Electric Vehicle Charging Made Simple: Know Your Options
by AutoExpert | 26 March, 2024
Ugh, okay, charging EVs can seem like a total mystery. So, here's the deal, ditch the science lesson and think of it like this:
Level 1 Chargers (aka trickle chargers): These are like sipping juice through a coffee straw. Super slow, and honestly, your last resort unless you've got a tiny battery like in a plug-in hybrid.
Level 2 Chargers: This is more like it – a normal-sized hose filling things up. Most of us will want one of these bad boys at home, and it'll get you plenty of miles back overnight.
DC Fast Chargers (aka Superchargers): Picture a firehose blasting power into your car. Only the latest, fanciest EVs can handle the full blast, but they can get you serious range back in like, half an hour. Think road trip pitstops.
The thing is, you don't REALLY need to care about how long a full charge takes, 'cause we don't drive EVs like gas cars. You don't run the tank down to empty, right? Just plug your EV in when you get home, top it up, and you'll almost never need a long charge session.
But hey, a couple more weird things:
Cold weather makes charging grumpy. Batteries don't like being frozen, so don't expect lightning speed in winter.
Those fancy new EVs that brag about 800-volt systems? They're basically built for super-fast charging and get way more miles per charge overall.
