There are three different charging speeds. I will break it down for you and it is actually quite easy. Once you start charging you will never want to go to a gas station again. Trust me.
Regular Charging (Level 2)
This is the most common type of charging and can be done in public or at your home. This type of charging will put about 30 miles into your car every hour it is plugged in. So you can fill a 300 mile range car overnight or while charging at work. Most times you don’t need to charge from empty. So, if you are half full and at the mall for two hours, you could charge up to three quarters full. You can charge where you park and keep picking up extra miles. Using a level 2 charger will meet all you in town charging needs. You will only need faster charging if you are driving across state. We will discuss that later. Here are examples of public and home regular Level 2 chargers.
Fast Charging (Level 3)
Charging your car full in a half hour can also be done. This is done a high-power Level 3 charging stations. These are found at shopping centers or near interstates. They are helpful for long distance travel. They are more be a bit more expensive but still are less than half cost of gasoline. Some people use these more if they do not have access to a home or work charger. You could use fast charging while you grab a cup of coffee to keep your car full of charge. One downside of fast charging is it generates more heat due to high power. There is a concern that too much fast charging could reduce the life of your battery. Car manufacturers work hard to design batteries that can handle this. Here are some examples of fast charging Level 3 chargers
Slow Charging (Level 1)
Each car comes with a portable charger (like a giant laptop charger) that you can plug into your standard home outlet and charge your car. It is lower power so you only get about 6 miles per hour. This may seem slow, but it can actually be all the charging you need. If you plug in overnight for 12 hours, you would get 72 miles of charge. Most people drive less than an average of 32 miles a day. I was happy with 6 years of just level 1 charging and using work or public charges to a few times a month to get some extra charge. Think of all those days when the weather was bad, you were late for work, and you see the gas gauge on empty. Now you have to waste time driving to the gas station, pumping gas and freezing. This will never happen again with your home level 1 charger. (Keep in mind that this plan works best if you work is less than 30 miles from your home. If not, install a level 2 charger). Here are some examples of slow charging Level 1 chargers that may come with your car.
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