide pile-moving services?
If you need to move the pile, you can call the Ideal Car customer service hotline at 400-686-0900. We will arrange authorized installation service providers to communicate with you about the pile-moving plan, and the installation service provider will charge you relevant fees based on the pile-moving fee standard provided by Ideal Car.
- What if the underground garage is a civil air defense facility and the property management company does not allow the installation of charging piles?
The property management company needs to prepare building materials and other documents and report to the civil air defense bureau. This report can only be made by the property management company, so you need to negotiate with the property management company.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.