Electric cars and EV charging have seen renewed interest, especially with growing concerns about the effects of climate change. And with this renewed interest follows an increase in the number of people considering owning electric cars. One major concern regarding electric vehicles is charging. While charging infrastructure appears to be growing slowly, there’s still a lot anyone who intends to purchase an electric vehicle needs to know. This short post will guide you through everything you need to know about EV chargers.
What are EV Chargers?
An EV charger pulls electric current from the grid and delivers it to your electric vehicle through a plug or a connector. EV chargers or charging stations allow you to top up your electric car faster, safer, and more conveniently. Due to the relative newness of the EV market and its rapid evolution, different types or levels of plugs are available, from portable ones you can use in your home to fast DC chargers mostly available on highways. At its most basic, an EV charger can also pull electric current from a 230 V or 240 V outlet.
Charging levels
Charging levels refer to how much power a charging system delivers to an electric vehicle. The levels range from one to three, with level one being the lowest and three the highest.
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Level 1 – Portable EVSE
With this level, you can charge your electric vehicle at home with a charging station specially made by an experienced electric company. Sometimes referred to as AC trickle charging, it offers the most basic home or destination charging option. It mostly requires a standard 240 V AC socket where you can plug in your electric car. Despite its convenience, it’s the slowest charging method, offering merely 2.0 kW of power when you use a normal 10 A socket. However, you can choose dedicated car charging output options for your EV.
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Level 2 – Wall Chargers
If you want to get back on the road faster, you might need a level 2 charging system. You can charge your electric vehicle 3 to 10 times faster with this charging system by increasing your charging capacity to about 22 kW. That means with every 10 minutes of level-2 charging, you can get about 22 km of mileage. You can also find several level-2 charging stations in public, so be sure you know what charging capacity a station offers before driving to them.
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Level 3 – DC Fast Chargers
If you have higher charging needs, you may prefer level 3 charging, which can hit as high as 350 kW on a super-rapid charging unit. On the other hand, a standard rapid or fast charging unit can give you at least 50 kW. You can also find public level-3 DC fast chargers like the Tesla Superchargers. This higher charging capacity can give you over 100 km every 10 minutes of driving.
An EV charger delivers electric current to an electric vehicle from a local grid. Its charging level will determine how much current it will deliver. Generally, you can find three charging levels, ranging from 1 to 3, with 3 being the highest and 1 the lowest. Which charging level is best for you will depend on your electric car’s charging needs.
