Simply put: yes, it’s entirely possible, and they likely do! But to understand why, it makes sense to take a look at how the UK’s energy system works. 

With the goal of reaching net zero by 2050, the UK’s energy sector has invested heavily into making the energy it generates more sustainable and less reliant on burning polluting fossil fuels. The ultimate aim is to have an electricity system built on 100% zero-carbon energy, much of this expected to come from renewable sources including the wind and Sun. 

The UK’s use of renewable energy has been steadily increasing over the last few decades, rising from around just 2% in 1991 to well over 40% in 2025, with a peak of 51% in 2024. This means that it’s very possible that EV public charging systems are at least in part powered by some form of renewable energy. 

The reality is, it’s actually very difficult, if not impossible, to tell whether the public charger you’re using is currently – or at all – uses electricity generated from renewable sources. 

There may be some niche instances where it’s obvious, such as if the charger has solar panels attached to it or some form of branding indicating its use of renewables. But for the most part, public chargers are not functionally dissimilar to home chargers, in that they’re dedicated ports to charge electric cars. That’s not to say it won’t be using renewable energy – again, it’s likely that it does – but there’s no way to be completely certain. 

Just like anywhere else, what source your electricity comes from – be it a renewable source like solar energy, or by burning fossil fuels – has no impact on how it works. So the simplest answer to this is a resounding no: your electric car won’t charge any slower (or faster, sadly!) if it’s being powered by renewable energy. But it will be greener though! 

Electric vehicles are already great for the environment, and this is doubly the case if it can be charged using renewable energy. 

Unfortunately, whilst charging out and about – whether that’s in public, or at work – is a great way to keep your EV topped up, and likely involves the use of some amount of renewable energy, drivers don’t actually have any way to control this. It would be lovely if we knew with absolute certainty that when charging in public our EVs were being filled with lovely green energy, but that simply isn’t the case. 

However, it can be the case at home, where we have more – although, still limited - control over what kind of energy we use, and when and how we charge. 

More specifically, the most eco-friendly time to charge is overnight. This is because energy demand is lowest overnight as we’re all (more or less) asleep, meaning we don’t need as much electricity from the energy grid. This in turn means the grid won’t need to turn on extra fossil fuel-burning generators to meet demand, making it a green time to charge. 

Plus, there are some ways we can personally increase the amount of renewable energy in our home. One such way is using solar panels and pairing them with a solar compatible charger to charge you electric car using zero carbon (and potentially free) solar energy. 

Tip: the Solo 3S home charging system is our award-winning and solar compatible home charger. It can be purchased upfront from £849, or included in the Plug & Power Bundle which reduces the upfront cost to £499 and spreads the remainder across an exclusive 2-year fixed low-cost energy tariff supplied by EDF. 

When you buy an electric car charger for your home, there are a few things that factor into the home EV charger installation costs:

The charger

Obviously a key component of the cost of is the charger itself, which can vary across providers and charger types, with smarter and more high-tech chargers usually costing more. For example, our award-winning Pod Point Solo 3S home charging system starts from £999.

Installation

Home chargers need to be installed by professional and qualified electricians to ensure they’re installed correctly and safely. No matter where it’s installed, from the side of your house to the inside of your garage, this understandably comes at a cost to cover labour, materials, and any other costs that you may incur due to the nature of the installation. For example, more complex installations typically cost more as they often require more labour or additional materials like cabling or trunking to complete the installation.

Power supply panel upgrades

Most homeowners tend to have a 7kW home EV charger installed, which is more than sufficient for most charging needs. These rarely require upgrades to the home’s power supply to be installed, but older properties with older electrical panels may need an upgrade. Similarly, if you’re going for a faster 22kW you’ll likely need to upgrade your power supply as these chargers need three-phase power, where the majority of homes in the UK have single-phase power.

Optional extras

As mentioned, more advanced home chargers will likely incur a higher cost, especially smart chargers that give homeowners great control over their charging. But there could be other extras that may factor into the price like weatherproofing, although reliable home chargers will have been designed to withstand a range of weather types including rain, snow, and heat.

Some, but not all, providers include the cost of installation in the purchase price, giving you a relatively predictable measure of how much it should cost you. However, if you’re buying the charger separately and then sourcing an electrician to install it, how much it costs could be determined by many things such as their availability, the time of year, and where you live.

Of course, any installation cost assumes ideal conditions on the day, and anything that happens as a result of less-than-ideal conditions – like the weather, sickness, or unexpected complexity of the installation – could affect the cost.

For example, telling your installer where the charger is being installed relative to your home’s power supply lets them know ahead of the date what to expect in terms of how much trunking or trenching is needed, how long cable runs will be, and so on. This will result in a smooth installation day and avoid any headaches. Anything unexpected which could complicate the installation, like the need for groundworks, that your installer doesn’t know about will almost certainly impact the installation cost.

That’s why it’s important to properly prepare for your home EV charger’s installation in advance, such as:

• Having the charger be in a sensible place so that it’s not too far from the power supply or your home’s Wi-Fi
• Choosing a charging speed that your home can comfortably handle
• Ensuring that the chosen charger type (tethered or untethered) is suitable for your needs, as swapping one out after the fact can be costly
• Making sure to choose both a reliable charging provider and a reputable electrician to install it

When it comes to government grants, there are a number of incentives and rebates available to help homeowners install EV chargers for less, or that generally reduce the costs of EV ownership in general. The main grant currently available is the OZEV EV Chargepoint grant, provided by the UK Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).

This provides up to £350 off the cost of buying and installing a home EV charger to people who lived in rented accommodation or who own a flat with a private parking space. It replaced the old Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) in April 2024.

Beyond this, there are a number of other grants aimed at reducing the cost of EVs, rather than charging, such as:

The Electric Car Grant

This is the newest grant introduced by the Department for Transport (DfT) in July 2025, which will give drivers discounts of up to £3750 on new electric cars with list prices below £37,000. Car manufacturers must submit their cars for eligibility, with the reduction being passed straight onto UK drivers.

The Motability Scheme for Electric Cars

This grant allows disabled drivers to exchange their mobility allowance for a new car, scooter, or wheelchair, with several plug-in vehicles (PHEVs) available under the scheme. This could save disabled drivers up to £1,000 a year in running costs.

The Plug-in Grant

An older grant that no longer runs, the Plug-in Grant offered a range of discounts on eligible motorcycles, mopeds, and vans. It ended in June 2022.

In the UK, home EV chargers can only be installed by qualified and registered electricians. In order to qualify, they must hold certain qualifications and be registered with a Competent Person Scheme. This is to ensure the charger is installed safely and complies with various codes and regulations. 

Even if you consider yourself competent with electrical devices, you can’t install an EV charger yourself, and it’s always better to not take the risk and get someone qualified to install it, even if it comes at an extra cost. 

How to find a qualified installer

If you’re looking to claim a government grant, you’ll need to make sure that they’re an authorised EV charger installer. There are a few websites and tools you can use to find local electricians like Checkatrade and Airtasker. Alternatively, you can check out the government website to find authorised installers.

Besides simply asking them whether they’re qualified, the right electrician should also be able to demonstrate that they have specific qualifications that let them install EV chargers. This includes completing a Level 3 Award in the Design and Installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment or a Level 3 Award in the Installation and Commissioning of Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment. This is on top of the other qualifications electricians need including 18th Edition, BS 7671, and so on.

Home electric car charging – worth the cost

Even accounting for the costs of buying and installing an EV charger, it’s worth considering for anyone who drivers an electric vehicle. Charging at home is the ultimate convenience, giving you the ability to charge overnight and wake up to a fully charged EV every day, so get your quote or consultation today!

Pod is a leading home charging provider, offering a Which? accredited standard installation included, 24/7 customer support, a comprehensive 5-year warranty, and more. Find out more about our home EV charger installation service.

When you look at the data, it’s perhaps no surprise that more drivers are wanting to know how they can keep multiple electric cars charged at home.

Electric cars have surged in popularity over the last few years, with data from Zapmap reporting over 1.6 million EVs on the UK roads as of August 2025. With over a third (34%) of UK households having two or more cars in 2024 according to data from the Department for Transport (DfT), homes in the UK are increasingly becoming multi-EV households.

Being able to charge two or more EVs makes them even more convenient as you can plug them both in and get them both charging at the same time, rather than having to swap the cable over to the other EV when one has finished charging.

Similarly, having separate chargers makes it easier to manage charging and monitor energy usage for people living in shared households. Or, alternatively, landlords may want to offer multi-EV charging via multiple chargers for tenants.

From a practical standpoint, getting multiple electric car chargers installed at home depends on your home’s setup.

For starters, the main limitation will be the property’s power supply. Most households in the UK have single-phase power and between 60 to 100 amp main fuses. This means that even if your household does have enough power for the additional charger, you won’t necessarily get the same charging rate from both.

For example, two 7 kW chargers installed on a single-phase power supply won’t actually charge each car at 7 kW, but more like 3-3.6 kW. So you’ll effectively be getting half the charging rate with each vehicle.

One way around this is to upgrade your home’s power supply to three-phase, but this can be costly and might not be possible for your home. However, it’s worth contacting your DNO (Distribution Network Operator) - in other words, the company that operates your electricity network - to ask about upgrading your power supply, which can in some circumstances be free.

However, this is also dependant on whether you have smart chargers installed with load balancing capability. Load balancing may sound complicated, but it effectively means the charger has the ability to evenly balance charging. Most modern chargers are considered smart chargers and so they have this capability, but older models may not.

So if you want a second charger but have an older model, you may need to upgrade it at the same time. Otherwise, the charging rate might not be evenly spread across both chargers, and you won’t get the same charging experience or have any way to control it.

Whenever you get an EV charger installed, you need to get permission from your DNO. This is so they can assess your home’s power supply and confirm whether your property can safely handle the increased load or if it needs an upgrade.

This is usually handled by the installer, who will conduct an assessment of your home before submitting the relevant forms to the DNO on your behalf. In the case of a second EV charger, you’ll need to get similar permission from the DNO, which may be harder to get approved as your home may not be able to cope with the additional load without an upgrade.

For tenants and renters, you’ll also need to get permission from your landlord to install a charger.

It may be obvious but, as well as technical limitations, it’s important to bear in mind when thinking about getting more than one charger installed that you’ll have to pay for it. Electric car chargers can have a significant upfront cost, not just in terms of the hardware but also its installation.

It’s also unlikely that you’ll be able to claim any grants to reduce the cost for the additional charger. Any home EV charger grants that have been or are currently available have had a limit of one charger, meaning the second charger won’t be eligible for the discount.

You’ll also want to factor in any potential costs for upgrading your power supply so it can accommodate the extra load from the second charger. Sometimes this can be offered for free by your DNO, but often it can come at a significant cost.

Similarly, charging a second car at home will no doubt increase your energy bill, so you’ll need to have planned for that in your household budget.

Even after accounting for the additional costs and any technical limitations, you may find that you don’t actually need to get a second charger installed.

A common misconception about EVs is that they have low ranges. This is simply not true, with many EVs having driving ranges well into the hundreds. Plus, most people actually have a much lower weekly mileage than they think they do, with the average being somewhere around 25 to 30 miles. This means you won’t necessarily need to charge as often as you might think as it’s likely your electric car can more than easily cover your weekly driving on a single charge.

This means a single 7 kW home charger will likely be sufficient for your charging. For example, a typical EV with a 60 kWh battery will take just 8 hours to fully charge on a 7 kW charger. If you can comfortably cover your weekly mileage on a single charge, you could simply charge one EV one night and the other the next. This would be much simpler, and not to mention cheaper, than getting a second charger installed.

Plus, if you do have a higher-than-average weekly mileage, you may find it more beneficial and convenient to rely on the UK’s public charging network and top up your EV throughout the week. And in fact, you might find that having half the charging rate due to the second charger doesn’t give you enough miles overnight to do the longer journey.

Whilst in theory it’s possible to get two chargers installed, sometimes it isn’t always possible, or even necessary. Fortunately, households do have other options that can be just as convenient, and even cheaper, than opting for a second home charger:

1. One charger, two schedules

As already mentioned, a standard 7 kW charger is more often than not sufficient for most of your charging needs. If you have more than one electric car, you will probably be able to get by simply by alternating charging each night, and won’t really need to have both charging at the same time.

2. Make use of the UK’s public network

As of August 2025, there are over 85,000 public charging stations across almost 43,000 locations in the UK according to Zapmap. So if both your EVs need a charge, you could always take one (or both) somewhere and use a public charger for a top up, but do bear in mind it is cheaper to charge at home than in public.

3. Use a 3-pin plug, but carefully

In a pinch, you can always use a charging cable that plugs into a standard 3-pin plug. However, this should only be done in emergencies, and even then only sparingly. Charging like this is incredibly slow, so it will take a very long time for the car to charge to full. This can be unsafe as standard home sockets aren’t designed to handle the long-duration load needed to charge an EV, and they don’t have anything like the protections that dedicated home chargers do.

4. Home chargers with multiple sockets

Although rare, some EV charging providers offer home chargers that have more than one charging socket, as well as the load balancing capability to evenly distribute the charging rate. But again, as mentioned, there are some downsides to charging two cars at the same time, such as a slower charging rate.

As we’ve seen, provided your property has, or can upgrade to, the requisite power supply needed, it’s entirely possible to get two EV chargers installed at one address. However, there are many factors that need to be considered, including having chargers installed with smart load management capabilities and getting permission from your energy supplier, which may make it harder than it’s worth.

Plus, just because you can doesn’t necessarily mean you should, as there are plenty of alternative options for multi-EV households to keep their cars charged, and most of the time a single 7 kW charger will suffice.

Is it safe to run two EV chargers at once?

Provided both chargers have been installed correctly and safely by a qualified EV installation professional, it’s perfectly safe to have two EVs charging at two home EV chargers simultaneously.

Will two chargers slow down my charging speed?

This depends primarily on your home’s power supply and whether it’s single- or three-phase. But in general, yes, even if both chargers are 7 kW chargers, you may find that two EVs plugged into each at the same time will charge at different rates. With smart chargers, load balancing should ensure the cars charge at the same rate, but it will still be at less (around 50%) of a single charger’s charging rate, so around 3 to 3.6 kW each rather than 7 kW each.

Can I apply for a government grant on the second charger?

Whether you’re getting two installed at the same time or adding a second charger to your home, only one of them will be eligible for a government grant. You may also find that you have to install each one separately, rather than at the same time, to qualify for a grant.

Can landlords get multiple chargers installed for their tenants?

Using one of the two government grants available, landlords can indeed provide multiple chargers for their tenants. This can be especially beneficial as it can help make your property more appealing to tenants who are EV drivers, whilst also giving them an easy way to ensure they only need to pay for their own charging, rather than everyone else’s.

If, for whatever reason, you’re on the road and your EV runs out of charge, the best thing to do is to not panic. Just like any issue when on the road, your priority should be to get your car (and, thus, you) somewhere safe. That means popping your hazard lights on and pulling into a lay-by or quiet road where you can pull up on the kerb and park, or in the case of motorways trying to exit or, failing that, using the hard shoulder. This way, you can come to a controlled stop.

Fortunately, when the battery does reach zero, the car doesn’t come to an immediate stop, so you have time to react. In fact, you’ll get plenty of warning before it actually happens, giving you enough time to prepare if you know you won’t be able to get a charge before it happens.

Once it reaches zero, the car itself will gradually lose power, and eventually come to a stop. Your EV should also have safety systems in place which will help you pull over safely.

Just like any stranded car, you should immediately put your hazard lights on once you know your battery will go flat, and do your best to pull over somewhere safe that’s out of the way of other road users. Then, you should contact roadside assistance, who will then have a number of recovery options available.

It’s very important at this stage that you call roadside assistance and don’t attempt to get your EV towed instead. Towing an electric car can cause damage to the drivetrain if done improperly, especially traditional two-wheel towing which can inadvertently cause the motor to generate electricity, which could damage other systems.

Unlike petrol cars, EVs need specialist help, as you can’t simply walk to the nearest station and refill the battery yourself. Thankfully, electric car roadside assistance is getting better, and EV drivers now have a few different options available:

1. Flatbed tow truck

This is by far the most common method of recovery for stranded EVs. As mentioned, towing an electric car isn’t always possible, and it’s much safer and more reliable to put the EV onto a flatbed truck. This way, all four wheels are off the ground and not potentially generating electricity or doing damage to the car’s motor.

2. Roadside mobile charging

Some providers now offer mobile charging services that can charge your EV on the roadside. Although rare, they are becoming more frequent, designed to charge your car enough for you to drive to a public charging station for a full charge. Think of it as an emergency top-up. 

Regardless of which recovery option is used, once you’re recovered and safe, your next immediate step should be to give your car a charge to about 80%, whether that’s at a public charging station or at home if possible.

Obviously it goes without saying that you should avoid hitting 0% whilst driving, as it can be unsafe. But you equally shouldn’t let your battery ever get to 0% before giving it a charge. This is because of the way that EV batteries work. Essentially, longer charges, especially when starting from close to 0%, puts a lot of strain on the battery, which can cause it to degrade a lot quicker over time.

This equally means you should never charge completely to 100%. Instead, the sweet spot for charging is between 20% to 80%. Not only will this keep your battery – arguably the most important component of an EV – healthier for longer, but it also takes less time than to charge from 0% to 100%.

Tip: it’s highly unlikely your EV will naturally get to 0% on its own. That’s because electric cars don’t lose that much charge when parked, so you should never encounter a situation where you try drive your EV only to find the battery is flat!

Fortunately, running out of charge is rare, and it’s easy enough to avoid. Here are our top tips for avoiding hitting 0% charge in an EV:

Plan charging stops in advance

There are loads of apps that can be used to pre-plan where you’re going to stop for a charge before you set off, and with over 82,000 public EV charging stations in the UK, getting access to one shouldn’t be a problem.

That said, always make sure to have back-up options available, just in case your preferred choice is in use by another driver. Also, if you’re planning to use rapid chargers, make sure you’ve checked ahead of time that your EV can actually make use of rapid charging speeds. Even if your car can still connect to it, if your EV can’t charge at those speeds (50+ kW) you could be stopping someone else who could take advantage of the faster rate.

Charge smart at home

Charging at home is undoubtedly the best way to keep an electric car charged. By plugging in overnight, you can wake up to a fully charged cat in the morning and start your journey with the maximum number of miles available. This is much better than setting off with low charge, which increases the risk of running out altogether!

There are plenty of other benefits to having a home EV charger installed as well, such as getting access to cheaper overnight charging, especially if you install a charger with smart charging functionality.

Know you EV’s limits

When you buy an electric car, you should be told, or be able to find out, what its maximum range is, which should tell you how far you can drive it before needing to recharge. But don’t always take this at face value.

The figure you’ll usually be quoted will have been determined by the WLTP, or the Worldwide Harmonised Testing Procedure. Simply put, it’s a test designed to determine the fyuel or energy consumption, and emissions, of a car, be it petrol, diesel, or electric.

Among this, the car’s maximum range will be tested. However, the test is done in a controlled laboratory environment, under assumed ideal conditions, including road surface, weather, driving speed, and so on. As a result, the WLTP gives you an idea of what the range is, but what you may end up with can vary drastically depending on factors like the weather, how you drive, whether you’re on motorways or not, the age of the car etc.

That’s why cars listed in our vehicle guides include both the WLTP – i.e. “official” - range of an EV, our own “confidence range”. As a general rule of thumb, take off about 15% of the WLTP range and you’ll have a much more realistic idea of the car’s actual range in real-world conditions.

Take advantage of regenerative braking

Regen braking is a handy piece of tech that you’ll find in virtually any modern electric car. Essentially, it allows the car to take the energy that’s typically used when you brake and use it to slightly recharge the battery. As well as giving your battery a little boost whenever you brake, it makes the car overall more efficient as less energy is lost or wasted.

That doesn’t mean you can complete a journey entirely with regen braking, as the charge isn’t going to be enough to counter the amount lost from driving the car. But it will reduce your overall energy consumption, so it’s worth using it when you can.

The key takeaway from this should be that yes, the idea of running out of charge on the road is a scary prospect. But it’s not something that happens often, and if it does it isn’t the end of the world as there are plenty of recovery options.

If it is something that still concerns you, deciding against going electric isn’t the solution. Instead, you just need to get used to a little bit more planning than you might normally need to do with a petrol/diesel car to keep your car charged before, during, and after your journey. And if you need them, we have plenty of tips for optimising your EV’s range!

Ready to start your EV journey? Explore our award-winning Solo 3S home charging system today.