There are two charging solutions available to owners of electric vehicles, the Level 1 and the Level 2.
Both are available in different places across the country, however each one has specific capabilities. The reason people would rather use the Level 2 charger may have something to do with the ease and speed in which it will charge their car.
The L1 can charge a depleted battery in 20 hours or more using the 110V alternating current, roughly the same as having an extension cord plugged in to a traditional household outlet. The L2 can charge a drained battery in anywhere from 4 to 6 hours, using a 240V supply, still alternating current.
The different chargers obviously have different intended uses and vastly differing speeds so EV owners need to be ready to use whichever is available. Most EV owners charge their batteries at home during the night, and only driving short distances. This means that they need short bursts of charging rather than lengthy charge times on the L2.
Level 2 AC charging stations are fairly inexpensive to install but the charging vehicle has to remain attached for a few hours to get a good charge. When you have customers out running errands from store to store, having them stop to charge their vehicle may be more of a hindrance than they want. Some retailers argue that offering the L2 is good because customers will remain and spend more money while they are waiting for the charge to complete.
In September of this year, 6,900 fast chargers were installed at stations across the country, according to NRG eVgo , a site dedicated to electric vehicle charging solutions. Customers currently use these charging stations for free, but this amenity is very possibly going mimic WIFI in hotels. Some expect this to be a free amenity, however some hotels charge for it. With retailers having the option to choose whether to have patrons pay for the time they spend charging, customers may realistically expecting much more for their money.
It is logical to offer a L1 charger to someone who is spending more than 6 hours in doors, at work, but not to the customer making more than 1 stop during the course of the day. As the world grows so does the pace, giving people a reason to expect more from their retailers. Even though the initial cost may be a little higher than they like, the cost of losing a customer could be far worse.
The level 2 public chargers will soon be as popular as pay phones. DC Fast Charging is the “destination” charger and Level 1 at 16A actually delivers at 1.92 KWh and provided 4-7 miles of range per hour of being plugged in. Since 78% of us drive to work less than 20 miles that means the L1 can replenish that commute “fuel” in 3-4 hrs. When we constantly say charging takes 30 hrs. it is an unrealistic figure. We need to stop comparing “empty” charging times. That is from an empty battery. This turns potential EV buyers away. Also over 60% of the EV drivers are buying as a commuter car. Level 1’s in each space can easily cure range anxiety and let them leave with a full battery as they did from their overnight charge. If we focus on the Monday – Friday pollution we could see an impact sooner rather than years from now. I purchased my EV to go to wrk, not Las Vegas. A Simple, low cost, less complicated solution.