What is an Electric Vehicle? An electric vehicle, also known as an EV is a type of vehicle that runs on electricity rather than on gasoline. These vehicles are equipped with a motor that draws power from a battery, which can be charged at home or at charging stations located in places like public parking lots, office spaces and shopping malls. Once the battery is sufficiently charged it provides power to the motor enabling the vehicle to operate. One notable advantage of vehicles is their eco-friendliness since they do not emit gases like traditional petrol or diesel powered cars. Types of Electrical Vehicles: There are two types of electric vehicles; battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). BEVs BEVs solely rely on batteries for power. They do not have combustion engines ensuring zero emissions. PHEVs On the other hand, PHEVs combine both a motor and an internal combustion engine. They primarily use battery power but can switch to the combustion engine when needed. What is an Electric Vehicle Charging Station? It is a place where electrical vehicles are being charged. The normal gas stations, which provide gasoline, follow a very simple and quick procedure but EV charging stations provide electricity which is used by the car to power itself. At these stations, you go and plug in your vehicle into a charging station and it takes time for the vehicle to get charged. Even nowadays, these charging stations can be found installed in public parkings, office parking, shopping malls parking and at homes also. What are the different types of EV Charging Stations? There are basically three levels of EV charging often called level 1, level 2, level 3. The level 3 is divided into DC Fast Charging and Tesla supercharging. Higher the level, more power is supplied to the vehicle. Every electric vehicle charges at a different rate, as EVs have their own acceptance of power. Unlike refuelling a car with gasoline which is a swift and straightforward method, as one can choose from regular, mid-grade or premium gasoline or diesel, electric vehicle recharging is not that simple or quick. This is the thing which one needs to understand and would be explained below according to the levels of EV Charging: LEVEL 1: Description: Standard electric 120 volt household outlet is being used. Charging speed: Speed of 3 to 5 miles per hour is being offered. Locations: Vehicles can be charged at home, office and public parkings. Ideal for overnight charging at home. By level 1 charging, also called AC charging station , every electric vehicle or Plug-in hybrid can be charged. The charger equipment just needs to be plugged into a regular wall outlet. Although the process is convenient, it is a very slow way of charging an EV, as only 3 to 5 miles of range is added every hour. It is suitable for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), as they are equipped with smaller batteries that are less than 25kWh but this level charging proves to be extremely slow for EVs because they have larger batteries. It only proves suitable for vehicles which need to be driven for short distances on a regular basis. LEVEL 2: Description: 240 volt of electrical supply is required which is somewhat similar to what powers an electric dryer. Charging speed: Speed of 12 to 80 miles per hour is being offered. Locations: Vehicles can be charged at home, office and public parkings. It is most often used for daily EV charging, it uses AC and the charging equipment used could easily be installed at places like home, workplace or in public locations. Level 2 charging adds between 12 and 80 miles of range per hour with respect to the power output of the charger and maximum charging rate of the vehicle. Level 2 charging station is given preference by most of the EV owners for home installation, as more than 10 times of charging speed is offered by level 1 and vehicles can be charged fully overnight. LEVEL 3: Description: 400 volt to 900 volt of electricity supply is required [ DC fast charging stations & Supercharging Stations ]. Charging speed: Speed of 60 to 100 miles is being offered every 20-30 minutes. Locations: Public DC charging stations. The fastest type of charging available in the present epoch is the Level 3 charging, as it can add 60 to 100 miles of range every hour. Direct current (DC) is being used by Level 3 equipment. The reason why these stations are always found in public is the high voltage requirement which is not available in residential areas except very few locations. One more important thing to note here is its installation cost which is more than the cost of an EV. It is also called supercharging because Tesla calls its Level 3 Chargers, The Superchargers.
