05/27/2021
More automakers are now venturing into electric cars. As a potential car buyer, you need to know how to charge your car. Unlike gas cars where you have to refill at a gas station, electric cars can be charged at home.
The kind of outlet needed for an electric car depends on your car model. For example, a Chevrolet Volt uses a 120v outlet, while the Tesla Model S battery needs a 240v outlet. While you can plug an electric car into a household outlet, a higher-voltage outlet will reduce the charging time.
Other factors may affect the type of outlet needed for an electric car. Read on to find out more about electric car charging, the time it takes to charge fully, and the different types of outlets.
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What Kind of Outlet is Needed for an Electric Car?
More automakers are now venturing into electric cars. As a potential car buyer, you need to know how to charge your car. Unlike gas cars where you have to refill at a gas station, electric cars can be charged at home.
The kind of outlet needed for an electric car depends on your car model. For example, a Chevrolet Volt uses a 120v outlet, while the Tesla Model S battery needs a 240v outlet. While you can plug an electric car into a household outlet, a higher-voltage outlet will reduce the charging time.
Other factors may affect the type of outlet needed for an electric car. Read on to find out more about electric car charging, the time it takes to charge fully, and the different types of outlets.
There are several factors that determine how long it takes to charge an electric vehicle. They factor in whether you’re talking about fast-charging to get a little additional range or putting it on the charger overnight. These factors include:
The Type of Electric Car
Each company has different tech in their batteries, and each model tends to have different battery pack sizes. That means that the charging time can vary greatly, even among similar sized cars.
For example, a Chevy Volt will take about 12 hours to fully charge on a 120 volt plug, while a Tesla Model 3 can take between 7 hours and 29 hours, depending on how much power your home’s circuitry can handle.
The 120v outlet is the standard outlet in any US home. It’s the same plug that you use for your cell phone chargers, TVs and microwaves. More importantly, you can also plug in your electric car. This is sometimes called Level 1 charging in your carport or garage. Charging stations for electric cars should be on their own dedicated circuit, however. If your charging outlet is connected to the same circuit as your laundry room or kitchen, you may draw extra amperage and trip a breaker.
The 240v charging system is called Level 2 charging and is much faster than charging through a 120v outlet. Some chargers allow you to plug in both 120v and 240v outlets (source). Level 2 charging adds close to 60 miles of range to a car per hour of charging time, making it ideal for electric cars. They typically produce between 16-40 amps of power output. That translates into between 14-35 miles of electric range per hour of charging.