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Writer's pictureMahmoud Emara

Charging Your EV is Almost Like Charging a Phone

When should you charge? What are the different charging levels? There are different charging levels? How much does it cost? Can you still have road trips? Read below to find out!

Just like a mobile phone, it is essential to charge your electric vehicle. There are several methods to charging your EV, below are some facts regarding charging:

  1. Unlike a mobile phone, it is encouraged to keep your EV plugged in even when the vehicle has completed charging. Most EVs have standby operations when parked, which can lead to phantom drain when unplugged. (Phantom Drain is when your vehicle loses 1-3 miles of range overnight when parked)

  2. Most electric vehicles will give the option to navigate to a fast charger or a supercharger during a trip. This preheats the battery to prepare it for high current entering the battery pack. This saves time and cost on charging.

  3. There are 3 main methods of charging:

    1. Level 1 Charging - the use of a standard 120V outlet (typical household outlet). This is the slowest form of charging, where about 120V and 12A are provided for charging. This results in about 2-6 miles an hour. The best way to use this method is overnight charging, where in the span of 8-12 hours you will gain about 16-72 miles of range (depending on the car's battery technology and the charger's power electronics). Level 1 charging should mainly be used as a backup when Level 2 or Level 3 are is not available.​

    2. Level 2 Charging - the most common method of charging. This uses a 240V outlet (an outlet used for large household appliances i.e. laundry machine). These outlets can be installed by an electrician and fitted for your electric vehicle. At 240V and typically 30-48A, this will guarantee a full charge overnight or about 100 miles in less than 4 hours.

    3. Level 3 Charging - also known as "DC Fast Charging", this uses very high amounts of current to charge up the battery in a very short amount of time. Most DC Fast Chargers can add about 80-120 miles of range in just 30 minutes. This is usually used for people on the go or on trips, however, this is a great source of charging for those who do not have access to an outlet. Keep in mind that excessive charging at higher currents will degrade the vehicle's battery at a faster rate, but most battery packs are built to handle these charging speeds.

  4. Another method of charging that is public use charging. If you happen to stay at a hotel, or visit an inn, or go to marketplace, sometimes there are Level 2 chargers stationed in the parking lot for public use. Even office places are starting to add EV chargers for their employees so that you charge at work instead of home.

  5. Electricity is cheaper than gas. Charging saves about 1/5 the amount of the cost as much as it does for filling up on gas. Some will install solar panels on their roofs to provide their own energy to their vehicles, essentially rendering their electricity costs to zero.

In the image above, a Level 2 charger by Volta is installed at a shopping center for public use.

In the image above, a home owner charging their Electric Vehicle with a Level 2 charger installed in the garage

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