It worked: the wallbox is now mounted in the garage, and the electric car can be charged at home. It was a long journey, but now I no longer have to search for an available (and affordable) charging spot in the city.
The density of electric vehicles is increasing rapidly: here alone in the district of Gütersloh, 2,609 fully electric cars and 5,542 plug-in hybrids were already registered by the end of June. The trend is rising. While in 2017 there was almost always free choice at the public—and initially even free—charging stations operated by the Gütersloh municipal utilities, EV drivers now often have to circle around several times because all spots are occupied. Still: the electric car boom is welcome, and with the wallbox, waiting in line is a thing of the past.
My personal odyssey
The installation was not quite so straightforward. From my experience: it can take a while before the device is up and running. The public funding approval came quickly, and the VW subsidiary Elli wallbox was practically already waiting under the Christmas tree. But after that, things slowed down. Fully booked schedules for technicians and COVID-related material shortages tested my patience. It was already Halloween when available construction capacity and weather conditions finally allowed a new household connection—often necessary for older installations. It is therefore strongly recommended to check with your energy provider in advance.
Garden contractors and electricians then worked in parallel: they laid the cable to the garage, installed the fuse box and wallbox in early November, before the utility company finally reconnected the main household supply. Another two weeks passed before a certified expert was able to commission the wallbox and document everything for subsidy processing.
Before long trips: no more calculations
Since then, my ID.3 has been charging with certified 100% renewable electricity from LichtBlick at 11 kW. Before long trips, I no longer have to calculate whether the battery is truly full at the start—finally!!! We are now among the roughly 175,000 private wallbox owners in Germany. Soon there will likely be many more: the federal government expects around 900,000 private charging points across the country. So many have already been approved under the KfW wallbox subsidy program up to autumn 2021.
P.S.: My personal “wallbox odyssey” is not quite over yet: the certified electrician still has to carry out the final inspection and seal the “early Christmas gift” with a certification seal.
If that happens before Christmas: hallelujah!
