Understand EV charging “levels, connectors, rates, and mileage”

 Understand EV charging “levels, connectors, rates, and mileage” 

A quick guide to all types of electric car charging, from Level 1 home charging to Level 3 fast charging.

Electric Vehicle Charging Levels

The automotive engineering organization SAE International outlines three levels of EV charging: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.

Level 1 adds two to four (2-4) miles of range per hour of charging. Level 1 charging is the slowest and easiest using a typical household 120V outlet and charging equipment is included with new electric cars. 

Level 2 adds twelve to thirty-two (12–32) miles of range per hour of charging. Level 2 charging may use a standard 3-prong household driver plug or may require a home charging unit. Level 2 operates at 240 volts. A typical 240-volt, 24-amp unit can put out about 6.0 kW of continuous power. But the fastest possible Level 2 charging is at 80 amps, or 19.2 kW, making it more than three times faster. The hardware on your car dictates the maximum Level 2 charge rate, and most cars aren't capable of charging at 19.2 kW, so you'll want to match your charging equipment to what your EV can handle to avoid paying for capability you can't use.

Level 3 adds around 100–250 miles of range in 30–45 minutes. Tesla claims that Level 3 “adds 200 miles in 15 minutes.” Alternatively known as DC fast-chargers, Level 3 chargers are especially useful during long trips that necessitate charges between destinations, as this sort of charging can. Tesla's Supercharger network offers Level 3 charging, as do many EVgo and Electrify America stations.

Connectors

Tesla cars use a manufacturer-specific connector dubbed NACS. Adapters are available that allow CCS-equipped EVs to plug into cables with NACS connectors and vice versa.

EVs other than Tesla use a standard round port called a J1772 connector aka SAE Combo or CCS.

Nissan Leaf uses the standard J1772 port for Level 1 and Level 2 and a port called CHAdeMO for Level 3.

Chargers, Accounts & Apps

There are more than 64,000 charging units nationwide (US Govt Map) of which more than 10,000 are Level 3 DC fast charging. These charging units owned by myriad providers as explained in Inside EVs Magazine here. Tesla's site state that it operates ~27,000 super charger ports in the US and ~100,000 world wide.

Tesla chargers are accessed by the same Tesla app used to control your car and you pay for the charging fees with a credit card.

EVgo and Electrify America chargers are accessed with their apps and you pay for the charging fees with a credit card.

Rates

Rates vary by charging provider, contract, and demand. See average rates from AAA here.

Mileage

Fuel economy is measured in “average miles per Kwh” with Tesla Model 3 around 30. See a table of EV ranges and fuel economy from Edmunds here.

Learn more from Car and Driver Magazine

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a41803552/ev-charging-levels/