The world is moving towards a carbon-free world and sustainable living by advocating for cleaner and greener fuels. One such fuel is electricity, and it has far less carbon emission than other fuel sources such as petrol, diesel etc. Therefore, the biggest change can be witnessed in the automobile industry, moving towards hybrid or fully electric vehicles. The EVs have many moving parts; hence, there is almost zero-emission from other sources. Therefore, governments are incentivising EV purchase to cut down their carbon footprint and achieve their sustainable development goals. 

Although, there is still one thing about EV that has kept the scepticism alive. That is the issue of refuel, which is the charging duration. We know how easy it is to pull up a petrol vehicle at a fuel station and refuel it in no time. The same is not the case with EVs, which can take some time to juice up the batteries. However, there have been major advancements in the battery and charging department to bridge the convenience gap between the two vehicles.

And, there have been some recent successes too. EV giants and industry leaders like Tesla have come up with superchargers that are a faster, more efficient way to charge the batteries without compromising the range. However, the affordability of these technologically advanced EVs is still debatable. But, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other EVs who are doing just as good in the economy range. Here is an article looking at different charging options and which one might work out best for you.

Level 1 Charging

EVs with level 1 charging are the most entry-level products which are economical and easily affordable. Level 1 charging denotes a charging capacity of meagre 140 V, which is not fast but doable depending upon your needs and requirements. These EVs do not fancy very powerful batteries, so they are mostly meant for local and short-distance use like groceries and all.

The best thing about Level 1 charging units is that it doesn’t require any external hardware. These EVs can be charged without any extra home charging point installation. It works on a simple cord and a three-pin plug that is easily available in all houses. However, the average charging time for these chargers is 15-18 hours, which means they need overnight charging for decent next day use.

Level 2 Charging

Level 2 charging EVs fall under the mid-range category. They are affordable, too, depending upon your budget. Some of the high-end, premium range EVs also fancy level 2 charging, which is also the industry standard. Level 2 charging requires external hardware such as a control box which could add up to the budget. Also, they can’t be charged through usual home charging ports. Instead, it requires a home charging port installation that could either be free or charged depending upon the brand and the dealer.

Although, you can get upto 350 pounds off the home charger and port installation by applying for the OLEV grant so that the overall cost won’t affect your budget. These Rolec EV charger convert the AC into DC for easy storage, and they have a charging capacity of up to 280 V. Hence, they can fully juice up your batteries in 6-8 hours.

Level 3 Charging

Level 3 charging is popularly dubbed as supercharging. It has a charging capacity of up to 480 V, capable of giving you a full charge in half an hour. Level 3 charging is commonly found in electric supercars, which have a top speed of 250 kmph and a range of 300 km. They use DC fast chargers to juice up your batteries. Unfortunately, level 3 home charging points are not possible, and they are only available in public charging stations, which you can locate by typing charging stations near me on any search engine. Therefore, vehicles that support level 3 charging come with hybrid chargers, providing standard home charging and DC fast charging at public stations.