With the depreciation of fossil fuels, new methods of converting energy into means of locomotion are booming. Whether it’s hydrogen fuel cells or electric batteries, the share of modern cars using alternative means to propel themselves is on the rise. Electric cars and vehicles, in particular, are seeing the infrastructure to support them develop. Electric vehicle charging stations are becoming increasingly common, and the era of worrying about finding a place to charge an electric car is over. In 2021, the cost of charging an electric car became a more pressing concern than where to find an electric car charger in the first place.
Different types of chargers
There are several ways to break down the types of EV charging: by the equipment used, the charging speed of the device, the type of current used, and whether the device is public or private.
Electric car charging equipment
Electric vehicle power devices come in different forms, but the automotive industry has generally defined charging equipment as follows:
Socket – This is the interface of the charging device for inserting the cable.
Plug – This is the car charger plug that connects the cable to the device’s socket.
Cable – The cable that transfers electric currents from the device to the vehicle.
Connector – The part that connects the cable to the vehicle’s inlet and thus to the vehicle.
Vehicle inlet – The electric car charging socket that accepts the cable’s connector.
For a vehicle to be charged, it must be equipped with an inlet compatible with the sockets of the devices in the area where it operates. Therefore, efforts have been made to standardize sockets worldwide. Currently, there are three main types of car charger plugs:
Type 2 Connectors – Type 2 (also known as EU type, Mennekes, or IEC 62196) is the standard plug in Central and Western Europe, parts of South America, the Arabian Peninsula, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
SAE J3068 AC6 Connectors – They are mechanically identical to Type 2 connectors. The differences mainly lie in the types of currents and voltages for which the devices are designed. This type has been adopted throughout North and Central America, including the Caribbean, as well as in South Korea.
GB/T 20234.2 Connectors – These connectors are incompatible with the other two types. Unlike the other two, GB/T uses a female vehicle inlet and a male connector. This variant is used exclusively in China.
Charging rate
This measure is important when choosing where to power your electric car, as it determines the time needed to charge the electric vehicle. The charging rate primarily depends on the device supplying electricity to the vehicle, but at higher rates, the car’s ability to accept current becomes the bottleneck. Overall, you can classify these devices into four general categories:
Electrical grid – Electric cars are usually equipped with a plug that can be connected to the electrical grid to charge the vehicle from there. The charging power is about 2 kW and can take more than a day to fully charge most vehicles from a depleted battery. Electric vehicle manufacturers recommend using it only in emergencies.
Slow chargers – If you’ve ever wondered how to charge your electric car at home, slow chargers with a power of 3 kW are increasingly common in households with an electric vehicle. This allows plugging in an electric vehicle overnight when it’s not in use. The long time required to fill the vehicle’s battery capacity is thus not an issue.
Fast chargers – Publicly accessible stations are usually of the fast charger type, with speeds starting from 7 kW. Fast chargers significantly reduce charging time compared to slow variants, making them more suitable for charging vehicles on the road.
Rapid chargers – The latest technology in this field, they can exceed the charging capacity of modern electric vehicle models. The power typically ranges from 120 to 350 kW. Rapid chargers are unknown in private homes and are usually found only in specific locations.
Current
There are two types of current: alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). Most vehicles use direct current, but some models (like the Renault Zoe) use alternating current to charge the electric vehicle. Typically, an electric car requires DC power, as batteries store it that way, then release it to a transformer that converts it to alternating current for the motor to use.
Other factors to consider
There is another variable to consider when purchasing EV charging equipment: the cable length. While it’s true that longer cables suffer from power loss due to increasing resistance, electric car power cables do not reach lengths where this would be a problem. With lengths between 4 and 10 meters, the size of the cable to use for an electric car charger in the UK is determined by utility and price factors. Shorter cables significantly reduce the distance the electric car can be parked from a charging station. On the other hand, longer cables cost more, weigh more, and take up more space. If you can afford it, you should generally opt for longer cables. Naturally, the type of cable you buy must match the electric car charging sockets you are likely to encounter.