![]() ![]() ![]() A 50kWh battery would take half that time using the same power source because its capacity is smaller. A car with a nearly depleted 100kWh battery pack, for example, would take about ten hours to charge at a 10kW charging station. The battery size affects how much power it can hold, which determines the car’s range. The size of an electric car’s battery pack, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh) is important to consider. So even if you’re connected to a DCFC station, you’re not getting the maximum speed if your battery is outside that optimal charge range. This keeps the battery “topped up,” and is known as top-up charging.Ī battery’s level of charge is sometimes referred to as “battery status” or “state of charge (SoC).” If the SoC of your battery is below 20% or above 80%, most EVs are programmed to slow down the rate of charge to protect the battery. To keep the battery in that range and cut down charge time, many EV drivers plug in throughout the day while they’re at work, getting lunch, or anywhere else they’ll be for a while that has access to a charging station. It’s a good idea to keep an EV’s battery between 20-80% of capacity to prolong its life and peak operating condition. A battery at 45% charge will take less time to top off than one at 20%, the same as any other rechargeable electronic device. How much power an electric car’s battery has when plugged in to charge also affects charge time. Keep in mind that not all EVs can use the very fastest DCFC stations - they may not have the proper plug or the necessary max charge rate to take advantage of them. Regular DCFC stations deliver between 43-50kW of power, Tesla’s Supercharger stations can pump out up to 150kW, and the fastest rapid charging stations as of this writing can put out a whopping 350kW. The fastest ones will get you to around 80% capacity in about half an hour, and even the slower DCFC stations will charge up in about an hour. Level 3 rapid charging stations, also called DC fast charging or DCFC stations, are the quickest to juice up an EV. An overnight charge of around eight hours is usually enough time to regain most of an EV’s power on a level 2 connection. ![]() You can also have a dedicated level 2 charging station installed, but that can get expensive. The wall outlets for more heavy-duty appliances, like an electric dryer, can deliver this much power. Level 2 chargers are 240 volts and can top up an electric car’s battery in a matter of hours. Charging an EV battery from almost depleted to full on a level 1 output takes days. You’ll get there eventually, but it takes a long time. That’s more accessible than home-based level 2 charging systems, but only delivers a trickle of power - Car and Driver compares charging an EV on a level 1 output to filling a multi-gallon barrel with a squirt gun. It’s the same kind of outlet you’d plug a kitchen appliance into. Level 1 charging, for example, is a 120-volt wall plug. That’s because different levels of charging deliver power to the battery at different rates. Depending on which level of charging station you use, an EV battery can take anywhere from days to half an hour to charge. ![]()
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