How Long Does It Take To Charge An EV?
The rise of electric vehicles represents a transportation revolution. EVs promise a more sustainable way for Americans to commute and travel. With each new Battery Electric Vehicle produced and innovated, consumers are given new ways to save time, money, and the environment. Since driving is the biggest contributor to an individual’s carbon footprint, switching to an electric vehicle is a significant action to fight climate change and reduce air pollution.
Drive Clean Bay Area is a nonprofit organization that advocates for consumers looking to go electric. To that end, we’ve developed a Buying and Driving Guide that gives you all of the information you need to make the switch to electric!
In general, there are three levels of charging. Level 1 is the most common, as you can do this from home with any 3-prong household outlet. Level 1 will give you 4-6 miles of driving range for every hour charged and is ideal for overnight charging. It’s the least expensive home charging option.
Level 2, which uses a 240 volt outlet, is also common to many households. These heavier-duty outlets are the same that you would use to plug in your washing machine or dryer. This means they can be easily installed by an electrician in your garage or wherever you park your EV. The benefits to this are clear, as a Level 2 plug gives you 22-26 miles for every hour charged, plus there are rebates up to $1,000 available for installing a home charger!
Level 3 charging (also known as fast charging) provides technology that is quickly spreading to charging stations across the US. Level 3 charging stations can charge at speeds of up to 200 miles for every hour charged. 75 miles in 5 minutes or 1,000 miles in an hour. There are thousands of Level 3 charging stations in the U.S.
Three Levels of Charging
In addition to our Buying and Driving Guide, Drive Clean Bay Area offers regular events to keep you informed of the latest vehicles, innovations, and financial incentives. Drive Clean Bay Area has recently launched a new series of free events for first-time EV owners, that focuses on details of charging, and accessing your incentives, with plenty of time for questions.
Learn more by visiting our events page.
Get Involved
Drive Clean Bay Area is a collaboration of nonprofit organizations, agencies, cities, schools, and businesses with a goal of greatly reducing carbon emissions by advancing the adoption of electric vehicles.
Through scaled community engagement programs, we inspire people to replace internal combustion vehicles with electric vehicles, e-bikes, and other forms of zero-carbon transportation. Drive Clean Bay Area launched in 2018.