When a second electric car arrives, charging becomes a family logistics question. Both cables need to reach comfortably and each car must be ready for its own morning journey. Simply adding the chargers' maximum ratings is not enough.
For each car, note arrival, departure and the energy needed. A survey can then plan how they share the home's charging capacity.
One total contains two deadlines
Suppose the first car needs 12 kWh and the second 24 kWh, measured at the charger. The combined 36 kWh helps with sizing but does not show when each car must finish.
If both are connected for eight hours, the average shared power needed is 4.5 kW. This is not an installation setting: minimum charging current, phase count and different parking times affect operation.
Alongside a typical day, plan for one car leaving unusually early. Total overnight capacity may be enough while the earlier departure still needs special attention.
What do two Zaptec Go chargers share?
The manufacturer allows up to three Go or Go 2 units in one shared home installation. Chargers assigned to the same installation distribute available current through the cloud.
In a Home system, they receive up to 32 A in total, per phase in a three-phase setup. Zaptec specifies a minimum charging current of 6 A. If there is not enough for both cars simultaneously, one may have to wait. See the manufacturer's multiple-Go installation guide.
A separate measurement connection is needed for the system to follow other household consumption. Together, the chargers must stay within the current available for charging.
An evening when staggered arrivals help
Both cars in our example charge on three phases and share a constant 16 A per phase, nominally 11.04 kW. Car one arrives at 18:00, leaves at 04:00 and needs 12 kWh. Car two arrives at 20:00, leaves at 07:00 and needs 24 kWh.
Car one plugs in on arrival. At 11.04 kW, 12 kWh takes about 1 hour 5 minutes, reaching the planned amount around 19:05. In the example, the car then stops at its configured target. On arriving, car two can use all available current; 24 kWh takes about 2 hours 10 minutes, finishing around 22:10.
Two charging points show their practical value here: the first car remains plugged in on its own space and the second begins on another, with no cable stretching or vehicle swapping.
What if they arrive together?
With the same total current and equal sharing, each receives 8 A per phase, or about 5.52 kW. Car one's 12 kWh target takes about 2 hours 10 minutes, during which car two also receives 12 kWh.
When car one stops at its target, car two's remaining 12 kWh takes another 1 hour 5 minutes at the released power. Both could finish in roughly 3 hours 16 minutes.
These are ideal examples using constant power. Real car behaviour and household demand change the times, and energy measured at the charger is not identical to energy stored in the battery.
Plan around the earlier departure
Factory current sharing does not itself mean the system knows which car leaves first. Address that in the daily routine or with suitable documented control.
If car one must leave at 21:00, start it on arrival where possible. Otherwise check in advance whether shared power still delivers enough. Leave sufficient time for the earlier car.
If the cars use different numbers of phases, equal current per phase can produce different charging powers. Include each car's exact AC charging data in the design.
Rehearse the day in the parking spaces
Park as you normally do. Check socket positions, cable routes and whether each vehicle can leave independently. This everyday convenience matters as much as the calculation.
Then record both energy needs and arrival/departure times. Ask during the survey how shared current can ready the earlier car. The two charging points can become part of a well-considered family routine.
Let's choose one charging system for both cars
On our contact page, give both car models, usual arrival and departure times, and main-fuse ratings. We can help you choose a Zaptec installation for two cars.
