Owning an electric car makes EV charging stations one of the key points for long distance drive. Finding one was a challenge until Google made it a bit easier adding EV charging point information to Google Maps.
In order to find one, all you have to do is simply search within the app for “EV Charging” or “EV Charging Stations”. The search will return all the EV charging stations near you as well as information about the business where the station is located. Also the kinds of ports available, the charging speed, and how many charging ports are available. The application is specifically supporting these types of chargers:
Global: Tesla, Chargepoint
UK: Chargemaster, Pod Point
US: SemaConnect, EVgo, Blink
AU & NZ: Chargefox
Just like other businesses on Google, after your visit to a charging location, you can leave ratings and reviews and photos.
Electric driving becomes easier and easier. Go green Go electric!
Electric vehicles are a joy to own but this new technology is using advanced Lithium-ion battery packs. This battery pack is the most valuable single component of an EV, and as such it’s not surprising that you might want to know how to best extend its life.
You are probably familiar with the lithium batteries in your smartphones and tablets. Also, you probably aware that they don’t last very long. Charging your smartphone every day for a year reduces your batteries life to about 1.5-2 years. This is because the number of charge and discharge cycles is about 600 before the battery is critically worn out. Some comments saying that an EV battery life dies within a couple of years. Of course, this is not the case. An EV battery will last from at least 8 years to over 15 years, depending on how it is treated.
First, avoid leaving your battery in a discharged state for a long period of time. The general rule is to plug in and charge whenever is possible. Also, a lithium battery should never be entirely discharged, as this shortens their life and can leave the battery useless.
How to increase the charging cycles
Charging your EV smartly can help you extend your battery’s life. You can achieve this by increasing the number of charging cycles. Maintain a charging schedule when your battery is between less than full and more than empty.
The lowest number of cycles and the shortest
battery life will come from repeated cycles of charging to 100% and discharging to close to 0%. It appears that charging between 85% and 25% gives a good balance of battery life and workable capacity. Battery balancing is about maximizing your battery’s capacity and evening out the charge distribution.
Finally, limit your fast charging. Even though we live in a time where everything rolls at a fast pace, we need to make the appropriate changes. Being impatient about charging your EV can damage your battery. Don’t expect the charging time to come down much below 20 mins. Read the manual for your EV carefully and adjust your own rules to safely use your electric car and maintain longer battery life.
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Disclaimer: The rules above are general rules for any EV that may help extend the life and health of your battery.
Buying your first car is exciting as much as stressful. When we are talking about your first Electric Vehicle (EV) there are even more questions and considerations to make.
If you are about to purchase an EV you are not alone, the market for electrically chargeable cars in Europe expanded by 39% in 2017. The numbers are big also for the US having sold nearly 200,000 EV in 2017, making a significant increase of 25% compared to 2016. Furthermore, in June 2018 around 160,000 plug-in electric cars sold globally with the market expanding at 75%. But with such a big number of EV options, how do you know you’re picking the right one for you and your family? Which questions do you need to answer first?
What is your budget?
First, before you start your research is important to make sure you are financially prepared for that purchase. With this in mind, you will need to sit down check your finances and realistically choose the best option you can afford. Will you be paying cash or putting down credit? What is the best interest rate you can get and how that will work for you given your credit history?
One more thing to consider is whether you want to buy a new EV or a used one. Used electric cars can be found at great prices and they are typically driven less than gas-powered cars.
When budgeting, you can also take into account maintenance costs for EV versus their fuel-powered cars. How much maintenance will cost? With an electric car, you’ll save on things like oil and gas fill-ups, as well as taxes for buying an energy eco-friendly vehicle.
Which one?
Buying your first EV can be very tricky, especially with all the models available today. Make your research and spend the time you need to decide the best option for you.
Battery Electric Vehicle vs. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
(BEV) vs (PHEV)
One of the first decisions here is whether to buy a 100% electric car BEV or a Plug-in Hybrid. PHEV uses both a rechargeable battery and a backup fuel combustion system. The answer to this questions depends on your lifestyle and your preferences.
When to choose a PHEV?
Take into consideration your daily commute. Is it lengthy or unpredictable? Some BEV vehicles can have ranges further than 200 miles. Also, if you don’t have access to a charging station at work and you won’t be able to always charge overnight is a challenge to manage with a totally electric car.
When to choose BEV?
Is there a charging station at or near work? Is your daily commute short and predictable? If this is the case a fully electric car will be a good choice.
By choosing the correct EV for your lifestyle, you can avoid the issue of being in dire need of a charge while away from home. Also, the best way to choose the model that suits you is to test drive as many cars as you can.
Charging at home
When you are calculating the cost of an EV purchase you should consider a home charging station that will help you to charge overnight. Having your own charging station at home makes charging faster, safer and more reliable. Here on EV Charge+ you can find a variety of EV charging stations including a homebox charger.
Finally, you should also scout out charging locations around town, both in the areas you frequently visit and near your work. If you ever get caught out of the house and in need to recharge, it’s helpful to know where you can go.
Whether you’re buying your first EV, in order to gogreen and help the environment, or you simply want to avoid paying extra gas prices, you are sure to find the perfect vehicle. With the EV sales going up and new models being introduced each year, it’s easy to find the one that best suits your needs.
EV Charging Cable Types information for electric mobility users. Here is what you need to know before you charge your electric vehicle.
EV Charging cable types for electric cars
EV Charging cable type 1 plug
The type 1 plug is a single-phase plug which allows for charging power levels of up to 7.4 kW (230 V, 32 A). The standard is mainly used in car models from the Asian region, and is rare in Europe, which is why there are not many public type 1 charging stations.
EV Charging cable type 2 plug
The triple-phase plug is mainly used in Europe. In private areas, charging power levels of up to 22 kW are common, while charging power levels of up to 43 kW (400 V, 63 A, AC) can be used only at public EVcharging stations. Most public charging stations are equipped with a type 2 socket. All mode 3 charging cables can be used with this, and electric cars can be charged with both type 1 and type 2 plugs. All mode 3 cables on the sides of charging stations have so-called Mennekes plugs (type 2).
Combination Plugs (Combined Charging System, or CCS)
The CCS plug is an enhanced version of the type 2 plug, with two additional power contacts for the purposes of quick charging, and supports AC and DC charging power levels (alternating and direct current charging power levels) of up to 170 kW. In practice, the value is usually around 50 kW.
CHAdeMO Plug
This quick charging system was developed in Japan, and allows for charging capacities up to 50 kW at the appropriate public charging stations. The following manufacturers offer electric cars which are compatible with the CHAdeMO plug: BD Otomotive, Citroën, Honda, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Subaru, Tesla (with adaptor) and Toyota.
Tesla Supercharger
For its supercharger, Tesla uses a modified version of the type 2 Mennekes plug. This allows for the Model S to recharge to 80% within 30 minutes. Tesla offers charging to its customers for free. To date it has not been possible for other makes of car to be charged with Tesla superchargers.
Charging cable modes for electric cars:
Mode 2 EV Charging Cables with control box
The Mode 2 EV charging cable with control box is available in different versions. Most of the times Mode 2 charging cable is supplied by the car manufacturer and has a connection to an ordinary domestic socket. The communication between car and charging port is set up via a box connected between the vehicle plug and connector plug (ICCB In-Cable Control Box).
Mode 3 EV Charging Cables
The mode 3 charging cable is a connector cable between the EV charging station and the electric vehicle. Type 2 plug is set up as the standard in EU. To allow electric cars to be charged using type 1 and type 2 plugs, charging stations are usually equipped with a type 2 socket. To charge your electric car, you require either a mode 3 charging cable from type 2 to type 2 (e.g. for the Renault ZOE) or a mode 3 charging cable from type 2 to type 1 (e.g. for the Nissan Leaf).
There are 3 standard charging levels for EV. All electric vehicles can be charged on Level 1 and Level 2 EV stations. Level 3 (also known as a DCFC or fast charger) can be used only with cars which got fast charging capability.
Level 1 EV charging station
The Level 1 is the standard wall outlet. It has the slowest charging level. Charge duration can take from 10 to 12 hours to charge a vehicle.
The Level 2 is the typical EV plug. Usually it is installed in your home garage as well many public charging stations are using Level 2 charging stations. Charge duration from 2 to 6 hours.
Level 3 EV charging station
The Level 3, mainly is called the DCFC or DC Fast Charge. These charging stations are the quickest way to recharge a EV vehicle. Charge duration: 15 min to 1 hour.
We hope you have understood more about EV Charging Cable Types and charging stations differences.
Electric cars (EV) becoming more and more popular. As a result an EV future where only hybrids and electric cars exists, may not be so far away. Volvo announced that will electrify its entire vehicle line by 2019. They hope to sell one million of the electric and hybrid cars by 2025. Jaguar Land Rover plans to electrify its entire vehicle lineup by 2020. GM plans to go all electric by 2023.
But first, what is an electric car?
Electric cars run on electricity. Unlike conventional vehicles that use gasoline or diesel-powered engine, electric cars use an electric motor powered by electricity from batteries or a fuel cell.
Electric cars are fitted with a battery pack that is connected to an electric motor, which turns the wheels. Also, electricity operates the car’s other functions, like the lights, climate control and stereo. Unlike a hybrid or hydrogen fuel-cell car, a pure electric vehicle needs to be plugged into the main supply to recharge the battery pack. Of course not all electric vehicles work the same way. Plug-in hybrids offer both a gasoline or diesel engine and an electric motor. Other EVs operating exclusively on electricity, these are battery electric vehicles. Others power an electric motor by converting hydrogen gas into electricity. These are hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Finally, the conventional hybrid vehicles also have an electric motor, but aren’t considered EVs as they can’t be plugged-in.
Charging an electric car
In order to charge an electric car, you need to plug it into a source of electricity. Usually, your domestic supply, a public charging point or a charging point at your place of work, if one is provided. Most certainly we are here to make this part easier for you. Check here our EVCharge+ charging stations.
The time it takes to charge can vary depending on the size of the car’s battery pack (measured in kWh), the speed the battery is able to receive the charging and the type of charging point you’re using. As electric vehicles become more popular, soon you will be able to charge at home, at work, on public places and parking lots.
Why choosing an electric car
Electric cars offer many benefits including high energy efficiency, reduced emissions, and strong performance. First, an EV may cost a little more to buy, but the running costs are less than for a petrol or diesel car. This is because electricity costs significantly less than petrol or diesel. For example, if you charge your electric car overnight, it could cost you as little as 7€ for a full charge rather than the 60-80€ for a full tank of petrol or diesel. All-electric vehicles are also high performance vehicles whose motors are not only quiet but require less maintenance. Also, another beauty of electric cars is that they don’t contribute to local pollution.
Electric Cars Are Our Future and They’re Greener than You Think
EVs are great for drivers who want to reduce emissions, reduce fuel costs, and drive nice vehicles. With this onmind, we are looking forward to a more greener future.
EV Charging Stations for home, businesses or public places.
Charging at home
