Charging Standards

What is meant by Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 charging?

Within the various standards for plug-in vehicles and charging stations, ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations have been grouped into 3 basic levels:

Level 1:

Refers to 240V AC charging at currents up to 15A. A 240V 15A charger supplies 240V*15A= 3.6kW. A 3.6kw charging system is expected to charge an 8kW battery like the one in the Chevy volt to 80% of capacity in around 2-3 hours (not all the power goes to the battery).

Level 2:

Refers to 240V AC charging at current from 32A to 80A. The same 8kWh battery in the Chevy Volt charges to 80% in around 1 hour, so the obvious advantage is faster charging time. For locations with "bigger" electrical service a 240V 32A or 240V 80A Level 2 charger will charge a battery even faster.

A few things about level 2 charging to consider: delete all green

• Most of the plug-in vehicles scheduled for delivery in the next few years have the electronics that converts from 240V AC to the DC voltage that actually charges their batteries "on-board" the car. For cost reasons, the maximum voltage and current the on-board converters can handle may be limited. For instance, the word on the street is that the upcoming Mitsubishi i MiEV is limited to 240V at 15A (3.6kW), which is fine because it is expected to have a relatively small battery.
• In the U.S., the National Electric Code (NEC 1999) Article 625 requires that all 240V chargers have an attached charging cord. In other words, 240V extension cords are not permitted in the U.S. This is not the case in Australia.  
• Level 2 charging will rely on a new standardized "plug" defined by the SAE™ J1772 working group. ChargePoint Australia will make combined Level 1/Level 2 chargers based on the J1772 specification available for installation, coincident with the availability of the plug. We are currently showing prototypes based on early mechanical samples of the plug.

Level 3:

Refers to DC charging, or "fast charging." There are currently no International standards for voltages and currents or connectors for plug-in vehicles; however, standards should come to fruition in the next few years. To achieve very short charging times, Level 3 chargers supply very high voltages (300-500VDC) at very high currents (100's of Amperes) directly to the plug-in vehicle battery. Chargers that range from 30kW to as much as 120kW exist today in prototype form.