EV Chargers: What you need to know
With the uptake of Electric Vehicles (EV) set to soar over coming years, I thought I'd put together what you 'need to know' about EV charging.
How big is your battery?
First things first, we need to consider how big your battery is. Not all EVs are made equally in this regard and like Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, some will have larger 'tanks' than others. Knowing the size of your battery will let you know 1) how long it will take to charge via the different types of chargers available and 2) how far you can go!
Batteries are measured not by litres but kilowatt hours (kWh). The bigger the number, the further you can travel and the longer it takes to fill up. In Australia, battery sizes range from just 12 kWh in the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (pre 2019) up to 100kWh in the Tesla Model S and X and even more with the 2022 BMW ix50.
How long does it take to charge?
Like with ICE vehicles, you need to consider how big the tank is (kWh) and how fast the fuel source can flow into your tank (kW) to calculate the time it takes to charge. To make the concept easy to understand, I've created a table below showing common EVs available in Australia and the theoretical hours of time it would take to charge their battery from 0-100%. Please note, this is theoretical because many technical factors affect charging times (google it - it's another article to read!), however this chart will give you a good idea.
Consider these examples:
Types of plugs
Much like mobile phones, there's more than one charger plug. An agreed industry-wide plug type has yet to be settled on, however you can see from the chart above that there are four main types of EV plug operating in Australia: Type 1, Type 2, ChAdeMO and CCS. It seems that a combination of Type 2/CCS2 has become the predominant standard for EVs in Australia.
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Home Charging, On the Road, Destination charging
You'll be charging your new EV either at home, on the road (think highway service station) or when you get to your destination.
When using AC charging, the EV itself is actually equipped with an onboard charger that 'speaks' to the charging cord to allow the correct amount of electrical current in to charge your battery. At DC/Level 3, the onboard charger is bypassed and the dedicated DC unit does all the work.
At home: Level 1 chargers plug into your wall socket and come with your car. They are typically have 2kW (10amp) or 3.6kW (15amp) power output.
At home and some destinations: Level 2 chargers come in 7.2kW and 22kW wall chargers that will need to be installed by a qualified electrician.
Destination and on-the-road: Located at key points on your long drives, local supermarkets, wineries and a growing list of destinations, you'll find Level 3, high speed chargers. These range from 50kW to 350kW (and increasing each year as technology advances). Not all cars are compatible with DC charging and some will be limited to lower speeds that the maximum capable.
Finding EV chargers (Apps & Sites)
Luckily there is a growing number of chargers available across Australia and increasing appetite by all levels of Government to support the fast growth of this network. There's a number of websites and apps that can help you quickly find a charger and provide a wealth of information including plug types and charge speeds. Check these out:
Apps for your phone (highly recommended)
Did I leave anything out? Please comment below in the interest of helping keep us all up to date!