Sixty-four hours. This is the time it takes a completely empty Chevy Bolt EV to fully charge if you plug the electric vehicle into the same outlet you use to charge your cell phone.
Even though most EVs have an increasing range (the Bolt has enough power for 259 miles, while the Tesla Model 3 has up to 353 miles), the most basic Tier 1 charge is painfully slow, even just for recharging. To speed things up, more Tier 2 home options are hitting the market.
This week, the Spanish electric charging company Wallbox presented its first domestic Level 2 charging kit for US drivers. This is about eight to 10 times faster than basic Tier 1 home charging and takes about four hours to fully charge a Chevy Bolt and similar cars. This does not seem fast enough if you are on a trip, but it will recharge the battery enough to calm any concerns about range, even if it is only connected for an hour or two.
Level 2 is what most public charging stations offer, although the fastest DC charging stations are needed with their fast 15 to 30 minute “supplies”. In that period, a Nissan Leaf or similar car can return up to 80 percent empty. But there are far fewer public DC fast charging stations. According to the United States Department of Energy, only about 16 percent of all charging stations are fast and most fast chargers are located along highways.
Pulsar Plus charges EVs faster.
The $ 649 Pulsar Plus smart box from Wallbox with a 40A output (which must be professionally installed) is part of a small but growing group of faster charging options for individual homes. All new EVs in the U.S. come with a cable that you can plug directly into the wall without an electrician, but none come with a level 2 configuration. A higher-output 48-amp Wallbox Pulsar Plus will arrive later this year for $ 699.
In late 2019, the ChargePoint charging network launched Home Flex for $ 699. JuiceBox is another smart home charging kit for Tier 2 home charging in your garage. Siemens has a charging kit that connects to your smartphone. But that’s it. On a call, Wallbox general manager Doug Alfaro called the installation of a faster home charger “a convenient upgrade” as you can bypass public charging stations for faster charging.
Alfaro emphasized the flexibility of an intelligent charger in a video call in which he demonstrated the Pulsar Plus connected to a Nissan Leaf. Through your application, you can schedule, monitor and charge the remote control.
“It can be 50 times cheaper to use electricity at night,” he said, praising the ability to schedule when you want to start charging. Time-of-use charges can make charging at home worthwhile, especially for drivers with services that offer cheaper electricity at night or during other off-peak hours.
Giovianni Bertolino, head of e-Mobility at renewable energy company Enel X North America, encourages more Tier 2 charging, especially for cars parked and plugged in for several hours. “You don’t need fast and expensive DC chargers,” he said in a phone call. “Level 2 is perfectly fine.” For example, a super-fast 30-minute charging session to reach 80% of the full battery can cost $ 10 or more. Tier 2 domestic charging for a full four-hour charge is estimated at around $ 8 in electricity.
Global consulting firm Ernst & Young recently discovered that President Biden’s plan to add 500,000 new public EV charging stations in the U.S. by 2030 may not be enough to meet demand. His research indicates that he can cover only up to 57 percent of what is needed. This means that, instead of queuing up to collect, even with potential new stations, it may still be worth it to bring faster charging to your home.
Jessika Trancik, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Data, Systems and Society, said in a phone call that better home charging options will help accelerate widespread EV adoption.
“Having this load faster helps to increase confidence,” she said.
An obvious shortcoming of domestic charging is that it is not available to everyone. Therefore, more charging options need to be available for people who do not have a dedicated, private place to recharge. For people who live in apartments or have street parking, access to faster chargers is crucial to convincing them to use electricity in the next vehicle.
“But there is no substitute for charging capabilities when people are at home,” said Trancik. “The most convenient option seems to be when you’re at home, even if it’s in a public place.”