EV Charging 101
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Electric vehicles (EVs) are taking over the auto industry. Almost every car manufacturer has an EV and if they do not they have one in their pipeline. It is no longer a new concept so you will be exposed to EVs more and more as time passes. With that said there are new things that you need to understand as a consumer if you decide to get yourself an EV. One of those things is EV charging. Today we are going to go over the basic things you will need to know when it comes to EV charging.
The best thing you can do to start is download a charging station location app on your smartphone. Apps will tell you the most up to date information like whether or not plugs are in use and if there is some fault with the station. The most popular app is PlugShare. This app relies on users to supply information about charging stations. PlugShare works with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay so that you can pull it up from most late-model EV touchscreens.
Next, understand that most EV charging stations are not free. Yes, there are some out there but they are far less common than those where you pay. Generally speaking, most charging stations will charge by the kilowatt-hour (kWh). Public EV charging stations will cost more than what it would to plug in at home. Like gas stations individual station owners set charging prices. So, just because there is a ChargePoint logo on the charger does not mean that the one at your local grocery store will cost the same as one in front of the Starbucks next to your house.
Last but not least, we will go over how to use an EV charging station. To be honest it is quite simple. Not that much different than a gas station. Simply pop open the charging port, grab the charger from its holster, plug it in, and let it do its thing. The only downside is that it does take a while to charge up. Just like your phone or laptop, it is not fully charged in a couple minutes. It takes time. Find a charging station near a restaurant or coffee shop should you need to whittle away time. The station will most likely have a display that will show you how much electricity you have added to your car so whenever you have enough you are free to take off.
EVs are not that much different than gasoline-powered cars but there are some things that new consumers might need to learn about and EV charging is definitely one of them. It can be confusing at first if you are not familiar with electricity and kWh but it will not take long to get the hang of it. For more information on anything EV please feel free to reach out to us here at Midtown Autoworks.