EV Charger Levels

One of the main considerations in how to charge your electric car is whether to charge using a Level 3, Level 2, or Level 1 charger. The main difference between the three levels is charging speed, i.e. how long it takes to charge your EV.

However, there are also other differences to consider – from charger availability and compatibility to charging costs and potential impact on your EV's battery life. Below, we try to summarize everything you need to know about charger levels.

Level 3 charging, also known as DC fast charging, is a type of electric vehicle charging that uses direct current (DC) electricity to quickly replenish an electric car's battery. This type of charging is typically done at public charging stations and can provide a full charge to an electric vehicle in as little as 20 minutes to one hour.

One of the most significant advantages of Level 3 charging is that it allows electric car owners to recharge their vehicles and return to the road quickly. This can be especially useful for long-distance travel with electric cars or for EV owners who don't have access to at-home charging.

There are two types of Level 3 charger – CCS fast chargers and Tesla Superchargers. Most non-Tesla electric cars use CCS charging plugs for fast charging, and most of these Level 3 CCS charging stations in the US are operated by Electrify America or EVgo. For now, Tesla vehicles can charge at CCS fast charging stations using a Tesla CCS Combo 1 Adapter, but non-Tesla vehicles have not been able to plug into Tesla Superchargers. This may be changing as Tesla is working on opening its Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs.

While Level 3 charging comes with the clear advantage of being the fastest way to charge your electric car, it does have some tradeoffs. Level 3 charging can be more expensive than Level 2 or Level 1 charging. More importantly, frequent use of DC fast charging may have a negative impact on your electric car battery health, causing the battery to lose some of its efficiency and useful life.

All in all, Level 3 charging is the fast way to charge your electric vehicle when you need it. Just make sure that your vehicle is compatible with CCS fast charging or Tesla Supercharging and bring an adapter if you need to adjust from Tesla to CSS or vice versa.

Level 2 charging refers to using a 208V to 240V electrical outlet to charge an electric vehicle (EV). This will typically charge an EV in 4 to 8 hours, depending on the vehicle’s battery capacity and the charging station’s power output.

Level 2 charging stations are commonly found in public locations such as parking garages, shopping centers, and schools as well as private locations such as homes or offices. There are over 120,000 Level 2 chargers publicly available across the US, making it very likely that there are available Level 2 chargers near you.

In many locations, Level 2 charging requires the electric car’s owner to bring their own Level 2-compatible charging cord, which can then be plugged into a wall box or a setting pole. Luckily, there are also Level 2 charging operators whose stations come with integrated charging cords, making the charging experience smoother – ChargePoint being the leading example.

Most electric cars are compatible with the standard Level 2 charging connectors (J1772), with the only major exception being Tesla’s vehicles. Similarly to Level 3 charging, when charging a Tesla with a non-Tesla Level 2 charger, you need an adapter – in this case a Tesla SAE J1772 Charging Adapter.

Level 1 charging refers to using a 120V electrical outlet to charge an electric vehicle (EV). This type of charging is the slowest and is typically done at home using a primary charging cord that comes with the car. Level 1 charging stations are commonly used in private homes and can be used with any standard household outlet.

This type of charging is considered the most economical option for EV owners as it requires no additional equipment and can be done using the standard cord that comes with the vehicle. However, it is also the slowest type of charging as it can take 40 to 50 hours to fully charge an electric vehicle's battery, depending on its battery capacity.

For those who have frequent long-distance travel, it is not recommended to rely on Level 1 charging as a primary charging option. It can simply take too much time to have the battery fully charged again. Thus, many EV owners who typically rely on Level 2 or Level 3 charging consider Level 1 charging a secondary or emergency option when other options are not available.