Car owners are used to visiting service stations for filling gas and adjusting to new norms of topping electric batteries will take some time. EV charging is simple. There are several ways of charging, which involves different charging time and cost.
In general, EV charging can be categorized into three levels.
- Level 1 for AC slow charging
- Level 2 for AC fast charging
- Level 3 for DC ultra-fast charging
On Jucer, you can look for a high-quality single-phase 32A type 2 charger with a 24-month warranty.
Level 1
It is a basic home charging method, where the car is plugged into a standard 240V AC socket. It is convenient but is the slow method that offers 2.0 kW power via a normal 10 amp socket. It means the car can take 5 to 48 hours for a full charge depending on battery size.
For example, a 13.8 kW battery takes 7 hours, while a 40 kW battery takes 20 hours. If the battery is partially charged then the time taken will be less. The best advice is to top up the battery whenever possible.
Level 2
Level 1 is convenient for PHEVs because they can be topped up overnight but for BEVs, you need something faster as it has a big battery in comparison. For home charging, you need to install a Level 2 wall box charger. It increases charging power up to 7.2 kW. Thus the charging time decreases. The Nissan Leaf gets fully charged within 5.5 hours, while the Mercedes Benz within 11 hours.
The type 2 charging unit works with 7.2 kW on a single-phase standard 240V socket wired with a wall box.
The level 2 charging is enhanced up to 22 kW if you have 3-phase power with 415V output. With an hour of 22 kW plug time, you get 130 km of driving range. There are multiple public charging stations compatible with Level 2 but check the capacity, especially when time is crucial.
Level 3
Public DC chargers up to 480V take less time to charge the EVs. The charging capacity starts at 50 kW on a rapid charger and 350 kW on an ultra-rapid connector. High-capacity models like Tesla S, Audi E-Tron, and Mercedes Benz EQC have a supreme charging capacity of 110-150 kW. It brings 100+ km every 10 minutes.
EV charging cables
Type 1 AC
It has a 5-pin design including 2 small pins that connect the car and charger. It determines the maximum voltage available, which prevents the car from moving when it is connected. There are very limited public chargers compatible to type 1 AC but you can buy the type 1-2 adaptor.
Type 2 AC
The Mennekes plug is standard in Australia for AC charging. It has a 7-pin design including 5 power pins to allow three-phase charging. There is a resistor that clicks during the charging process.
CCS2
A CombineCharging System [CCS] is used for both AC & DC chargers. It is ideal for rapid chargers and a type 2 charging cable with a CCS connector.
