The hardest question when choosing a charging station is this: 7 kW or 22 kW? The "more expensive must be better" logic fails here, because a 22 kW unit needs two conditions to be met — and in many homes neither of them is.

Condition one: do you have three-phase power?

AC charging at 22 kW is only possible on a three-phase (380 V) supply. The vast majority of apartments and houses in Azerbaijan are single-phase (220 V).

On a single-phase supply the maximum is roughly 7.4 kW at 32 amps. Buy a 22 kW unit and it will still deliver only 7 kW on that line — the extra money is simply wasted.

How to check

• Look at the meter. A three-phase meter usually shows three voltage readings and has more terminals.
• Look at the breakers. If the main breaker is a triple-pole (3P) unit, you have three phases.
• Count the wires. Three thick phase conductors plus neutral means three-phase.
• The reliable way is to have it checked. ELCAR carries out this survey free of charge.

Condition two: can your car accept 22 kW?

This is the part most people miss. In AC charging the speed is not set by the station alone — the car's onboard charger is also a limit, and the car will never draw more than that.

Onboard charger rating	Typically found on
3.3–3.7 kW	Older and budget models
6.6–7.4 kW	By far the most common
11 kW	Many European models (three-phase)
22 kW	Rare — mostly premium and commercial models

To actually use a 22 kW station you need both three-phase power and a car that supports 22 kW. That combination is uncommon in practice.

Is 7 kW enough?

For most home users, yes. The arithmetic is simple:

• 7.4 kW × 9 hours overnight ≈ 66 kWh
• That is a typical EV charged from empty to full
• For a driver covering 50–100 km a day, 2–3 hours of charging is enough

Plug in at 23:00 and the car is ready at 08:00. In that scenario 22 kW offers no advantage at all — the car is full either way.

When is 22 kW genuinely worth it?

• Two EVs in the household that both need charging the same night
• More than 200 km a day — couriers, taxi drivers, field sales
• A business site — hotel, office, retail centre, fleet depot, where cars stop briefly and speed matters
• You already have three-phase and the car supports 11–22 kW

Is it worth upgrading to three-phase?

Upgrading purely to get 22 kW charging rarely pays off — it means extra cost, paperwork and time. But if the house already has heavy loads such as electric heating, multiple air conditioners or a workshop, then three-phase makes sense on its own and faster charging is a bonus.

Practical recommendation

Your situation	Recommendation
Single-phase, up to 100 km a day	7 kW wallbox
Single-phase, frequent long trips	7 kW wallbox plus a portable charger
Three-phase, car supports 11 kW	22 kW wallbox (will run at 11 kW)
Three-phase, two cars	22 kW wallbox
Business site	22 kW AC or a DC station

Conclusion

The most common mistake is buying 22 kW when you do not need it. The second most common is buying the unit first and only then discovering the electrical panel is not ready for it.

Both are easy to avoid: arrange a free survey before ordering. Our technician checks the panel, the available capacity and the cable route, then tells you exactly which unit fits.