Electric vehicles are seemingly everywhere. They are becoming more and more popular and you’ve probably seen a few cruising the streets in your hometown.
But there are many questions about EVs that you might be asking. Perhaps the biggest one is this: just how does an electric car get charged? What are your options when you need energy? Can you do it from home? How long or complicated a process is this?
Here are some options when it comes to charging your brand new electric car.
Types of EV Charging Stations
Electrify America
Electrify America was founded by the Volkswagen company with the stated, expressed, honorable purpose of spending $2 billion in electric vehicle infrastructure and awareness over a ten-year period. This charging infrastructure is brand-neutral, with around a respectable 420 stations equipped with both the CCS and CHAdeMO connections needed to charge most EVs. It is true that drivers must pay a $1.00 charge as well as a per-minute tariff while using any Electrify America station. the latter fee fluctuates based on the pace at which the battery is recharged. However, you may pay $4.00 per month for an Electrify America subscription, that waives the session price and decreases the per-minute pricing. Charges can be paid with a credit card or using the company’s app.
Customers who purchase a Taycan from Porsche will also be given three whole years of free 30-minute charging at Electrify America outlets, which is a huge deal and a great savings. Additionally, Audi e-tron customers will receive 1000 kilowatt-hours of charging via these special locations over the course of four years as well. As you can see, the savings add up.
Tesla’s Superchargers and Destination Chargers
Because of their popularity and great reach, the company Tesla actually manages its own charging infrastructure. Tesla’s DC rapid chargers, also known as Superchargers, are solely accessible to Tesla customers as you’d expect. Businesses, restaurants, malls, and other locations, the Elon Musk business has placed “destination chargers” for easy convenience and constant use.
The cost of using this infrastructure is determined by your car and when it was purchased. Certain Model S and X users are eligible for free Supercharging, while others, such as Model 3 owners, must pay. According to Tesla, charging costs less than 30 cents per kilowatt-hour, which adds up to being quite affordable indeed. To make these stations even more attractive, Tesla also provides customers 1,000 miles of Supercharging on the house if they persuade a friend or family member to buy a Tesla through the company.
FordPass Charging Network
Ford has teamed with the aforementioned Electrify America as a way to provide Ford car owners with two whole years of totally free access to their FordPass Charging Network. This means that users will get a free package that includes over 35,000 outlets and more than 12,000 charging stations conveniently located all over. However, it must be noted that owners must still buy the power they consume. Luckily, this can easily be done because they can accomplish this via the FordPass app or the in-dash screen in the car.
EVgo & ChargePoint
Existing in 66 different markets, EVgo offers over 800 stations for EV users. Anybody who has subscribed may also take advantage of ChargePoint roaming access agreements that allow consumers to use more chargers while not needing to create a ChargePoint account. Quite a few other companies are coming on board with EVgo. In fact, Nissan, Electrify America and EV Connect have all signed agreements with the company.
ChargePoint, on the other hand, has been collaborating with manufacturers to provide EV owners with introductory kits for a variety of new vehicles from brands such as Chevy, Hyundai, Jaguar, Honda, and Mitsubishi as well. Because it maintains sites for businesses and does not regulate pricing or provide a subscription service for drivers, ChargePoint does not offer any bundle packages. But it still does offer some great service and is one of the easier, most straightforward charging station options available.
Levels Of EV Charging
There is a lot to know about charging your electric car. In fact, EV charging is divided into three different levels: Level 1, 2, and, of course, level 3. The faster the recharging process goes, the greater the charge level is, since more electricity is transferred to the car. It’s worth noting that various EVs charge at varying speeds on every phase due to the fact that each EV may take different amounts of electricity from the electric vehicle supply equipment, commonly known as the charger.
Prior to an electric vehicle’s charger being turned on, it goes through a communication procedure. Essentially, the vehicle requests the charger tell it just how much energy it already has, and then the automobile requests the greatest amount of energy that the terminal has and that the engine can absorb.
There’s no need to be concerned about connecting it to a charging station that can give more electricity than your EV can take because the car constantly decides how much energy it receives and absorbs. The charger will not be able to supply too much electricity to the automobile.