One of the largest and longest electric mobility field tests in Austrian history starts tomorrow. For the project "Urcharge" (Urban Charging) 51 households in a Linz residential complex will be exchanging their fuel car for an electric car including their own KEBA charging station, which is integrated into the Linz AG charging solution "WallBOX CitySolution". It will provide answers to fundamental questions about what infrastructure and charging behaviour is needed in order to make the day-to-day use of e-mobility a decisive environmental protection factor in urban areas, even for densely populated areas. The start of the project had been postponed due to Corona - now the project gets underway.

With modern plug-in hybrids, distances of up to 90 kilometers can be achieved purely electrically. That is usually enough for the commute to work or other everyday journeys. All the same, the batteries of these PHEVs are significantly smaller than those of purely battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). So, is a household socket sufficient for daily charging or does it still make sense to have a wallbox?

The standard delivery of an electric car in Europe usually includes a Type 2 charging cable that can be used for charging at a public charging station or wallbox with a socket, as well as a so-called emergency power cable with a Type F plug for the standard 230 V power outlet. You can use this emergency power cable to charge your electric car (or PHEV) in your garage at home. But should you really do that? There are several reasons why you shouldn't.