Electric car charging stations are now a requirement for all new home builds and brand new electrical rewire upgrades across the United States. In most instances, these charging stations will need to be close to your car, so the garage will more often than not be the prime location of your charging station. Even if you have an electric vehicle, charging its batteries can be a puzzling task filled with all sorts of occult facts and numbers that you can’t make sense of. Luckily, we are here to help.
Electric car charging stations may involve a much higher energy density than phone charging cables. Typically, phone charging has two options – standard charge or fast charge capabilities. Electric car charging stations are no different. Let’s look into the details together.
Electric Car Charging Options
Type 1 Charging
Type 1 charging is marked by a single-phase, 120 Volt charge delivery. This means that your car can be charged from a standard electrical outlet, although this method is not very efficient. All-electric vehicles come with a socket adapter to charge from these outlets in a pinch.
Type 1 charging delivers anywhere from 3.7kW to 7kW to your car’s battery and takes nearly 8 hours to have a full charge.
Type 2 Charging
This charging option is identified by the use of the J1772 7-Pin connector. It is a standard connector, so it can be used at home or on the go and can provide three-phase power to boost charging.
The J1772 provides Type 1 charging when it operates from a single-phase source. However, three-phase supports up to 22kW and 16-32 amps of electric charge to your car’s batteries. Charge time is also reduced in Type 2 charging standards, taking in as little as 3 hours to charge your electric vehicle completely.
DC Fast Charging
DC Charging is what is used at E.V. Charge stations across the country. If you are on the move, you don’t have eight hours to wait for your car’s battery to charge. Instead, it would be best if you had fast, efficient instantaneous charging.
In the U.S., DC fast chargers use two connector types, CCS and CHAdeMO. Both connector types are based on Type 1 charge blocks, except they can provide up to 350kW of charge. With this density of energy, your E.V. battery can reach near capacity in only half an hour.
D.C. Charging is by far the most efficient method of charging. There are numerous benefits to D.C. charging that stem from involved theories. However, the most important fact is that your battery will fully charge in as little as 30 minutes.
Conclusion
Electric car charging stations are now a requirement for all new home builds in the United States. It is critical to know what kind of charge station and connectors you will be using. There is nothing worse than charging for 2 hours to realize that you should have started earlier! When it comes to charging your vehicle, connect your battery to the charge station as you rest during the night. This way, you will not have to wait for your battery to charge during the day.
