EV Charger Installation

There are different levels of EV charging, offering increased capacity, shorter charging times, and increased flexibility to handle higher-capacity batteries with longer ranges. As a homeowner, your chosen EV charger should be able to handle your current electric vehicle with room to grow. There is a strong chance that this won’t be the last battery-powered vehicle that you buy, so your EV charging station should have additional capacity that you don’t necessarily need today but can tap into in the future as technology advances and the need for it develops.

Level 1 Charging

Level 1 charging is the slowest form of EV charging, and is generally included with the purchase of any electric vehicle. This type of charging simply uses a standard 120-volt electrical socket to charge a vehicle. However, because wall power is alternating current, it must be inverted to direct current before it can be stored in a vehicle’s onboard battery. This is done by a vehicle’s onboard inverter, and most vehicles typically only have a small inverter to save weight and lower costs, but at the expense of charging speed.

According to Lifewire, level 1 charging typically tops out at around five miles of range for every hour of charge time. If you drive more than 40 miles per day on your average commute, this type of charging may not be suitable for your needs.

Level 2 Charging

Level 2 charging is where you get into “fast” charging by electric vehicle standards. This type of charging is done by a secondary EV charging unit that can handle the wattage of a 240-volt AC connection, which allows more wattage to enter the vehicle without increasing amperage (and thus increasing heat). While these chargers don’t necessarily lower the cost of home charging on a per-kilowatt basis, they do dramatically decrease charge times—to the tune of up to 100 miles or more on a standard eight-hour charge.

Level 3 Charging

Level 3 charging is generally only available in a commercial setting because they require high voltages not found in most homes (and they’re also typically a much larger investment). A Level 3 charging system generally requires 480 volts AC at the very least, and many commercial charging stations will run on 1,000 volts or more. However, the true secret to their speed is that they invert the power from AC to DC before feeding it directly into the vehicle, completely removing the bottleneck that often forms from an electric vehicle’s own onboard inverter.

While Level 3 charging does require substantial additional equipment and specialized electrical infrastructure, it does dramatically reduce charge times for vehicles that have the ability to tap into this type of charging. In fact, this is the type of technology that allows vehicles with even the largest ranges to charge from empty to full in roughly an hour—including vehicles that have ranges up to 300 miles. These are also a great investment for businesses because they provide a diversified revenue stream, as many Level 3 charging units that are available for purchase can be configured to accept payment from anyone wishing to use one.