EV Charging on the Road

Level 2 Public EV Charging

• Typically around 25 miles of range per hour of charging
• Located at retail establishments, workplaces, restaurants, grocery stores, and in towns and cities everywhere
• Best for “topping off” or getting a few extra miles of range while you’re shopping, eating or working
• Uses a J1772 connector that is compatible with all electric vehicles (Tesla provides an adapter)

DC Fast Charging

• Fastest electric car charging option – provides up to 250 miles of range per hour, depending on the car and charging equipment
• Can charge up to 80% typically in about 20 to 30 minutes
• Used to facilitate longer distance driving or road trips or for a quick recharge
• Most non-Tesla chargers have a CCS/SAE Combo connector
• Tesla DC fast chargers will only work with Tesla vehicles

EV State of Charge and Battery Charging Curve

A popular analogy to explain EV State of Charge (SoC) is that of an empty movie theater. Before the movie starts, people can pour into the empty theater quickly, finding seats all around them. As the seats fill up, it takes increasingly more time to find available seating until the theater eventually (and slowly) reaches capacity.

• SoC is the level of charge of an electric battery relative to how much capacity remains in it, ranging from 0% (completely discharged) to 100% (fully charged).
• When you first plug in, your EV communicates with the charging station to determine the best rate of charge. The EV controls the charger, but certain conditions, such as the battery temperature or SoC, can also impact charging.
• The change in charging speed as your battery gets fuller and fuller is called the Charging Curve.
• When your SoC is nearly empty, it charges quickly. As the battery becomes fuller, the charging speed and power step down to help protect the battery. At 80% SoC, charging rates slow significantly.
• Since it takes much longer to charge beyond 80% SoC, you may want to consider unplugging and charging later at a lower SoC.