Chargers for Electric Vehicles
The growth in EV numbers on the road is such, that the number of public and private charging points will also grow fast. For the success of the electric vehicle, a rapid build-out of charging infrastructure is required, including charging posts on-street and at workplaces and other public locations, low-power charging units at drivers' homes, and very high-power fast-charge units at fuel filling stations. These static charging points to which a driver can connect their electric vehicle are also called off-board chargers, in contrast to the on-board chargers mounted inside a vehicle, which may be supplied with power by an ordinary 120 V/240 V wall socket or by a charging point. The power delivery capability of charging points is commonly classed by reference to levels, with level 1 being the lowest-power charger, and level 3 the highest.
| Power Level Types | Charger Location | Typical Use | Power Level | Vehicle Technology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Level 1 120 Vac (US) 230 Vac (EU) | On-board 1phase | Home/office | 1.4 kW 1.9 kW | PHEVs Evs |
Level 2 240 Vac (US) 400 Vac (EU) | On-board 1phase or 3phase | Private or public outlets | 4 kW 8 kW 19.2 kW | PHEVs EVs EVs |
Level 3 208-600 Vdc | Off-board 3phase | Commercial, same as a gas station | 50 kW 100 kW | EVs (20-50 kWh) |
