One of the greatest things about the whole experience of owning an electric car, is you never have to stop at a gas station. Just drive on by.
And probably even greater than that—if you’re fortunate enough to have rooftop solar—is to be able to charge your car for free.
But hey, even if you don’t have solar and can only plug in to your wall socket, you’ll still always be able to fill your car for a small fraction of what it costs to gas up your car.
In this article we’ll answer all those questions about charging outside of the home, at public chargers and even what to do to install a charger at home.
Whichever car type you have (ICE/gas/diesel or electric) you do have to fuel it up somehow. It’s true that most EV owners do plug in at home but there may be times when you have to plug in when you’re out… especially on long trips. You may have questions about those electric charging stations appearing in parking lots, garages, highway stops, supermarkets and other public amenities.
When you make the switch to electric you can say bye-bye to lining up for gasoline. There’s a feeling of freedom. Now that you no longer need to stand by your car to supervise it while you fill up. You can do other things. You can take a coffee break, toilet stop, or go shopping.
That charging downtime is an important aspect of owning an electric car. It means you can plug it in at home either to take advantage of excess solar, or off-peak rates. And when you give up pumping in the gasoline, you won’t have that strong pervasive smell, potentially get drops of fuel on your clothing, shoes or even on your car.
Here’s the breakdown of what we’ll cover in this article:
Charging Station Location Apps
Free EV Charging Stations and the Cost of Charging Your EV
How Long Does it Take to Fill Up at the Charging Station?
Charging Station Reliability
How To Use a Car Charging Station
Home Chargers: How to Install, and Home Charger Selection
How to Find Electric Car Charging Stations
Electric Car Charging Station Location Apps
If you’re in your EV, you will always be able to find an EV charging station thanks to your car’s own built-in navigation system. On your infotainment screen you’ll see the location or distance to the closest chargers and with a touch of the screen, the nav system may even direct you there!
These days however, it’s far more useful to download more information-rich smartphone apps. These help you know:
- Charger location
- How many chargers located at that station
- The speed of chargers (in kW)
- If they’re in use, and
- Even discover if the charger is out of order.
Many apps record anecdotal comments from recent users about charge speed or other amenities at the site. The most widely used of these apps is PlugShare (used worldwide).
Charger-specific apps
Even though you can sometimes pay with a credit card at the charger, many charging networks (companies) have their own apps. Most of those work with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
It’s worth knowing there’s no single perfect app. And not one single app works for every scenario. So, it’s worth have more than one.
You will set up a profile and then automatically pay through the app. A very helpful feature of a charging app is when it monitors the charging status (or current state of charge SOC) or your car.
Here’s a list of the most popular charge apps in alphabetical order (not popularity!):
The most widely used app is PlugShare, and it’s free. It is so ubiquitous that PlugShare info can be accessed on most late-model EV infotainment screens. As a user you can provide reviews and helpful information to other users about your experience. You can comment on any changes to the amenity. Perhaps the charger is inaccessible, running more slowly than usual, or it’s in a parking lot currently under construction?
Another widely used and very user-friendly app is ChargePoint. It’s often wise to have a backup app and even use both to compare status.
Electrify America has had recent good press and was ranked most highly for ease of completing a charging session, charge locations and the usability of its app.
Free EV Charging Stations and the Cost of Charging Your EV
Occasionally, you’ll find a free charge point at supermarkets, shopping centers, hotels, cafes and major retailers. One such establishment is Whole Foods. Here’s a longer list of 12 retail shops that may have a free charger you can use. Use your app to make your discoveries. Mind you, it probably won’t be a highspeed charger. It seems that access to free charging is slowly reducing, particularly with more and more EVs on the road. There will always be free charging to lure customers. However, most public chargers do require payment.
So, what would you expect to pay to charge an electric car at a public charging station?
Unless it’s a free charger, do not expect to pay less than what you pay at home. You will be charged per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy transferred to your battery. The price at each point of a particular brand (EVgo or ChargePoint for example) is not generally uniform. The price is set by the station owner, or the shopping center—the management of wherever the charger is located.
It’s not common, but sometimes you’ll come across a charger that charges you a per minute price.
The news is still good because in just about every comparison you find, the cost to charge an EV is less than that to fill a gas car (and it’s even better if you compare maintenance costs). The cost to drive an ICE car (per mile) is significantly greater than an EV. You will save money filling up an electric car. Estimations of about 5 cents per mile to fill an EV are far better than the 15 cents per mile to fill a gasoline car. The cost of running an EV is also significantly cheaper. The price you pay depends on the cents you pay kWh, how big your battery is, the state of charge when you pull up to charge, to what percentage you charge the battery, and whether you use a Type 2 fast charger (AC) or the more expensive ultrafast DC chargers.
Click here if you want to look at an interactive map that locates all the public chargers in the US, Canada or both countries together.
How Long Does it Take to Fill Up at the Charging Station?
That is a loaded question. Here’s your rule of thumb: A smaller battery should take less time to fill than a large one. But then the car likely has lower range, so you’ll fill it more often!
In any case, you do have to take into account the technology of the battery itself, the capacity of the charger to deliver power, and the capacity of the car to receive it. You will experience slower charging if you are filling up in sub-20F (subzero Celsius) temps.
The time you spend at a charging station will vary greatly. The story is similar with gas tanks. They come in different sizes, tanks might be topped up or filled from empty, and bowsers can have different flow rates. Here are the summary points for electric cars:
- EVs have different size batteries
- They fill up at different rates
- How empty the battery is when you get to the charger; are you topping up or has there been a deep discharge?
- How fast is the charger? Is it level 2 (AC) or 3 (DC and higher speed)
- Most public charging stations deliver Level 2 power (AC) and in the US can add between 20 and 30 miles of range in an hour
- Is the charger able to deliver power at its maximum rate? Rate can change depending on demand and capacity.
- If you’re driving in extreme cold (lower than 20 degrees F or -6 degrees C) then the rate of charge will be significantly lower. See our article about driving in the cold here.
- If you are at a DC ultrafast charger, to fill the last 20% of battery capacity takes comparatively longer than it does for 20 – 80%. So, if you have the chance to top up to 100% at home, overnight, not only will you not be wasting your time at a public charger, your battery will have a longer life. Frequent ultrafast AC charging to 100% is the single most important factor that increases battery degradation.
How many miles per hour or charging?
If you charge at home with a level one (granny) charger with a normal domestic 15 Amp AC socket, your car will take a whole day to get from 20 – 80%.
Level up to a level 2 charger (AC) and you’ll get a full charge from 20% or close to it, overnight (or during the day).
Upgrade to a high-voltage level 3 charger and fast charge with a DC outlet at 50kW to a possible high 240kW, it can be 18 minutes to an hour to get from 20 – 80% if the car can accept the high rate.
Charging Station Reliability
The biggest problem at the moment, while the charging industry is evolving and ironing out hiccups, is the issue of chargers that are out of order. Malfunctions range from power supply issues and network failures, damaged connectors/plugs, to simple but annoying customer interface faults where for example, touchscreens may be damaged. Unless there is an attendant on hand, it can take longer than normal to fix problems. It can take in-app reporting to alert the operators before the problem is dealt with.
How to Use a Car Charging Station
I mentioned before that while you can use your credit card, you’re most likely going to sign up for one or more accounts for different public EV charging stations. You’ll activate your charging session by either waving your app at the console or you’ll have been issued a card to do the same thing. The best place to store the card is in your car (glove box or central console). If you have difficulties, then you should see a number to call for assistance.
Once your session is initiated, you do 3 simple things:
- Open the charging port (often where you’d find a gas tank opening).
- Unhook the charger from its holster
- Plug in. Wait… have a bio break… have a coffee… go shopping… but only for a while.
Charger etiquette
Actually, there’s another thing. Action number 4 is… be respectful. Check that your app can alert you to when your car has filled up to your desired SoC (state of charge). Your responsibility is to detach the charger, move your car from the parking space and make that charger available for another EV. If you have no alert function, then make it your business to come back in 20 minutes max, and assess the situation.
When Charging has Finished
You should be able to check your charging status, the amount of power transferred to your car and the price you have been charged. Vacate the spot for another of your EV brethren!
How To Charge Your Car at Home
Cars are funny assets because you use them for convenience, and for the most part, they are not being used and are completely stationary for over 95% of the time.
If you’re able to organize charging when you’re not driving (en route, doing errands or on the way to work or home), then you will free up time.
The most convenient place to charge is at home. Next most convenient is at work. See if your employer has a charger or is willing to install one for company employees.
Even though you can plug into a 110V power socket, it’s best to organize 240V supply (with a licensed electrician) and install a Level 2 charger. The plug you need is the same one you need for a clothes dryer. It’s called a fast charger, but Level 2 is only ever AC charging and never as fast as a Level 3 DC charger.
Check for Rebates and Incentives
As the world electrifies transportation, there are many federal, state, local and corporate incentives, discounts and rebates that will help you fund the purchase of cars and home chargers. Make sure you do your research so you can take full advantage.
Home Charger Selection
There are a number of factors in choosing a suitable home charger. You need the right plug, and also the correct length cable. Generally, a cable will be between 16 – 25 feet long. It may need to be longer if you must park outside.
Solutions are being developed for people who don’t have garages and who park on the street. Such products need to remove the trip hazard of a trailing cable on the pavement. Talk to your HOA if you’re in an apartment block to see what is possible.
Most chargers cost less than $1,000, and generally range from $300 – $700.
Reality Checks About Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
There are two kinds of charging apps. One is a charger location app. The other type (which also shows charger locations) cover the many proprietary apps so you can automate the process and pay for it automatically. Examples include PlugShare and ChargePoint.
How long it takes your battery to charge depends on the size of the battery, the voltage architecture, the speed of the charger and the prevailing capacity. A fast charger doesn’t necessarily mean your car will charge fast. It’s a little more complicated than that!
It is possible to find free chargers. You won’t pay but it may not be a fast charger. Know the difference between Level 2 and Level 3 charger speeds. Free chargers are usually slower AC chargers.