How Long Does It Take to Charge an Electric Vehicle?

With new vehicles like the Bolt EV arriving on the market, it’s no wonder that Oceanside drivers ask us, “How long does it take to charge an electric vehicle?” That answer varies because there are actually a few charging options with each electric vehicle and different electric car charging times. And then there’s the question of what particular electric vehicle you have. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question: “How long does it take to charge an electric car?” Quality Chevrolet covers more on electric car charging times below!

Electric Car Charging Options

How long does it take to charge an electric vehicle at home? Or how about at a public charging station? How long to charge an electric car can vary for a number of reasons, but these are the kinds of questions Poway drivers should be asking when it comes to thinking about electric car charging times.

• Domestic Outlet Home Charging (Regular Outlet): Believe it or not, you can indeed plug your electric car into a three-prong 110V/120V outlet. However, electric car charging times for this option isn’t very fast. How long does it take to charge an electric car using this method? It can take 24 hours to do a full charge. That said, this charging option was never meant to take care of all of your charging needs. It’s better suited for passively creating a background charge that you can use to cut down the amount of time you spend at charging stations.
• Installed Brand-Approved Domestic Charging: This Level 2 charge is professionally installed in your home. These will be made for your brand of car and have much faster-charging rates than the Level 1 charging mentioned above. It’ll just be a matter of hours to get your vehicle to a full charge. Some take as little as half an hour to get up to 80% (the diminishing electric car charging time rate means that the final 20% takes a while). That said, you’ll need to install a special 240V outlet and have it wired to your house’s power panel. Also, you’ll need to double-check that your power panel can source the proper amounts of energy to power your Level 2 charging port. You may need to hire an electrician to install a power panel that can handle the number of amps required for a Level 2 port.
• Public Charging: There are an increasing number of public charging stations in the Carlsbad area! Big chain stores like Kohl’s are starting to add them to their parking lots, and many car companies like Chevy are taking the extra initiative to expand public charging options. These stations get up to Level 2 charging speed but vary in their efficiency. You may even spot a few that are powered by solar panels!

Domestic Charging Electric Car Charging Time

So, what are your options at home? Let’s see exactly what people use for domestic car charging and how long it takes to charge a car using the available options:

• Level 1 Charging: Over 24 hours for a full charge.
• Level 2 Charging: A few hours, with the bulk of the charging done in 20-30 minutes.
• Plug-In Hybrids: These vehicles aren’t entirely electric, so they charge differently. They only use electricity for a small amount of your driving, meaning that they have lower charging times.  

In a lot of cases, drivers will try to “top off” their vehicle during the day and then do some Level 2 charging overnight.

Public Charging Electric Car Charging Time

As noted above, there’s some variability in public charging stations. But some offer 22 kW charging in addition to rapid charging at 43-50 kW or 150kW. This means that you could possibly get from 0-100% on your battery in just an hour or so at a public charging station!

Step Into the Future at Quality Chevrolet

As you can see, the innovations in technology and infrastructure have made electric vehicles more accessible than ever before. And we couldn’t be more excited about Chevy’s new electric vehicle at Quality Chevrolet! Escondido drivers can come to check out the Bolt EV themselves and discuss charging times with our informed team of experts. And you can even apply for financing online to get started on a payment plan! Go ahead and contact us today to set up an appointment.