It’s true that the time it takes to charge an EV varies, and that regardless of the option, it’s likely to take longer than it does to fill up a gasoline-powered vehicle. But that doesn’t mean charging has to take an extraordinarily long time, or that it’s impossible to own one because of the charging times.
There are a few types of charging.
According to the US Department of Transportation, Level 1 charging could use a standard outlet and take up to two days to charge an EV from dead to 80% (the caveat here is, typically you wouldn’t let your EV run all the way to 0%, and you don’t always need to top it off to 100% either).
Level 2 charging could get an EV from 0% to 80% in anywhere from 4 to 10 hours.
An EV driver would typically use those two applications overnight or during the day if they’re at a workplace for 8 hours.
Level 3 charging, known as DC fast charging, could take just 20 minutes to an hour, according to the DOT — this would be best if you’re on a roadtrip or in a hurry.
The key is having access to fast charging.
