
Teslas are typically charged using a Tesla charging station bought direct from the company. Some cars work with a CCS plug (BMW, General Motors, and Volkswagen), and others work with a CHAdeMO plug (Mitsubishi and Nissan). Most EVs have a universal J plug (J1772), which works for almost every home and Level 2 charging station. J Plugs and Connectors for EV ChargingĪs more car manufacturers enter the EV market, the range of charger connectors also increases. These types of chargers are, naturally, more expensive than Level 1 or Level 2 EV chargers and are usually only found in common areas and businesses rather than private residences. It could take as little as 1-4 hours to fully charge your EV or 15 minutes to 3 hours for a plug-in hybrid. There are also fast chargers, known as Level 3 chargers, that use a direct current connection to an electrical system and can charge at 100 km per 30 minutes or 80% charge at 50 kW. See also: Does your EV qualify for the $7,500 tax credit? A Level 2 charger charges at 30 km an hour, meaning it takes 6-14 hours to fully charge an EV battery (or 4-8 hours for a plug-in hybrid). Having a Level 2 EV charging station at home is convenient (you can charge your car anytime you like, including overnight) and avoids the hassle of having to wait in line for an occupied public charger. Indeed, it will take you 12-20 hours to fully charge most EV batteries using a Level 1 charger (or 6-12 hours for a plug-in hybrid).

Hopefully, this is enough to get you to a store to buy a 240 Volt Level 2 charging station, which can charge your EV at more than twice the speed of a regular household outlet. After an hour, you may have about 4-5 miles of battery life (or 8 km per hour charged).

The simplest way to charge your EV is to plug the 120 Volt charge cord that came with your car into a regular household outlet and wait… and wait… and wait. The process of charging an EV at home is also a little more complicated than you might think. Before we list our top picks for at home EV chargers, here are some tips on what to consider when buying an EV charger.
