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As the development of EV car and EV charging station ,there is a common
question for EV owners : How long to charge an electric car? It depends on
several factors: the type of charger, the EV car’s battery capacity , and the
state of charge, Vehicle’s Onboard Charger,Temperature when charging begins.
In the following, we will explore the EV charging time.
Factor 1: EV Battery Capacity
It is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Larger battery need more energy,
and takes longer time to charge . For example, use same ev car charging
station,120 kWh battery will take about twice to charge compared with 50
kWh battery.
Factor 2: State of Charge (SOC)
It is the current level of charge in the battery. Charging times is vary
whether the battery is completely depleted or partially discharged.
Usually, the charging speed is faster when the battery is at a lower SOC
and slows down when it approaches 80% SOC.
Factor 3 :Vehicle’s Onboard Charger (OBC)
It determines the maximum AC power. For example, if an EV’s OBC
is limited to 7.2 kW, even use 19.2 kW Level 2 charger ,it will only
charge at 7.2kW ,it cannt be faster any more.
Factor 4:Temperature
It affects battery performance and charging efficiency. In the condition of
extremely cold or hot weather,the charger speed will slow down. Many EVs
have thermal management systems to regulate battery temperature
Factor 5 :Types of EV charge station
There are main three types of EV chargers: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.
Each type of charger has different power output, which significantly affect the
charging time.Here is an excel sheet show the different and charging time.
| Feature | Level 1 Charger | Level 2 Charger | Level 3 Charger |
| Application | Home | Home & public | Public |
| Voltage | 120 Volts (Standard household outlet) | 240V | High-voltage DC (Direct Current) |
| Power Output | 1.4 kW – 3.6 kW | 7 kW – 19.2 kW | up to 720 kW |
| Charging Rate (per hour) | 2-5 miles | 10-25 miles | 60-100 miles (for 30 minutes) |
| Charge Time (for 60 kWh ev battery) | 17- 43h | 8.6-2.4 hours | 20-60mins |
How long to charge with different power of electric vehicle charging
stations from empty-to-full time.Take an 60 KWH EV car as example.
If there is no max ac power limited , you can find the theoretical
time at following sheet .
| EV Charger power | 3.5KW | 7KW | 11KW | 22KW | 120KW |
| Theoretical Charging time | about 17hours | about 8.6hours | about 5.5hours | about 3hours | 30mins |
In fact , there is Max ac power limited of ev car . Take “2022 Tesla Model 3 “
as example ,the max ac power is 11kw and the battery capacity is
60KWH, the charger time is at below sheet .
| EV Charger Power | 3.5KW | 7KW | 11KW | 22KW | 120KW |
| Charging time | about 17hours | about 8.6hours | about 5.5 hours | about 3hours | 30mins |
Summary
1.A typical ev car is usually 60kwh battery capacity, It takes about 8.6hours
to charge from empty-to-full by 7kw electric car charger ,and 30mins
by 120kw rapid ev charger
2.If you purchase home ev charger , You’d better to know the Max AC power
of your car .The power of home charging is not over the Max ac power.
