EV Charging 101
Imagine never needing to stop at a gas station again. For many electric vehicle (EV) drivers, this is a reality! Electric vehicles — both battery (BEV) and fuel cell (FCEV) electric vehicles — never need gas. For shorter commutes, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) might not even use gas at all.
Electric vehicle charging is simple, cost-effective and convenient, especially since you can charge up right at home. The act of charging your EV is as simple as the act of charging your phone. Learn the basics of EV charging and find tips to improve your charging experience below
How long will it take to charge my EV?
Exact charging speed is determined by three factors: The capacity of your EV’s on-board charger, the charging equipment’s power level and the ambient temperature. The length of time to charge up fully at each power level also depends on your EV battery size.
Batteries work best when it’s not too hot or too cold. When any battery charges, it generates heat — just feel your phone when it’s plugged in! Your EV is set to automatically protect the vehicle’s battery from overheating, so if the battery temperature gets too hot during charging, the EV’s internal battery management system will slow down the charging speed to adjust. Check out a side-by side breakdown of the different power levels and charging speeds below.
Level 1
Today, new electric vehicles come prepared with a portable level 1 charger allowing you to easily plug in on the go to standard 120-volt outlets. Unlike higher levels of charging, which require higher voltage outlets to plug into, these level 1 chargers allow you to charge up your EV from the comfort of your home without any additional electrical installations.
The average daily commute of 40 miles should fully recharge overnight, making level 1 charging perfect for those who often don’t need to do much daily driving.
Level 2
Level 2 charging equipment is available in many public areas where vehicles are parked for a significant amount of time — like workplaces, malls and shopping centers. You can also invest in a level 2 home charger that uses a 208 – 240 volt outlet to support the higher powered charging equipment. This may require electrical work to install that higher voltage outlet in a convenience place for charging at your home.
The same 40 mile average daily commute should be replenished in under 2 hours with level 2 charging.
DC Fast Charging
Direct connect (DC) fast chargers rely on a larger electric grid connection, which delivers power directly to the vehicle, as opposed to Level 1 and 2 chargers which have to convert the current to a lower power level before entering the vehicle. This direct connection results in a much faster and more powerful charge that provides a whopping 10 – 20 miles of range per minute.
DC fast charging occurs at public and workplace charging stations only and is not available for use at home. Today, most battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are already equipped to handle DC fast charging technology, but always check your vehicle’s charging connector before you plug in.
How much will charging my EV cost?
The cost of charging an electric vehicle depends on many different factors, primarily on where you charge and the time of day that you choose to charge at since the price of electricity varies throughout the day. Overall though, charging your EV is significantly less money than filling up a gasoline car.
To better understand the long-term fuel savings of an EV compared with a gas-powered car, check out the US Department of Energy calculator tool for charging costs in California and beyond.
Public Charging
While electricity can vary, the price in California averages to roughly 18 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).
At this price, charging an electric vehicle with a 40 kWh battery and an average driving range of 150-mile — like the Nissan Leaf — would only cost about 7 to fully charge at home.
Drivers in California may expect to pay 30 cents per kWh when using a level 2 public charger and 40 cents per kWh using public DC fast charging.
At these rates, the same Nissan LEAF with a 150-mile range and 40-kWh battery, would cost about 12.00 to fully charge using level 2 charging and 16.00 using DC fast charging.
Interested in home charging? Compare home chargers and discover home charging incentives available to you.
EV charging basics
We have longer guides about the cost to charge an EV, and how long it takes to charge an EV. But here’s the quick version:
How to charge: Electric vehicles all have a charging port, usually in a similar spot where you’d fill up a gas car.
Most EVs take the same kind of charger. Tesla is the exception, but they’re all basically cross-compatible if you have the right adapter.
Cost to charge: This depends on the cost of electricity (usually), measured in cents per kilowatt-hour or kWh. Think of kWh as the basic unit of EV charging econoomics, sort of like the cost per gallon of gas for a traditional internal-combustion car.
If you’re charging at home, the cost per kWh is generally the same rate you pay for the rest of your electricity. As of early 2023, the average cost by state ranges from 10 to 45 cents per kWh, according to the Energy Information Administration. You can look up the precise rate on your utility bill, or on your utility company’s website. It costs significantly less to charge an EV than to fuel up a gas car in most cases—but not always, in regions with high electricity costs. With a rooftop solar system or a community solar subscription, the numbers are even better for EVs.
Time to charge: As of early 2023, the fastest cars on the fastest public chargers can recharge 80% of their battery pack in 20 minutes.
A typical at-home recharging rate with a typical charger is about 20 or 30 miles of range for every hour that the car is plugged in—so it’ll completely fill the battery if you leave it plugged in overnight.
If you plug in with a standard wall outlet, you’ll get about 4 miles of range per hour of charging. At that rate, it’ll take a few days to completely charge a long-range EV, though it should give you enough of a charge overnight to get to and from work.
Who is EnergySage, and what do we know about EV chargers?
EnergySage was founded in 2009 with the goal of fostering a transparent, healthy marketplace for clean energy upgrades—starting with informed buyers. Our founder, Vikram Aggarwal, began by gathering quotes from dozens of installers for solar panels, ground-source heat pumps, and similar projects.
With funding from the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative, we opened the country’s first (and now the largest) marketplace for rooftop solar panel installations, where vetted contractors compete for your business by offering quotes through our online platform. Over the years we’ve added similar marketplaces for battery storage, community solar, and heat pumps.
Electric vehicles and EV chargers are a huge part of the clean-energy transition, and we’ve written about them since the original Nissan Leaf hit the roads in the early 2010s.
EV charger speeds: Cost savings vs. convenience
For at-home use, EV chargers are broadly classified as either Level 1 (slower, less expensive) or Level 2 (pretty fast, more expensive).
Level 1: No installation required, but it’s slow
So-called Level 1 chargers plug into any standard 3-prong, 120-volt household outlet, technically known as a NEMA 5-15 receptacle. They draw about as much power as a portable electric space heater (12 amps, 1.5 kW).
The best part of Level 1 charging: No upfront costs, usually. Most EVs come with a Level 1 cable, and as long as you have a standard outlet close to where you park your car, you won’t need any electrical work. You just pay for the electricity.
But Level 1 chargers are sloooow. They’re sometimes called “trickle chargers” because they only add a few miles of range for every hour they’re plugged in. It takes around 12 hours to fully charge a car like the Toyota Rav4 Prime, which only has a 45-mile electric range. And the 315-mile Tesla Model 3 Long Range would need a couple of days before its battery was completely full. (Of course, you can always drive on a partial charge.)
We’ve previously reported at EnergySage that 24% of EV owners rely exclusively on Level 1 charging, though it’s not clear how much that might have changed in the last few years as longer-range, fully electric EVs have hit the mainstream.
Level 2: Much faster, but you’ll usually need an electrician
A Level 2 charger uses a 240-volt circuit, like most electric stoves and clothes dryers do. That makes it at least twice as speedy as a Level 1 cord, and typically much faster than that.
The challenging part: Most people will need to hire an electrician to do a little work before they can install one—about 75% of people, according to the JD Power survey. That’ll usually mean new wiring, a new circuit on your electrical panel, often a new four-prong outlet, and sometimes an electrical panel upgrade.
There’s a ton of variation among so-called Level 2 charging:
- Some low-end cords provide just 16 amps (3.8 kW at 240 volts). It’ll take about 4 hours to charge a Toyota Rav4 Prime, for example, and 18 hours for the Tesla Model 3 Long Range.
- Many of the best-rated, best-selling models provide 32 amps (7.7 kW at 240 volts). That Rav4 Prime now charges in about two hours, while the Model 3 Long Range finishes in less than 10 hours—a full charge overnight, in other words.
- Some trucks, like higher-end versions of the Ford F-150 Lightning, can accept a whopping 80 amps (19.2 kw at 240 volts). It’s still considered Level 2 charging because it’s a 240-volt setup. But that’s still 5 times the speed of the slowest Level 2 option. Very few EVs can support this speed, and the demands these chargers put on your electrical panel are substantial.
Are there any downsides to Level 2 charging? Besides the cost of the equipment and installation, not really. It’s actually slightly more energy efficient than Level 1 charging, according to one study. That is, more of the electricity from your outlet makes it into the car’s battery, without getting wasted as heat as it travels along the charging cable.
Level 2 charging also seems to be fine for the long-term health of an EV’s battery. In theory, faster charging is worse for rechargeable batteries (of all types) because it creates more heat, and heat can damage the system. But we couldn’t find any studies suggesting that it’s a problem in the real world. Thousands of EVs have been on the road for a decade now, and there’s no obvious downside. (If battery health is still something you’re worried about, you can always buy a Level 2 charger and set it to run at a relatively low speed by default, then bump it up when you need it.)
Do you really need Level 2 charging at home?
Not necessarily, though you’ll probably be happy to have it.
Lots of people will be just fine with Level 1 charging. Slow as they are, they can still add 20 to 50 miles of range overnight, depending on the car and how long you leave it plugged in. You don’t necessarily need a full battery every day, either, and you can always find a public charger if you need a quicker fill-up. So if your daily commute isn’t too long, or if you drive a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that can fall back on gas when you need it, Level 1 can suffice.
That said, nobody regrets buying a Level 2 charger. According to a recent EV charging study by JD Power, people who rely on Level 2 charging at home are substantially more satisfied than people who have to rely on Level 1 cords.
There’s no downside to having a full battery every morning (or at 70% or 80% anyway, as many EV brands recommend for battery health). A Level 2 charger pretty much guarantees that’ll always be the case, even after a long trip.
Another advantage: A Level 2 charger lets you preheat or pre-cool your car from your home’s electricity supply, rather than drawing down the car’s battery. It improves the battery’s range in cold weather, and is better for the long-term health of the battery. Bonus: It’s much easier to scrape ice off your windshield once the cabin has been warmed up for a few minutes. Level 1 cords don’t supply enough power to run an EV’s heating and cooling systems.
EV Charging – Types of Chargers
Charging your EV is just as easy as pumping gas. Where, when and for how long depend on what type of charging equipment you use.
Types of Electric Vehicle Chargers
chargers use the car’s charge cord to plug into a common 120v outlet, available virtually everywhere. An electric car can maintain more than 40 miles a day if charged overnight at home. A level 1 charger typically takes 11-20 hours to fully charge. Each hour adds 2-5 miles of driving range.
Level 2
chargers require additional equipment that can be installed by an electrician. In the alternative, they can utilize an existing 240V outlet, just like a clothes dryer. Level 2 charging is also available at public charging stations for a fee based upon kWh used. A 7.2kWh level 2 charger typically takes 3-8 hours to fully charge. Each hour adds approximately 20 miles of driving range.
are typically available at commercial sites and along highways. Depending on battery size, DC Fast chargers can charge some EVs up to 80% in as few as 20-30 minutes. Each hour adds approximately 100 miles of driving range.
John Mario Harley from Waldorf, Maryland
“I am able to utilize the electric charge when conducting 90% of my weekly needs. It allows me to do my part in reducing emissions which is important to me.”
John Mario Harley, Waldorf, MD
Maryland Electric Vehicles
7201 Corporate DriveHanover, MD 21075
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The Future of Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles, or electric cars, are vehicles that are powered solely by electricity. They have an electric motor instead of a traditional internal combustion engine, which means they produce zero tailpipe emissions. This makes them an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, especially in a time when reducing carbon emissions is critical to combating climate change.
The popularity of electric vehicles has been steadily growing in recent years due to several factors. First and foremost, they offer significant environmental benefits. By switching to electric cars, we can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and decrease air pollution. Electric vehicles also have lower operating costs compared to traditional cars, as electricity is generally cheaper than gasoline, and they require less maintenance since they have fewer moving parts.
Furthermore, the continuous technological advancements in electric vehicle technology have resulted in increased driving ranges and improved performance. Modern electric cars can often travel more than 200 miles on a single charge, making them a practical option for everyday use. Additionally, electric vehicles are becoming more affordable as the cost of battery technology decreases and government incentives are introduced to encourage their adoption.
However, one of the main challenges faced by electric vehicle owners is finding convenient and accessible EV charging infrastructure. EV charging refers to the process of recharging the batteries of electric vehicles. Unlike traditional vehicles that can fill up at any gas station, electric cars require charging stations equipped with specific charging equipment.
Electric vehicle charging infrastructure ranges from slow chargers that take several hours to charge a vehicle, to fast chargers that can provide a significant battery boost in just minutes. The availability and accessibility of charging stations vary greatly depending on the region. Charging stations can be found in public spaces like parking lots, shopping centers, and along highways, as well as in private spaces such as homes and workplaces.
The growth of the EV charging network is crucial for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. It provides peace of mind to owners, knowing that they can easily find a place to charge their vehicles wherever they go. Many governments and organizations are investing in expanding the charging infrastructure to encourage the transition to electric transportation.
One of the key technologies driving the advancement of EV charging is Smart charging. Smart charging systems allow electric vehicles to communicate with the grid, enabling more efficient and cost-effective charging. These systems can take advantage of off-peak hours when electricity demand is lower, reducing strain on the grid and taking advantage of cheaper electricity rates.
In conclusion, electric vehicles are more than just a passing trend. They present a promising future for transportation with their environmental benefits, cost savings, and technological advancements. As the adoption of electric vehicles continues to increase, the development of a robust and accessible EV charging infrastructure is crucial. With a clear understanding of EV charging, individuals can confidently embrace electric vehicles and contribute to the transition to a cleaner and more sustainable transportation system.
What is an EV Charging Station?
An electric vehicle (EV) charging station, also commonly called a charge point or electric vehicle supply equipment, is a device specifically designed to supply electrical power for recharging plug-in electric vehicles. These charging stations come in two primary types: AC charging stations and DC charging stations. Their purpose is to provide a convenient and efficient means for EV owners to recharge their vehicles, ensuring that they have sufficient power for their daily or long-distance journeys.
EV charging refers to the process of replenishing the battery of an electric vehicle (EV) with electricity. This can be done through various methods and at different locations such as home charging, public charging stations, or dedicated EV charging equipment installed at businesses – commonly known as workplace charging. There are different types of EV chargers available, such as level 1 and level 2 chargers. Level 1 chargers use a standard household electrical outlet (AC power) and are typically slower, providing an average of 3-5 miles of driving range per hour of electric car charging. Level 2 chargers, on the other hand, require a dedicated charging station or wall connector to operate, offering faster charging speeds than level 1 chargers. Another type of EV charging and the fastest option is DC fast charging. DC fast chargers, also known as Level 3 chargers, use a high-powered direct current (DC) to rapidly charge an EV’s battery. These chargers can significantly reduce charging times, enabling an electric car to gain up to 80% of its battery charge within 30 minutes. Notably, the Tesla Supercharger network is an example of a widely known and utilized DC fast charging solution available exclusively for Tesla vehicles. Public charging stations are essential infrastructure for electric vehicle (EV) owners, offering them convenient access to charge their vehicles when they are on the move. These stations are strategically placed in various locations such as parking lots, shopping centers, and rest areas, to ensure widespread availability for EV drivers.
Equipped with multiple charge points, these stations can accommodate multiple electric cars simultaneously. This feature is crucial, as it mitigates long wait times and allows drivers to charge their vehicles efficiently. By facilitating multiple charging sessions, public charging stations promote the widespread adoption of electric vehicles and encourage more people to consider this environmentally friendly mode of transportation. To manage these charging stations effectively, a charge point operator is typically responsible for their operation, maintenance, and billing processes. This operator ensures that the chargers are in proper working condition, coordinates repairs if needed, and handles any billing issues that may arise. This seamless management ensures a smooth charging experience for EV drivers and enables the sustainability of public charging infrastructure.
As technology advances, most public charging stations are now networked, meaning they can be accessed remotely through a mobile app or website. This enhances user experience by providing real-time information on the availability of charging spots, allowing drivers to plan their charging sessions in advance. Additionally, EV owners can reserve charging spots through these apps, eliminating any uncertainties or frustrations arising from arriving at a station only to find all the chargers occupied.
over, networked charging stations allow users to monitor their charging sessions remotely. They can check the progress of their charge, receive notifications when their vehicle is fully charged, and even track their charging history. This level of connectivity and accessibility provides EV owners with a seamless charging experience and promotes their confidence in electric vehicles as a reliable means of transportation.
What Does it Cost to Charge an EV?
One of the most common questions asked by prospective EV owners is, “What does it cost to charge an EV?” The cost of charging an EV can vary widely depending on several factors such as your location, the type of EV charger you’re using, and your electricity provider’s utility rates. Electric vehicle charging can be done through different solutions, with two popular options being level 1 charging and level 2 charging. Level 1 charging refers to plugging the EV into a standard household outlet, while level 2 charging utilizes a dedicated level 2 charger.
Level 2 chargers, such as a Smart charging solution, provide faster charging speeds compared to level 1 chargers, making them more convenient for electric car drivers. Additionally, for those in a hurry, a dc fast charger, often found in public charging stations, allows for even faster charging times. It is important to note that the cost of charging an EV also depends on the capacity of the EV battery and its efficiency. For example, a Tesla vehicle with a larger battery capacity may require more electricity to fully charge compared to a smaller electric car. Furthermore, the cost of electricity can vary based on geographical location and the rates set by your electricity provider.
Therefore, it is recommended to research and compare different charging options, including the associated costs with your electrical utility provider, before investing in an electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Simplifying EV Charging with WattLogic: Innovation and Convenience in One Package
In the ever-evolving landscape of electric vehicles and EV charging, WattLogic stands as a beacon of innovation and convenience. We understand that the process of installing an EV charging station and selecting the right product can seem daunting. WattLogic is here to ease that burden and make the transition to electric seamless for homeowners and businesses alike.
Our proprietary software employs cutting-edge technology to connect you with reliable EV charger installers in your area. We assist you in choosing the ideal EV charging station that meets your specific needs, be it for your home or business. Beyond product selection, WattLogic further simplifies the process by helping you identify and apply for local rebates. This comprehensive, user-friendly service is designed to make the transition to EV charging as straightforward and stress-free as possible. Get in touch with WattLogic today and start your journey towards sustainable and convenient transportation.