How Is Charging Your EV Different from Filling Up Your Car?
Find out the 4 differences between charging your EV and filling up your carElectric Vehicles (EVs) function by plugging into a charge point and utilising the grid’s electric supply. They store the electricity in rechargeable batteries that powers the electric motor, which will then turn the wheels. So, how is charging an EV different from filling up a car with petrol? Continue reading as we explore this topic in these 4 aspects.
1. The Charging Process
Just like how everyone has their habit when it comes to charging their phones, the same goes for charging EVs. According to your preference, you can choose to charge your EV at night, or at work, or take advantage of public chargers everywhere and charge wherever you can.
2. The Charging Time
As of now, charging an electric vehicle from near empty to full takes anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours depending on the battery size and the charging speed of your charging point. Some choose to charge their EV at home or at work over a period of several hours, while some charge their EV on the go for 15-45 minutes at the mall. While it is more time-consuming than refilling a petrol-powered car, most people would fully utilise this time to run errands or grab a cup of coffee. However, EVs are constantly evolving, and the charging time difference is shrinking.
3. Effects on the Environment
Fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and crude oil are non-renewable resources. The burning of any fossil fuel will lead to the emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and hydrocarbons, which will contribute to the greenhouse effect warming the Earth and various forms of air pollution.
All battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) produce zero local emissions while plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are more efficient than petrol-only powered vehicles as the latter two produce much fewer tailpipe emissions, even when running only on petrol. Although some think that the production of electric vehicles and the grids that charge them create equally harmful pollutants as petrol-powered vehicles, that’s simply not true. In fact, many chargers are powered with 100% renewable electricity from wind and solar.
4. The Charging Price
On average, charging an electric vehicle costs 35% less than filling up a petrol-powered car depending on the cost of crude oil, taxes and world supply & demand. Thanks to the consistently evolving electric vehicle and charging industries, innovations are being created to make charging faster and less expensive.
Key Takeaways:
- Although you can charge all electric vehicles with Level 1 chargers, they work better for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Most BEV owners find that Level 2 chargers better suit their daily charging needs.
- With an average charging time of 4-8 hours, Level 2 chargers are 10 times faster and more convenient than Level 1 chargers.
- While Level 1 and Level 2 chargers use alternating current (AC), Level 3 chargers use direct current (DC).
