How Long Does It Take to Charge an Electric Car?

A lot of Oklahoma City drivers have been making the switch to electric cars. If you’re thinking about making that switch, you’ve probably been doing your research into things like electric car charging times. How long does it take to charge an electric car? Charging an electric car can take around half an hour for a mostly full charge to over 24 hours, depending on which method you use. We talk about those different charging methods below.

What are My Electric Car Charging Options?

1. Domestic Outlet Home Charging (Regular Outlet): A normal grounded (three-prong) 110V/120V charging outlet (Level 1 Charging) doesn’t offer a fast charging speed but it’s a good option for topping off some of the charge you used commuting to work that day. How long does Level 1 charging take? Usually around 24 hours or more for a full charge. In other words, expect it to take days, not hours, to charge with this method.
2. Installed Brand-Approved Domestic Charging: Level 2 Charging is typically professionally installed. Level 2 charging uses rapid (usually 240V+) chargers most often made for your brand of car will have significantly faster charging rates than using a regular grounded household outlet. Think hours, not days. DC fast chargers (as opposed to AC ones) are also common. It’s not unheard of to obtain an 80% charge in a half an hour or forty minutes with this type of charging method, but that extra 20% will take longer as there’s a diminishing rate of charging speed as well.
3. Public Charging: You can charge on-the-go in Dallas at parking garages, malls, hotels, and even apartment buildings. You’ll often find charging stations at big-name national stores like Walgreens and Kohls, and more charging stations are being added every day across the country. These charging stations vary in type and speed, but often provide Level 2 charging speeds for greater convenience. Some public chargers even offer emissions-free renewable energy charging with solar panels or wind turbines!

Typical Domestic Charging Electric Car Charging Time

Domestic car charging times vary based on whether you choose Level 1 or Level 2 charging. Here’s more on that:

• Level 1 EV charging often takes days to fully charge an electric car.
• Level 2 EV charging often takes several hours to fully charge an electric car. You can often get between 60-200 miles of range in just 20-30 minutes with Level 2 DC charging, though. For this reason, most people intermix daytime “top-off” charging with overnight charging.

Do you drive a plug-in hybrid? Your charging times could be much less. Chances are this type of vehicle will take between 1-4 hours to fully charge. Why? Plug-in hybrid vehicles do not rely solely on electricity as an energy source! Often, they use electric range fully for a small amount of time or under certain speeds, then switch over to gasoline power.

Typical Public Charging Electric Car Charging Time

Most home chargers offer 3.7 kW or 7 kW charging. Public stations, on the other hand, offer 22 kW charging, 43-50 kW rapid charging, and 150 kW rapid charging. As a result, for some applicable vehicles, you could foreseeably get a full charge (0-100%) in an hour or so. In other cases it could take 4 hours, 6 hours, or 11 hours for a full charge.

Come See the Electric Selection at Bob Moore Auto Group

The benefits of owning an electric vehicle are within easy reach. Stop by our dealership to learn how you can get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle. Why not get a head start by filling out a credit application online? We’re just a short drive away from both Edmond and Tulsa. So, drop by or contact us today!