What are the different ways to charge a vehicle?

Level 1

Electric vehicles come with a charging cord that plugs into a typical garage electrical outlet (110V). This is known as Level 1 or trickle charging. Level 1 charging provides you with 4-6 miles per hour of charging. The typically round-trip commute is 36 miles so it will take you 6 to 9 hours to charge your vehicle.

Level 2

To charge vehicles more quickly, a Level 2, 240V station can be used. In addition to installing a Level 2 station at your home, you may also find them at public parking and workplaces. Level 2 charging provides 25+ miles per hour of charging making charging 6x as fast as using the Level 1 charging cord. Level 2 stations now come in higher power levels so that longer range vehicles (over 200 miles range) can be quickly and easily charged overnight in your own garage.

Smart Stations

You may see websites touting ‘smart stations’ but why are they smart? Smart stations come equipped with communications capabilities that allow you to use your cell phone to schedule your charging when prices are lowest, remind you if you haven’t plugged in your vehicle and some even work with Alexa or Siri to check on your charging status!

DC Charging

The Electrify America and Tesla stations installed at the Peachtree Corners Town Center parking deck are DC stations. These stations allow for vehicles to charge at over 100 miles per hour of charging so most vehicles can be charged in about an hour. You will typically use these stations when you are traveling outside your normal routes. The most important factors with DC charging has to do with what the coupler looks like and the power of the station. Most vehicles are compatible with the major networks including Georgia Power and Electrify America but only Tesla vehicles work with Tesla stations.