How to Charge an Electric Car – Tips On How to Properly Charge Your Electric-Vehicle (EV):

Today, electric-vehicles are becoming very popular and if you own one then you should know about the different ways of charging it. In fact, there are several different types of chargers and some are slower than others. Additionally, you may regularly charge your vehicle at home through an outlet or charging station to keep your battery as full as possible. This is mainly because public charging stations are still rare. However below are some of the tips you can use when charging your electric car.

 

METHOD-1: How to Select an Electric Type of Charger:

-Use a 120-Volt outlet to charge a car slowly at home: The simplest way to charge an electric car is by making good use of the standard wall outlets in your home. Most electric-cars come with an extension cord that hooks up to wall outlets. This is called level 1 charging but although it’s not a very fast process, it’s the cheapest way to charge the battery. In fact, it’s perfect for topping off the battery when you’re not in the car. Lastly, level-1 charging takes 16 to 20 hours on average to charge an empty battery.

-Get a 240-volt charger for a quicker charging: Level-2 charging is done through 240-volt outlets or machines and cuts the waiting time down by half. It’s a much quicker solution to keeping your car running but 240-volt outlets are rare, difficult to find & different from standard 120-volt outlets. So, you will need to have a charging station installed on a regular outlet in order to charge your car this way at home. However, commercial charging stations all run on level-2 charging. Additionally, Level 2 charging can fill an empty battery within 8 hours on average.

-Plug your Electric-car into a 480-volt station for the fastest charging: Some charging stations offer level-3 or 480-volt charging. These stations can fill-up your car-battery within about 30-minutes. It’s the quickest way to charge the battery but these machines aren’t available at every station.

 

METHOD-2: How to Charge Your Electric Car at Home:

-Charge electric-car after each trip to keep the battery full: Partially-charged batteries fill up much quicker than drained batteries. So, consider leaving your electric-vehicle plugged in overnight so that you wake up to a full battery in the morning. However, consider taking advantage of charging stations when you have the opportunity to use them.

-Use a wall outlet for level-1 charging: Locate a standard 120-volt outlet that isn’t in use by anything else in your home that is also close to where you park the car. Use the charger cable stored in cars trunk and plug into your car’s charging port and the outlet. Additionally, consider plugging into an outlet with its own dedicated circuit.

-Get a level-2 charger installed to speed-up the charging: level-2 chargers cost about $200 to $500 and most of them fit over an available outlet. So, choose a charger listed as compatible with your vehicle model then contact an electrician to complete the installation.

-Remove & store the plug after your car finishes charging: When you see a small light or notification appear on the car’s dashboard, just the car has finished charging. So, pull the plug out of the vehicle’s charging port, old it up and put it in the trunk for safe storage if it’s a level 1 cord but if it’s a Level-2 charging cord then it stays in place until you need to use it again.

 

METHOD-3: How to Use a Public Charging Station to Charge Your EV.

-Download a charging station map or app when traveling: Electric-vehicles have grown in popularity and that’s why dedicated charging stations have begun popping up almost everywhere but they can be tough to locate. So, consider getting a list of these station before you leave home. Additionally, try using free-apps like; PlugShare, ChargeHub, and ChargeMap. Likewise, Google-Maps also lists charging stations when you search for them within the app. Lastly, remember how many miles you can get on a full car battery so you don’t get stuck between stations.

-Find a charging plug compatible with your electric-vehicle: Compatibility information will be listed on station maps so that you can find one compatible with your car. However, most places offer outlets that work well with most vehicle. Likewise, Tesla stations are the exception and can only be used to charge Tesla cars.

-Sign up for a membership if it is requirement to access the charger: A few different companies operate charging stations across the world. So, register using a credit or debit card online or through the company’s app to get charging-access. However, most companies offer free registration although some make you pay to access their chargers. You will also get a plastic membership card that allows you to quickly activate a charger.

-Expect to pay to use a charging station: The charging-rate varies a lot from station to station and area to area. Some areas charge a set price per charging session while others charge depending on how much electricity you use. This all depends on the regulations in your region as well as the general cost of electricity. So, if charging costs anything then you will need a membership, debit or credit card to pay.

-Plug the charger cord into your car when ready to use any station: Level 2 and 3 charging stations have built-in cords. So, all you have to do is pull your car up to the charging port of the machine, park and then turn it off. Use the machine’s screen to activate the charger. However, if you’re using a level-1 charger then you may need to get out your own cord and plug it into the station like you would at home.

Read-more here: https://www.wikihow.com/Charge-Your-Electric-Car

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