Charging
For some, the greatest appeal of owning a plug-in electric vehicle is never having to stop at a gasoline station again. The majority of drivers will charge at home, typically overnight—enabling them to wake up in the morning to a full charge. This routine will be sufficient for most daily driving, although some drivers may wish to use additional workplace and public charging facilities when needed.
At Home
Most drivers will find that home charging meets the vast majority of their needs. Plug-in electric vehicles can be charged using a standard GFCI outlet on a dedicated circuit found in your home (with the EV charging cable that comes with the vehicle), although regular charging should be done with a station permanently mounted and electrically connected where the EV is parked. This Level 1 charging at 110V can charge an EV completely in 8 to 17 hours, depending on the size of the battery in your vehicle (more information on charge time for each vehicle in our Consumer Vehicle Gallery).
Level 2 charging uses 240V, the same power used by high energy consuming appliances, such as clothes dryers and electric ranges. At Level 2, most commercially-available plug-in electric vehicles can fully charge in 4 to 8 hours. There are some portable Level 2 charging cords that can be used with a 240V outlet, but most Level 2 charging is done with a permanently mounted station. Electrical work should always be performed by a qualified electrician.
Away from Home
When you’re away from home, there are 1,600+ charging stations you can take advantage of across New York State. Level 1 charging stations might be used for workplace charging where EVs are parked all day long, but most charging stations at destinations where the driver stays for 2-6 hours are Level 2. Most Level 1 and Level 2 stations use a standard charging port, except for Tesla-specific stations (more information here).
DC Fast Charging utilizes direct-current (DC) energy transfer and a 480V input to provide extremely rapid charges at heavily used public charging locations. Depending on the size of the EV’s battery, DC fast charge stations can provide an 80% recharge in as little as 20 minutes. Not all EVs come standard with a DC Fast Charge port (not typically an option for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with a smaller battery pack) and there are multiple charging ports used across the industry including J1772 Combo, ChaDeMo, Tesla (Learn more about DC Fast Charging ports here).
To find your nearest public charging station, use our Charging Station Locator.
