Ev Charging

EV's are powered by an electric motor, instead of an internal combustion engine. Large batteries store the electricity needed to run the EV motor (or motors). The amount of electricity that can be stored in a battery is measured in terms of kilowatt-hours (kWh). The larger the battery, the more kWh can be stored. In a way, the battery in an EV is comparable to the gas tank in an ICE vehicle - the "fuel" is just different (electricity versus gasoline).

So, charging an EV battery is like filling your fuel tank in an ICE vehicle, although it's not quite that simple. Below explains a bit more about how and where you can charge your EV. Charging at home is the simplest, and not much more difficult than charging the battery in your phone or tablet/laptop. 

This is determined by the vehicle and the maximum capability of the charger. Either one can limit the rate of charge. There are 3 categories of chargers:

• Level 1 – AC charging. 120 Volts (normal home outlet). This is the slowest and will provide only approximately 3-4 miles of range per hour of charging.

• Level 2 – AC charging. 240 Volts (similar to an electric clothes dryer outlet). This is the most practical charging at home, and the recommended approach. Depending on the amperage output (at 40 amps this becomes 9.6kW), this will provide approximately 20-30 miles of range per hour of charging.

• DC Fast Chargers (DCFC). These chargers are not for home use and primarily used when traveling greater distances. Power ratings range between 24 to 350 kW and are provided throughout the United States by a variety of different companies. They can charge an EV from 10% to 80% State of Charge (SOC) in as little as 20 minutes, but more typically 30-40 minutes.

The US is in a state of transition regarding charging connectors. Recently Tesla made there proprietary connector available to all EV and charging equipment manufacturers. Tesla named it the North American Charging Standard (NACS). The Society of Automotive Engineers have reviewed and approved NACS and dubbed the new connector as J-3400. Most, soon to be all, EV manufacturers have committed to adopting the J-3400 connector in their 2025 model year EVs. This new connector will allow all levels of charging and access to Tesla's Supercharging Network. During the transition, adaptors will be made available (at a cost yet to be determined) for CCS1 connector EVs to access the Tesla charging network starting early in 2024.

In the meantime, the the following connectors are the standards:

•  J-1772 for Level 1 and Level 2 charging of non-Tesla EVs.

• CCS1 connector for DC Fast Charging of non-Tesla EVs. Additionally, some existing EVs (very few) still use CHAdeMO connectors.

• Tesla proprietary connector for all levels of charging Tesla EVs.

Note: It is important to know what connector your EV uses. And when planning long trips where you will need to use DCFC chargers, be aware of which connectors are available and at what speeds.