Located At
Open Today Sales: 10 AM-7 PM
Electric vehicles are quickly gaining prominence on Cincinnati streets and on roads around Middletown. They’re more environmentally friendly, more powerful, and more efficient than their gas-powered counterparts—but you still might have some questions, like: How do electric car charging stations work?
Let’s be honest, electric vehicles involve a lifestyle change. Instead of filling up your tank when it gets low, you’ll mostly charge your car overnight at home, and at an electric charging station from time to time. The team at Joe Morgan Honda has compiled this guide to how electric car charging stations work, how much a charge costs, and how to find them below. When you’re ready, feel free to contact our team to explore our electric Honda inventory and take one for a test drive!
How do electric car charging stations work? You’ll want to know which type you’re using first. There are three types of electric car charging models, two of which you’ll find on the road. There’s level 1, which is almost exclusively found at home. This is the same as an old-school electrical outlet, and it only provides a few miles of charge for each hour of charging. For most electric vehicles available in Middletown today, expect to spend more than 24 hours to get a full charge.
However, the models available out in public are much quicker. The slower of the two is level 2, which will typically give you a full charge overnight. However, if you are just looking to top up, most modern EVs can provide somewhere between 60 and 120 miles of charge in 45 minutes.
The biggest and best of the three has to be level 3 DC Fast Charging. If you’re looking to get the full charge on a road trip or during your grocery run, this is what you’ll want to pick. In most cases, you’ll be able to get 200-300 miles of charge in a 30-45 minute period. These car charging stations are most often found at grocery stores and fast food establishments, so you’ll be able to get a meal or get your groceries done and have a week’s worth of driving ready on average.
There are several different charging ports you’ll have to contend with when it comes to charging your electric car, and they differ based on what model you have and whether you’re going level 2 or level 3.
Level 2 car chargers are all the same if your EV was made after model year 2000. They all have J1772 charging ports. Level 3, on the other hand, that’ll differ. If you have a Tesla, you’ll have a different charging port than all others. However, if you don’t have a Tesla, you’ll have either the CCS (combined charging system, also known as SAE Combo or just Combo) or the CHAdeMO plug. Most Level 3 chargers are designed to accommodate the two common ones, while a Tesla requires you to find a proprietary Tesla charger.
If you’re concerned about the electric car charging station cost, you’ll want to know a few things off the bat. For one, it’s almost always cheaper to charge at home. When you charge at home, you’re paying the kilowatt-hour cost that you pay to keep the lights on. This is almost certainly cheaper than filling up on the road.
Some electric car charging stations are free with certain models, but this only applies for a limited time. Don’t expect to have this for the life of your vehicle. You’ll have an app with your vehicle that will direct you to these charging stations in most cases.
If you’re out on the run, you’ll want to consider that charging costs differ between Level 2 and Level 3. Level 2 is cheaper and will typically cost between $15 and $25 to charge the average car fully. Level 3 is more expensive and will typically cost between $30 and $45 to get a full charge in Lebanon. This is contingent on daily demand pricing, so charging during peak times will typically cost you a little more.
One thing that gives people trepidation about electric cars is the question of the road trip. How do I get charged as I hit the highway? Thankfully, new level 3 chargers are rolling out across the country constantly, meaning you’ll have more and more options to charge your car. One thing that will differ with the new way of road-tripping is that you’ll have to take more short breaks for a meal, the restroom, or for supplies.
Now that you’ve learned a bit more about how electric car charging stations work and what electric car charging stations cost, it’s time to look for a new EV with our Monroe team. Joe Morgan Honda has an excellent selection of electric vehicles to explore, so give us a call at 513-360-2700 to get started! You can also browse our new vehicle specials for more opportunities to save on your next Honda EV, or continue your research by learning how electric vehicles differ from hybrids!
