Charging How-to

❌ HEV   👍 PHEV 👎 BEV

If you plug your charging cable into a regular North American household wall outlet (120VAC) you are charging at Level 1. This is the slowest charging speed and will only add about 1-3 miles of range per hour of charging depending on the vehicle's efficiency. This can be used for overnight charging of a PHEV's smaller battery pack. While it can be used for a BEV, it will take nearly a full day to add 100 miles. BEVs should have at least Level 2 charging.

❌ HEV   👍 PHEV 👍👍 BEV

If you have a dedicated EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment / "charging station") at your residence, it will be Level 2, but there is a lot of variation in how fast it will charge your vehicle. Level 2 can add anywhere from 12 - 60 miles of range per hour depending on the EVSE and your vehicle.

A typical L2 EVSE supplies 32-40Amps (7.5 - 9.6kW) but can range as low as 16Amps (3.8kW) and as high as 80Amps (19.2kW). This depends on a combination of what your electrical panel/circuit can supply and what charger you purchased. 

The speed also depends on what your vehicle can accept, most PHEVs only accept between 16 - 32Amps (3.5 - 7.5kW), so a higher rated EVSE won't make it faster. This is the same with older BEVs, many can charge at no more than 32Amps (7.5kW). Most newer BEVs are able to utilize higher capacity EVSEs, but the installation cost for a higher rating EVSE may be much higher. A 40Amp EVSE is often the good mix of speed and cost and can fully charge most BEVs in 8-10 hours and PHEVs in 2-4 hours. Work with a licensed electrician to determine the right equipment for your residence.

It is best practice to charge a BEV to 80% for day-to-day usage and only charge to 100% for long trips to enhance the lifespan of your battery.

❌ HEV   ❌ PHEV* 👍👍 BEV

If you are taking a road trip, or just have a need to charge more quickly than you can at your residence, then you need Level 3 charging. This is also called DC Fast Charging (DCFC) at CCS/CHAdeMo stations or Supercharging at NACS/Tesla stations. (See step 2 for port types.)

Charging speed depends on the equipment and your vehicle and ranges from 50kW to 350kW. It's best to match the station to your vehicle as connecting a vehicle that can only accept 77kW (a first gen Hyundai Kona electric) to a 350kW station won't charge faster but connecting a Kia EV6 to a 50kW station will charge much slower from 10-80% than the 18 minutes it advertises (which requires a station that provides greater than 225kW). 

When using Level 3 charging, it is best practice to charge to 80% as the rate at which your car charges slows after 80%.

Use L2 charging on BEVs whenever possible as using extensive L3 charging will reduce the lifespan of your battery.

*Mitsubishi and Mercedes-Benz do offer some PHEVs with L3/DCFC charging, but the range is too low to consider this as a fully electric road trip option. 

👍 Gas ❌ L2 ❌ L3

If you are driving a standard hybrid (HEV), then you just go to any gas station but less frequently!

👍 Gas 👍 L2 ❌ L3

If you are driving a plug in hybrid (PHEV) you will start with a full charge to kick off your trip and then stop at gas stations along the way. When you stop for an extended time for a meal or a hotel stay, use an app like Plug Share to find L2 chargers nearby and plug in!

You can also use these apps to plan ahead and pick hotels and restaurants that have L2 charging on site or near by.

Remember to bring your L1 charging cable if you have one, you may be able to charge overnight at your destination if it has a regular wall outlet where you are parking. Please check with the owner first! (And never use extension cables!)

For the few PHEVs with L3 charging, you can plug in at stops if they happen to have L3 charging which will provide some fuel economy benefit. Planning your trip around L3 charging, which can sometimes change your route, is not likely to make an overall efficiency improvement.

❌ Gas 👍 L2 👍👍 L3

If you are driving a full BEV then having a good understanding how to charge on the road is important. You will stop more often than a combustion vehicle and the stops will be longer, but planning ahead will help align these with stops you would have made anyways. Please refer to the Charging Networks page for details on where to find L3 charging for your vehicle.

If you are new to BEVs, then set things up ahead of time, know your vehicle, and practice! Download the charging app(s) that you are likely to use, create accounts, and then go to a local charging center and try it out. When using a Supercharger station with a Tesla, you plug in and the car will take care of the rest. When using any other vehicle you will find an experience similar to paying at a store with your phone. You walk up to the EVSE (charger), tap your phone, which should bring up the app, and approve, and then plug in. In some case you may have to initiate the charging in the app (using a Ford at a Supercharger for example). Different networks have variations and even different EVSEs on the same network can have a different process.