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The U.S. currently boasts 46,000 EV (electric vehicle) charging stations, compared to about 145,000 gasoline, ethanol, and diesel fueling stations.
For the time being, it takes some planning to keep your EV charged on long trips. Unlike gas stations, you won’t find an EV charging point every few blocks. Still, there’s never been a better time to own an electric vehicle.
As a result of legislation passed in 2021, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Energy are investing at least $5 billion over the next five years to create a national EV charging network along 75,000 miles of the national highway system.
The goal is to have a standardized nationwide network of 500,000 EV charging stations by 2030 that are agnostic to location, vehicle brands, and EV charging companies. Approval and funding for this legislation’s first EV infrastructure deployment projects began in late September 2022.
3 Charging Levels to Choose From
Electric car charging has three levels based on charging voltage. The higher the voltage, the faster the charge. Depending on battery size, charging your EV battery to 80-100% capacity can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 12 hours.
Level 1 EV Charging
Quick Summary: Level 1 (a/k/a “trickle”) charging provides 4 miles per hour and can prepare your EV battery for basic daily use.
Level 1 on the EV charging spectrum is a regular household outlet (120 volts) coupled with an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) such as the MEGEAR Skysword. Level 1 charging uses AC power and is generally found only in homes.
Level 1 charging provides the typical EV with 3-5 miles of range per hour of charging. You can see why Level 1 is often called “trickle charging” due to the slow speed.
Although Level 1 is slow, it’s adequate for the intended purpose: to provide enough power overnight to allow limited commuting and local errands the next day.
A full night’s charge at Level 1 will provide the average EV with about 50 miles of range, far exceeding the average daily mileage driven by most Americans. To fully charge an EV to 100% using Level 1 can take more than 30 hours.
Image of MEGEAR Skysword EV Charger (Megear.com)
Level 2 EV Charging
Quick Summary: Level 2 can charge your EV at home or a commercial charging station, providing 2-30 miles of range per hour of charge. A specialized 240V splitter can save you hundreds of dollars on installing a Level 2 home charging solution.
Level 2 is available for residential use and at most commercial (public) charging stations. It uses the same 240V outlet and AC power necessary for your dryer or stove, plus a separately purchased charger. (Expect to pay roughly $300-$700 for the charger.)
Level 2 can provide between 12-80 miles of range per hour of charge. Level 2 is best used overnight at home when you don’t need to travel, and electricity rates may be lower. Charging an EV battery from 0 to 100% takes 6-12 hours, depending on battery size.
If you don’t have a 240V outlet in your garage that can be dedicated to charging your EV, there are a couple of options:
Hire an electrician to add a new 240V outlet and upgrade your electrical panel, which can run
about $2,500
.
Install a specialized splitter that effectively creates two 240V outlets out of one by switching power automatically to the device that needs it. Two popular models are the
NeoCharge Smart Splitter
and the
Dryer Buddy™ Plus Auto
by BSA Electronics. These run less than $500.
Image of NeoCharge Smart Splitter (GetNeoCharge.com)
Level 3 EV Charging
Quick Summary: Level 3 (aka DC Fast Charging) uses 480 volts of power to charge your EV to 80% in 30 minutes.
Talk about living in the fast lane! Level 3, also known as DC Fast Charging, uses a whopping 480 volts to charge your EV battery from empty to 80% in as little as 30 minutes, or between 3-15 miles per minute. There is no separate charger because the charging station serves as the charger.
Due to the charging speed, Level 3 charging stations will throttle the speed at 80% to avoid accidental overcharging.
Level 3 charging is provided by DC Fast Charging networks (similar to branded gas stations). Two of the best-known are Electrify America and EVgo.
Image snip from Electrify America “Locate a Charger” (ElectrifyAmerica.com)
Public Charging Stations and Networks
On its Alternative Fuels Data Center website, the U.S. Department of Energy provides an interactive map tool listing Level 2 and Level 3 public charging stations throughout the U.S. and Canada. EV owners can enter their location, charge level needed, and connector type; the tool maps it out for you. The tool is also available as an app for iPhone and Android.
You can also use the tool to map out a specific trip to locate public charging stations available along your route.
Here’s an example of the map tool’s output for someone in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that needs a Level 2 public charging station in the 19125 zip code:
Image snip from U.S. DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC.Energy.gov)
According to DOE, there are over 51,000 public EV charging stations in the U.S., with over 136,000 individual (EVSE) charging ports. That number includes about 41,000 Level 2 stations with over 91,000 charging ports and about 6,000 DC Fast Charging stations with 23,000 ports.
Final Thoughts
Congratulations on being an EV owner! You are helping reduce total lifecycle emissions by up to 89% compared to internal combustion engine vehicles.
EVs still make up a small portion of the new car market, with about 413,000 units sold in the U.S. during the first half of 2022 alone, versus 630,000 units sold in all of 2021 and 320,000 units sold in all of 2020. Estimates are that by 2030, EVs will represent nearly half (47%) of all vehicles sold in the U.S. annually.
And that means that, before very long, EV charging points will be as easy to find on your travels as fossil-fuel filling stations are now.
Featured image by frimufilms on Freepik.
Learning the different charging options for EVs is very important, whether you are an experienced EV driver, are purchasing an EV soon, or even if you are still driving a traditional car.
Figure 1: Tesla Super Charging Station - Source: Renew Economy
There are three EV charging levels: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. In this article, we will explain how EVs charge, their limitations, different technical specifications for EV charging levels, and detail different aspects of the subject. This will give you enough information to help you determine the best EV charging solution for you.
EV charging can be done with AC (alternating current) or DC (direct current) power. Level 1 and Level 2 EV charging uses AC power, while Level 3 charging exclusively uses DC power at high currents, which is why it is also known as DC Fast Charging (DCFC).
AC charging requires the EV charger to be connected to a 230VAC single-phase or 400VAC three-phase connection; the charging current varies according to the charging capacity of the charger and the EV model. During AC charging, the AC to DC conversion occurs directly on the onboard charger installed at the EV.
DC charging does not use the onboard charger that limits the maximum current, which is why EVs can charge at a much faster speed. The AC to DC conversion during DC charging occurs at the charging station, allowing a high current to be delivered to the EV and rapidly charge the battery.
Charging speed is not only limited by the AC and DC power rate of the charger, but also by the charging capacity of each particular EV. This means that charging an EV with a high-capacity AC charger does not mean the best Level 2 charging time will be provided as the maximum charging capacity is also limited by the EV manufacturer.
The following table shows charging limitations for some popular EVs in Australia:
Table 1: AC Charging Limitation for EVs in Australia – Source: EV Database
After understanding the differences between AC and DC charging, it is time to learn about the various charging levels and how they differ from each other.
Level 1 EV charging requires a single-phase 230VAC connection and it is considered the slowest AC charging option. Since the power rate for AC Level 1 EV Chargers goes from 1.8kW up to 2.4kW, charging with a Level 1 EV charger can be done over regular home wiring as long as there are no other high-demand appliances connected to the circuit.
Level 2 EV charging requires a single-phase 230V connection for homes or a three-phase 400VAC connection for residential and commercial ones. Charging capacity for Level 2 chargers varies from 3.6kW up to 9.6kW, while high-capacity residential and commercial applications go as high as 22kW. Residential and commercial Level 2 EV charging requires dedicated electrical wiring to operate. Most EV chargers that you will find for your home such as the Tesla Gen 3, the Zappi or the Wallbox will be level 2 models (go here to shop our chargers). If you purchase an untethered charger, you'll likely need to purchase a charging cable too.
Level 3 EV charging features a complex electrical infrastructure to convert three-phase AC power to DC directly at the charging station. The power rate for a DCFC stall goes from 25kW up to 350kW and it charges extremely fast. Level 3 or DC Fast Charging stations are highly expensive, which is why they are almost exclusively used in public charging stations. Almost no homes will ever have this as it’s very costly ($50k-$100k to install) and electrical infrastructure at homes will not be able to withstand the high voltage of Level 3 chargers.
The Australian EV industry features charging options that suit the needs of every EV driver in the country, that go from regular home EV chargers up to DC Fast Charging stations. After learning the basics of EV charging, you can now pick the best EV charger available for you or even decide what your next EV will be considering its charging parameters.
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