Who guarantees the safety of home EV chargers?

With home EV chargers entering millions of households, "charging safety" has become a top concern for consumers. When car owners install devices in their garages or parking spaces, they inevitably worry about potential fire triggers. So, who can truly guarantee the safety of home charging? This has become a crucial question on the road to widespread adoption of new energy.

Risks exist, but the risks aren't inherent to the devices themselves.

Home EV chargers do pose an electrical fire risk, but the primary cause of accidents is improper installation or use. Data shows that spontaneous battery combustion accounts for over 60% of electric vehicle-related fires, while certified home EV chargers directly cause less than 8% of accidents. Most home EV charger fires can be traced back to three main causes: unauthorized wiring modifications by users, such as overloading aluminum wiring in older residential areas; the use of inferior charging stations, such as counterfeit products without CCC certification; and poor installation environments, such as poor ventilation or proximity to flammable materials. Charging stations that meet national standards have numerous safety features, such as built-in protection devices for overheating, overcurrent, and leakage, which prevent these risks from occurring directly.

Establishing a Safety Protection System

The safety protection system for home EV chargers has evolved. It requires built-in temperature sensors to automatically shut off power when the charging head exceeds 65°C; the charging station must meet an IP54 waterproof and dustproof rating; and be made of flame-retardant materials. Furthermore, power is only applied after the vehicle's BMS and the charging station have completed safety verification, thus mitigating voltage mismatch risks at the source.

Daily User Negligence

A large portion of the safety risks associated with home EV chargers stem from consumer misconduct. The most common issues include: skipping grid registration to save installation fees, resulting in insufficient line capacity; failing to clean the charging station connector for a long time, which leads to oxidation of the metal contacts and increased contact resistance; and stacking flammable materials such as cardboard boxes and gasoline drums around the charging station. A more insidious risk is leaving the charger plugged in even after the vehicle is fully charged, increasing the probability of thermal runaway. Consumer awareness of the risks is insufficient, and greater risk awareness is needed.

Regulation and Responsibility

The safety of home EV chargers is essentially a systematic process throughout the product lifecycle. Regarding product approval, the State Administration for Market Regulation has included charging stations in the CCC mandatory certification catalog. During the installation phase, cities like Beijing and Shanghai are piloting a "certification and registration system" to eliminate unqualified construction. However, the biggest current vulnerability lies in the lack of maintenance—charging stations, unlike appliances like air conditioners, do not yet have mandatory annual inspections. The industry is calling for the establishment of a "manufacturer lifetime liability restriction," requiring companies to provide complete responsibility for installation guidance and regular testing of their products.