ELECTRIC VEHICLE SUPPLY EQUIPMENT
In the near term, EVs will use the following three categories of EV supply equipment classified according to power levels and circuit requirements:
- AC Level 1, up to 120-volt single-phase circuit with either 15-ampere (amp) or 20-amp configuration.
- AC Level 2, 208-volt to 240-volt single-phase circuit with an 80-amp maximum, but often using 40-amp rated circuits.
- DC fast charger, converts AC power levels rated at 208 volts to 480 volts (3-phase) to DC power to deliver up to 50 kilowatts at the EV’s battery voltage.
Level 1 EV supply equipment
Level 2 EV supply equipment
DC Fast Charger
Both Level 1 and Level 2 EV supply equipment are sometimes called EV chargers – but technically speaking, they are not. Their main purpose is to deliver power to a vehicle’s charging module, or charger. Electric cars all have charging modules on board that convert the EV supply equipment’s AC power to DC and deliver it to the battery according to manufacturer-specified rates (typically expressed as kilowatts). In contrast, a DC fast charger bypasses a vehicle’s on-board charger to directly deliver power to the vehicle’s battery.
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