The Edison Electric Institute predicts that by the year 2030, about one-third of cars (and trucks) in the U.S. will be battery powered. Environmentally, it’s an overall win that will help to reduce carbon emissions. Add in fuel cost savings and various federal and state rebates, and electric vehicles (EVs) start to look better and better to more folks. For homeowners and renters with grid-tied solar, having an EV is a no-brainer. Often the low cost of electricity makes it possible to power the car very inexpensively or for free, if the electric customer has a regular surplus of PV-generated power.

Owning a home EV charger is the least expensive and most convenient way to charge an EV battery. EV chargers, also referred to as electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), are classified by the amount of amperage they can supply to your car. The more amperage, the faster the charge.

Your car battery’s size is measured in amps or kilowatts (kw), and also has a limit of how much charge it can take over a period of time, known as its acceptance rate. Level 1 and 2 chargers supply household AC power to an EV, where an onboard device converts the AC power to DC before it’s stored in the battery. Level 3 chargers supply DC power directly to the battery, making a faster charge time possible.

3 LEVELS OF EV CHARGERS

Faster charging rates cost more