We purchased a plug in hybrid car. Substantial discounts from the manufacturer combined with Federal and State tax incentives made this a 'no brainer'.
The car travels about 21 miles on pure electricity and then another 600 or so using gasoline at 43 mpg or so. At least that is what the EPA says - we are getting much higher than that, partially due to the fact the car creates electricity when it decelerates and then uses that to run the electric motor thereby reducing gasoline usage. Our fuel average is about 62 MPG running around town.
When it comes time to charge the car you can choose the charger that comes with the car. This plugs into a standard wall outlet and charges the car in about 6 hours - we charge overnight. This is a Level 1 charger and operates off 110 volts.
You can also charge using 240 volts and these are Level 2 chargers. They are much faster and will charge the car in a little over two hours. Level 2 chargers are found all over the place and are available to the public, often at no charge.
Electric utility companies most often have free chargers for obvious reasons.
You can obtain an APP called "Plug Share' that lists the location of the Level 2 chargers. It allows you to read about what is nearby and see images of the charger and location. Also tells you if they are available or in use.
We use this to find places to park the car and grab some juice while we are running our errands or grabbing a bite to eat.
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| Charging at the Utility Company |
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| Available wall plug at a hotel |
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| At the hospital while eating in their cafeteria |
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| On a downtown street corner |
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| Next to a Tesla at the swimming pool |
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| In a parking lot next to a River Walk |
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By a park
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So are the actual plug in parts the same for your car and the Tesla (and the Volt and Leaf?) or do you need some adapter?
ReplyDeleteThere are standardized plug ins (J1772) for the Volt, Leaf, Energi and so on. The amount of electricity that travels through the connector is based on the voltage being provided to the connector and the size of the charger onboard the car. Level 1 chargers supply 110 volts and Level 2 are 240 volts. The potential wattage available depends upon the amperage of the power supply to the plug but the charge rate is ultimately determined by the charger built into the car
ReplyDeleteThe Tesla has its own charger technology and uses a different plug for their cars, however they provide an adapter that will convert their "Supercharger" plug to the more common J1772, however charging takes longer. Tesla Superchargers are found along main travel ways around the country.
There are additional plug types that support faster recharge times that are now coming into use. A particularly good explanation can be found by watching 'Alex on Autos' on YouTube. Here is a link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEv8FdEmXME