What electric car buyers need to know about charging
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Understanding how charging works is important for anyone who drives an electric vehicle (EV), but the process breeds anxiety for many. We're here to help.
Why it matters: Plugs vary (depending on the car) and chargers have different power levels (which affects charging time).
- It can all be overwhelming, and education is an important step toward charging equity.
Of note: Teslas use a proprietary network, which makes charging pretty straightforward. The tips below are for non-Tesla drivers.
Charging is easiest if you can top off at home and you don't drive long distances.
- Just plug the cord that comes with your car into a standard 120-volt outlet overnight and you'll get about 40 miles of range — enough for most daily driving.
- Recharging from empty this way, however, would take at least a day and a half.
A better option for EV owners: Install a so-called Level 2 charger at home.
- It uses the same 240-volt household connection as your clothes dryer.
- You might need some electrical prep work first. Expect to pay anywhere from $500 to several thousand dollars.
- Your electric bill will go up, of course. But at least you won't need to buy gas.
By the numbers: The average price for residential electricity is about 16 cents per kWh. It's higher in some places, such as the Northeast and Hawaii.
- A full Level 2 recharge takes around 6-8 hours, and adds about $10 to your home's electric bill.
Level 2 chargers are also available at many offices, shopping centers and hotels — often as a free courtesy.
- Think of these as a place to top off your car's battery as you would your phone when a plug is available.
On a road trip, you're going to want to charge a lot faster — but you'll need to do some planning.
- Networks with fast chargers, like Electrify America, EVGo, ChargePoint and Blink, are proliferating — but they're still not as common as gas stations.
- These chargers can get you back on the road in 20-40 minutes, depending on your car and the charger's maximum output.
- Some chargers max out at 24 kilowatts, while newer models are capable of up to 150 or even 350 kilowatts. The higher the power, the faster the charging speed — in theory, at least.
Reality check: Even the industry's fastest-charging cars, such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, rarely charge at their maximum possible speed.
- The status of your battery and whether other drivers are using the same charging station can cause slowdowns.
- EVs sometimes limit their power intake to avoid frying their batteries.
The bottom line: Set your expectations low and you won't be disappointed.
Go deeper: Pack up the electric car, honey! We're hitting the road
