Are you a new electric vehicle (EV) owner? Given the vast range of connectors, and fast and normal charging methods, choosing a charger can be a little challenging. There are various ways to charge your EV’s battery pack and the primary thing to consider is how rapidly you need to charge it and where. Here’s a short guide to the types of chargers and charging levels that you can choose for your vehicle.

Charging Types vs. Charging Levels

There is a difference between charging levels and types. Charging types refers to the charging method or the physical connector plug type that you can use in your EV while charging levels refers to the amount of power or speed.

Charging Levels

Level 1 - Portable EVSE

This is the slowest yet simplest choice for charging your electric vehicle and is used at home. It is mostly used for emergencies especially when a charging station is not accessible. Portable EVSE uses an Australian power outlet to charge your battery. The power point uses 10 -15 Amps combined with a unique cable supplied with your EV. Due to limited power in most homes, it is only suitable for daily usage top-ups as it cannot completely charge a pure EV in 12 hours.

Level 2 - Wall chargers

These can be installed and used in homes, hotels, workplaces, or any other private or public places where you can park your EV for some time. The dedicated chargers have a complex design to come up with DC power for your battery. It, therefore, requires professional electricians to install it. Wall chargers can be charged using solar energy making them economical in the long run.

Level 3 - DC fast chargers

These are super-fast chargers found in public charging places. The installation and maintenance process of DC fast chargers is expensive due to the specially designed equipment. Most Australian homes are adopting DC chargers and the government is helping to support and encourage users to embrace greener driving. Level 3 charging power delivery is very high therefore your battery is allowed to charge up to 80% of maximum capacity. This will give you a driving range of 249-300 KM per hour.

Charging Types

There are three categories of charging types for EVs.

• Trickle charge. This is highly recommended in case of urgencies. However, it is the slowest charging type for EVs. You can charge from your home utilizing a three-prong plug into a typical 220V port

• AC charge. You can have public AC or household AC charging. It is 3 times faster than the trickle charge option; however, it requires a wall box installation for you to charge rapidly

• DC charge. Found in public places, this is the fastest way to charge your EV battery. The power delivery is above 50kW which takes just 20 minutes to fill your battery up to 80%. Some charging stations offer power delivery of 150kW

Conclusion

EV charging depends on the place of parking while you charge it and how frequently you use the car. Relying on public charging stations can be disappointing as you might not find them available. However, you can call a qualified electrician to safely install an EV charging station in your workplace or home garage for reliable and efficient charging whenever you need it.