Siemens’ new home EV charger adapter ends need for electrical panel upgrades

Siemens and Philadelphia-based ConnectDER have partnered to debut a groundbreaking simple home EV charger connector. Previously, homeowners who wanted to install EV chargers might have had to spend thousands of dollars to modify their home’s electrical panel. This new proprietary plug-in adapter will eliminate that cost and allow installation and connection in minutes.

Siemens’ game-changing EV charger adapter

ConnectDER makes meter collars (pictured above) that are installed between the home’s meter and the meter socket to create a single plug-and-play access point for distributed energy resources (DER) installation. In other words, the collars easily add new electrical service capacity for things like solar and energy storage.

Now ConnectDER will exclusively manufacture and supply a proprietary plug-in EV charger adapter to Siemens.

The new adapter will enable electric car owners to charge their EVs by connecting chargers directly through the meter socket, which is on every home. It provides more useable capacity by monitoring total load and controlling the EV circuit to ensure the total capacity rating is within the limit.

Bypassing the electrical panel reduces the EV charger installation cost by around 60 to 80% because electrical panel upgrades aren’t needed.

We asked a Siemens spokesperson about the cost of the new plug-in adapter, and he said that the company is still finalizing pricing, but “it will be a fraction of the cost of a service panel upgrade or other modifications often needed to make for a charger. Additionally, in some cases, the cost may be fully borne by utility programs.”

He also added that the adapters are expected to be available by first quarter 2023 and will be distributed through a variety of channels, such as EV charger installers, electricians, and utilities.

Nearly half of US home electrical panels previously would have needed upgrades to allow the installation of a typical Level 2 charger, usually a 7-11kW device requiring 40-60 Amps on a 240V line.

Home EV charging integration in the United States

According to a recent report by Juniper Research, home EV charging integration, which is mostly driven by lower cost and convenience, is expected to grow by some 390% over the next five years. The home EV charger market is expected to exceed $16 billion in 2026, up from $3.4 billion in 2021.

A recent survey from the National Association of Home Builders identifies the average age of a home in the United States to be 39 years, and homes in the Northeast average over 60 years of age. Most of those homes were built when the demand for electric service rarely exceeded 100 Amps. 

According to energy research firm Pecan Street, service panel upgrades are frequently required to support the additional energy demand of new electric products like EVs, heat pumps, and other smart appliances. ConnectDER’s innovative meter adapter platform helps bridge that gap.

Read more: Florida’s EV chargers are about to double in number, with 6,000+ on the way

Photo: ConnectDER

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