"They told us that it was possible to charge, and our house burned down"
There are more and more electric cars in Norway every year. There are also more and more dedicated charging stations. This activity is often done at home. The dealers themselves encourage the purchase of elbili with the words that you can "charge them everywhere, just like a phone". The marriage of Johann and Michael from Sunne in Värmland, Sweden, became convinced of the fallacy of this formulation.
It worked for many months
A Swedish couple used the Kia Optima. They used to charge the battery at night, which worked flawlessly for many months. They witnessed a short circuit several times when they turned on the dishwasher while the car was charging. For this reason, they installed a timer that allowed the vehicle to be charged for only three hours a night. "We never thought it would end in a tragedy," they told Swedish TV 2.
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An explosion woke them
One night they were awakened from sleep. They heard a loud explosion. Wanting to find out what had happened, they went down to the ground floor of the house and saw that their entire property was on fire. They immediately woke their children, left the apartment and called the fire brigade. The crowd who arrived immediately identified the source of the fire - it was an electric car charger, which caused an overvoltage in the electrical system.
"Can be charged anywhere - just like a phone"
It turned out that not all elements of home infrastructure were adapted to continuous work for several hours. The married couple adds that they were not aware of it. The dealer himself did not inform them about the possible consequences. Their seller argued that "the car can be charged anywhere, just like a telephone". However, this statement turned out to be untrue and, as a consequence, could lead to loss of health or even life.
IMPORTANT! Our editor-in-chief - Łukasz Pawłowicz - was informed during the purchase of the Nissan Leaf in Norway that the electrical installation must be adapted to activities of charging an electric car!
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"The installation must be prepared"
Ståle Frydelund of the Norwegian Electric Automobile Association disagrees with the seller. The electrical installation in the house must be properly prepared to be able to handle the continuous charging of electric cars. This activity creates an enormous burden, which may not be suitable for all homes. If only because charging elbil in your own household is still a new phenomenon.
Make sure the installation is correct
Ståle Frydelund points out that not all home installations are prepared to handle such a heavy load as charging a car. First of all, you should pay attention to whether our property is properly grounded. The quality of the switch cabinet is also crucial, as it should be equipped with overvoltage protection mechanisms. It is best to ask an electrician for advice whether the electrical installation of our home will allow us to safely charge the electric car.
Translation from the site www.side3.no.
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