Level 2 EV chargers differ in the following ways:
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Your car has an onboard charger that can receive electricity at a certain amperage. That metric also defines at what speed you will be able to charge your vehicle.
Typically residential home EV chargers are 16A, 24A, 32A, 40A or 48A. The higher the amperage the faster the charge. Some of the chargers, including Grizzl-E Smart charger can be adjusted to a maximum output of 16, 24A, 32A or 40A.
With the common 40A charger you would be able to reach 9.4kW power, and it would take less than 5 hours to charge your Ford Mach E (SR AWD) from 20% to 80%.
The National Electrical Code has a special safety requirement for the breaker to have higher amperage than the charger. It is called the 25% rule. In a nutshell, it means an electrician should install a breaker that has 25% more amps than the charger.
It is also important that an electrician chooses the right wire size for the installation. To install a NEMA 14-50 outlet for your 40A charger, an 8 gauge cable is required. However, a hardwired installation of a 48A charger requires a 6 gauge cable which is more expensive than an 8 gauge alternative.
The majority of electric vehicles in the US use an SAE J connector as a standard. This is maintained by SAE International under the formal title “SAE Surface Vehicle Recommended Practice J, SAE Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler”.
However, Tesla has its own plug. However, if you have a charger with a J connector, you can use a special adaptor, compatible with most Level 2 home or public charging stations. The Tesla J Adaptor supports charging speeds up to 19.2kW.
There is no standard for the charging cable length, although 20+ feet is commonly considered the average. In most cases it is not advised to use any extensions. If you want your charger to be installed outside on an exterior wall, and 20+ feet is not enough, you might be advised to install a charger on a pedestal, closer to your vehicle’s parking place.
Electric vehicle chargers can be either plugged into the outlet next to a charger or hardwired. Hardwiring means that the charger has a cable that goes directly to the electrical panel. This mostly depends on the charger and its amperage. A charger of 40A or less usually plugs into an outlet. Common outlets are NEMA 14-50 and NEMA 6-50. A hardwired installation is more common for charging at 48A and over.
Some people prefer a 40A charger over a 48A hardwired charger installation because of three main factors:
People also divide chargers into smart and dumb. A smart charger is a charger that has a built-in connectivity device which can be connected to the internet through WiFi, 4G, Bluetooth, or Ethernet (some chargers are WiFi only, or WiFi and 4G only).
Therefore, the full benefit of a smart charger can be utilized if it can be connected to the Internet. An Internet connection is required to access the charger using Open Charging Point Protocol (OCPP) and to operate it through any software. Most charger management applications allow you to control the charger via your mobile , set charging timers and use a number of other features.
Dumb chargers have no connectivity. Even though they are considerably cheaper, you will not be able to control your dumb charger and apply smart features that most EV drivers enjoy.
It is as safe to charge your car outdoors as it is indoors. Although for outdoor charging, you should read your charger’s technical specifications to be sure that its base is water-resistant, and it can be operated in a temperature range of at least 22F to 122F, or whatever temperatures are needed based on your home.
Depending on the EV, DC fast chargers can currently produce a 10-80% charge for a 300-mile range battery in approximately 20 minutes (~540 miles of electric drive per hour of charging).
Currently available DC fast chargers require inputs of at least 480 volts and 100 amps, but newer chargers are capable of up to volt and 500 amps (up to 360 kW).
A CALeVIP Cost Data analysis found that the unit cost per charger for rebate recipients ranged from a minimum of $18,000 to a maximum of $72,500. The mean and median unit cost per charger was $29,135 and $23,000, respectively.
In addition to higher equipment costs, DC fast charger installations require a commercial electrician from the initial planning phase due to the electrical load and wiring requirements.
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DC fast chargers are the highest-powered EV chargers on the market. They often are used as range extenders along major travel corridors for long-distance trips and in urban environments to support drivers without home charging or very high mileage drivers. At current charging speeds, they are ideal for places where a person would spend 30 minutes to an hour, such as restaurants, recreational areas and shopping centers.
It is important to note that not every EV model is capable of DC fast charging, and therefore, they cannot be used by every EV driver. Further, DC fast chargers have multiple standards for connectors, whereas there is only one common standard for Level 1 and 2 charging (SAE J). DC fast chargers have three types of connectors: CHAdeMO, CCS and Tesla, though CCS is increasingly becoming the industry standard.
A Level 2 charger can currently produce a full charge for a 300-mile range battery in about 6-8 hours and is perfect for destination and overnight charging.
Level 2 chargers typically require 220V or 240V service.
Level 2 chargers are available with a variety of power outputs from 3 kW to 19 kW, which can sometimes be adjusted.
CALeVIP Cost Data show that rebate recipients reported average L2 equipment costs ranging from $685 to $6,626 per connector. The mean and median were $2,976 and $2,884 per connector, respectively.
Level 2 chargers are typical solutions for residential and commercial/workplace settings. Most offer higher power output than Level 1 chargers and have additional functionality.
In general, Level 2 chargers are distinguished between non-networked chargers and networked chargers.
Networked chargers have advanced capabilities, such as charge scheduling, load management and demand response. They are more common in commercial/workplace settings where payments are required or at multiunit dwellings (MUDs) where the property’s electricity bill is shared by multiple residents.
They may be designed for indoor or outdoor use (e.g., NEMA 3R, NEMA 6P, NEMA 4x rated).
Some models of networked chargers also can limit charging to certain hours, which allows the operator to maximize a time-of-use (TOU) electricity rate structure and only allow charging when electricity is the cheapest (usually sometime between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.). This type of control also increases the likelihood of participating in utility demand response programs.
Some of the enhanced features of a networked Level 2 charger include remote access/control via Wi-Fi or cellular connection, access control/ability to accept multiple forms of payment, load balancing across multiple chargers and more. Additionally, California will soon begin allowing the use of submeters already embedded within networked chargers to bill electricity use. For more information on submetering, visit the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website.
Non-networked Level 2 chargers are used both in single-family residences and MUDs. They may be designed for indoor or outdoor use (e.g., NEMA 3R, NEMA 6P, NEMA 4x rated). Non-networked Level 2 chargers are useful for installations at MUDs or commercial sites that are powered by the residents’ or tenants’ subpanels.
In this case, any electricity used by the chargers will be charged to the individual’s electricity bill, thus eliminating the need to separately meter the chargers. Further, when electrical capacity is available, non-networked Level 2 chargers are useful for site hosts that need higher power than Level 1 charging but do not have a large budget.
A Level 1 charger is estimated to deliver 3.5 to 6.5 miles of range per hour of charging. This type of charging takes the longest and is used primarily as an additional, emergency or backup charging solution and for people who can use the charger overnight. Level 1 chargers are not eligible for CALeVIP rebates.
Level 1 charging uses a standard 110V or 120V outlet, enabling EV drivers to use them almost anywhere.
Level 1 charging power output varies is typically between 1-2 kW of continuous power – approximately the same amount of power as your microwave!
Most EVs come with a manufacturer-branded Level 1 cord set. There are a few third-party manufacturers of Level 1 chargers, most of which are designed for residential use and cost an average of $596 to $813 per charger, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation.
Level 1 charging can be a viable solution in multiunit dwellings (MUDs), like apartment complexes or condominiums, and some workplaces. In MUD settings, most Level 1 charging is conducted from existing 110V or 120V outlets in the parking lot or personal garages/carports of residents. When new charging installations are planned, a higher output 220V or 240V circuit is often more cost-effective as it offers greater charging capacity for an equivalent installed price.
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