There are three tiers of charging your electric vehicle (EV) according to various speeds and power.
The tier system begins at Level 1 and gets faster from there. These levels are crucial for EV owners to understand since they each have advantages and drawbacks. Depending on driving conditions on a particular day, you might prefer one charger over the other.
1. Level One: 120V Chargers
Consider this the universal charger for your EV.
The Level One charger, typically a standard wall outlet, is the most basic and slowest method of charging an electric vehicle. Only use this charger when other options are unavailable or inconvenient because they take so long to charge your EV fully.
Because the battery pack is a sealed system, discharging it requires more energy to do so.
As a result, recharge times are at about three to five miles of range per hour, according to the 1.4 kW power provided by a typical 120V wall socket at 12 amps. So, if your 2021 Mustang Mach-E's battery capacity is 88 kWh, you'll be waiting days (2.63 to be exact) to charge rather than hours.
2. Level Two: 240V Chargers
The next level up would be the Level Two charger, also commonly referred to as a household unit. This charger can be plugged into any outlet but must be a 240-volt circuit for optimal use.
Most personal EVs come with a charging cable that plugs into a household outlet or a J1772 public charging station. You can find this level of charge at public charging stations.
Let's go back to that Mustang Mach-E. It would take 11.5 hours to charge with the level two EV charger versus 63 hours for the level one charger.
3. Level Three: DC Fast Charging
DC fast chargers are also available in public charging stations, and they offer much faster recharge times than Level Two home units.
The fastest charger offers anywhere from 50 to 350 kW of power. You could fully recharge your EV in 20 to 30 minutes with the fastest charge this charger gives. These chargers require payment to use, typically at public charging stations, as they are intended for public or commercial use.
These are just the basics of EV chargers. It can get a little more complicated depending on the connectors you choose for your EV charger. For help with purchasing an EV charger, reach out to YourEVStore today.