Electric Vehicle Charging

Level 1 Charging Level 2 Charging Level 3 Charging

Level 1 Charging

(Charges vehicles on regular 120v outlet)

Level 1 Charging: 120-Volt
Connectors Used: J1772 and Tesla
Charging Speed: 3 to 5 Miles Per Hour
Locations: Home, Workplace & Public

Level 1 charging uses a common 120-volt household outlet. Every electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid can be charged on Level 1 by plugging the charging equipment into a regular wall outlet. Level 1 is the slowest way to charge an EV. It adds between 3 and 5 miles of range per hour.

Level 1 charging works well for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) because they have smaller batteries, currently less than 25 kWh. Since EVs have much larger batteries, Level 1 charging is too slow for most daily charging, unless the vehicle isn’t needed to drive very far on a daily basis. Most BEV owners find that Level 2 charging better suits their daily charging needs.

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Level 2 Charging

Faster Charging at 240 v for Home or Condominium owners (charges an EV from zero to full in 3-4 hrs)

Level 2 Charging: 208-Volt to 240-Volt
Connectors Used: J1772 and Tesla
Charging Speed: 12 to 80 Miles Per Hour
Locations: Home, Workplace & Public

Level 2 charging is the most commonly used level for daily EV charging. Level 2 charging equipment can be installed at home, at the workplace, as well as in public locations like shopping plazas, train stations and other destinations. Level 2 charging can replenish between 12 and 80 miles of range per hour, depending on the power output of the Level 2 charger, and the vehicle’s maximum charge rate.

Most EV owners choose to install Level 2 charging equipment at their residence, because it charges the vehicle up to 10 times faster than Level 1 charging. Charging from a Level 2 source usually means the vehicle will be completely charged overnight, even if you plugged with a nearly empty battery.

Level 2 chargers can deliver up to 80 amps of power. But that requires a 100-amp 208-240V dedicated circuit and a heavy, costly supply line from the breaker box. Most owners will be well served choosing a 40-amp charger that can deliver 9.6 kW to the EV. A 48-amp charger can charge slightly faster at 11.5 kW, but requires a heavier gauge wire and the charger must be hardwired to comply with the NEC code. Therefore, 48-amp chargers can cost significantly more than a 40-amp unit and offer only marginally faster charging.

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Level 3 Charging

Commercial installations and Fastest method and usually found at Condominiums, restaurants, hotels as well as many other business applications. Will charge to 100% in about 30-45 mins.

Level 3 Charging: 400-Volt to 900-Volt (DC Fast Charge & Supercharging)
Connectors Used: Combined Charging System (Combo), CHAdeMO & Tesla
Charging Speed: 3 to 20 Miles Per Minute
Locations: Public

Level 3 charging is the fastest type of charging available and can recharge an EV at a rate of 3 to 20 miles of range per minute. Unlike Level 1 and Level 2 charging that uses alternating current (AC), Level 3 charging uses direct current (DC). The voltage is also much higher than Level 1 & 2 charging, which is why you don’t see level 3 chargers installed at home. Very few residential locations have the high-voltage supply that is required for level 3 charging.

Additionally, DC Fast Chargers cost tens of thousands of dollars. So even if your residence has 400-volt electricity service, the cost to install the charger would most likely cost more than your EV. Tesla calls their Level 3 chargers Superchargers; others are called DC Fast Chargers. Current Nissan EVs use a third specification, CHAdeMO.

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