Along with New Mobility come electric vehicles and a variety of questions about them, with charging being a very popular one. Today we will shed some light on the subject.
EV chargers come in different shapes and sizes. There are residential, commercial and even portable chargers.
But, to begin to delve into the subject, we must distinguish between two fundamental aspects of EV chargers: charging levels and modes.
Charging levels are used to classify the rated power, voltage and current of the charging system.
Charging levels for electric vehicles
There are three charging levels:
LEVEL 1: Charging from 120V domestic power sockets, with a maximum current of 12 to 15 A and a maximum power of 1.44KW or 1.92KW. At this level, charging is very slow.
LEVEL 2: 240V power outlet with a maximum current of 80 A and a maximum power of 19.2KW. This level is more common in homes. Although it requires special equipment, the charging time is significantly faster than at level 1.
LEVEL 3: Also known as direct current (DC) overcharging, these usually operate at 400V, the highest most homes can have. This level would be optimal for road trips. These chargers provide a quick burst of energy, charging the battery in half an hour or less.
Charging modes for electric vehicles
Charging modes are used to categorise the power supply mode, protection installation, communication and control of the charging system. There are four different EV charging modes:
MODE 1 – Shuko mode: Refers to charging from a domestic power socket using a simple extension cable, without any safety device in between.
MODE 2: Also refers to charging from a domestic power socket, but with a control and protection device inserted into the cable. This charging mode is safer than the previous one, but the charging capacity will be limited to the maximum rating of the power outlet, usually 2.3kW maximum.
MODE 3: Refers to a dedicated charging point with adequate control and protection. This is the most widely used charging mode worldwide.
MODE 4: Refers to DC (direct current) charging, where the charging station provides DC voltage directly to the battery through its connectors.
Next week we will talk about TYPES OF CHARGERS. We don’t want to overwhelm you with too much information, but if you found this interesting, we would appreciate your recommendations and comments.
