This is Great Britain, a country that is known to experience rain once in a while. Listen closely and from time to time, someone will say, ‘Looks like rain again’ and they are probably right. From this knowledge we know there are certain things we can and can’t do when the weather is bad and one of them is to play around with electricity in the wet, because, as we all should have instilled in us, water conducts electricity. The power that runs our lives is silent and deadly if not treated with respect. That is why it is not a silly question to ask if it is safe to charge an electric vehicle outside when it rains.
Garage Safety
EV owners who are fortunate enough to have a garage attached to their property don’t have this problem. They will have the appropriate charging cable for their vehicle and, because it is much faster and more convenient than using a three-pin plug, they will have a home wall charging unit to power up their EV.
Once the driving day is done, all that remains is to put the car away, jump out and attach the charging cable to the wall unit if it is not already tethered. The days of stopping in the rain at petrol stations are in the past for these motorists. Overnight, the car charges ready for the new day.
Charging Outside
Not every one has a garage though and some that do often use them as repositories for all the accumulated junk we collect. Many cars are left outside these days on drives or hard standing but this is no barrier to owning and charging an electric vehicle, even in the rain because the electric car industry and manufacturers have already thought about this.
It is perfectly safe to have installed (yes, it’s a job for an electricity professional) an electric vehicle service equipment point. It will need to be attached to either an external wall or a free-standing pole. Outdoor-rated units are safe to use in all weather conditions. Electric car charging cables and points have levels of protection built-in.
So don’t worry; electric car chargers and cables are weatherproof and are specifically designed to protect both the car and the owner and passengers from a nasty electric shock. Waterproofing outdoor electrical equipment is pretty routine and there are exacting standards and rules that must be adhered to.
Don’t Believe The Old Wives’ Tales
Even today, there are still some folk who do not trust EV’s. They worry that they could be electrocuted. This simply is not so: A user would have to do something incredibly stupid to put themselves at harm’s way with an electric car. Yes, they can be charged at home or at public charge sites in the rain and they can also be driven in the wet stuff too. They can even go through a car wash, so don’t worry.
Buy your electric car with confidence and make a point of checking out suppliers of home wall charging units and the various types of charging cables. This technology is moving at speed now and it pays to keep up to date.
