Originally Posted by
herewego
Anyone care to explain how the various public charging systems work?
In particular how the charge gets paid for?
When parking at the airport with charging stations, do you get to plug in for a 4 day trip for free, or do you have an Uber type subscription that automatically charges your credit card?
What about Costco?
Tesla Supercharges used to be free, but has that changed?
Charging 101 dumbed down for APC forums:
Level 1 chargers: standard 120v outlet. Think if it like a trickle charge. You’ll get a couple miles range per hour depending on your vehicle.
Level 2 charger: Typically a 240v of some sort (NEMA 14-50, SAE, Tesla Wall Charger, J1772). Charger much faster. Depending on amperage and your vehicle, somewhere between 10-40 miles ranger per hour
Level 3 charger: CHAdeMO, Combos, DC Fast Charging, Superchargers. Vary as to speed, but overall MUCH faster than Level 2. As an example, I can go from about 10% battery to 80-90% battery in about 20-30 min at a supercharger.
There are a lot of free level 2 charging sites around. Some require an account with the company (ChargePoint for instance), but that doesn’t mean they charge for them at all locations. The Whole Foods near me uses ChargePoint but charging is free.
Many hotels and some restaurants have tesla wall chargers or J1772 chargers that are free.
Supercharging is no longer free for new buyers, but it’s still cheaper than gas. About .20-.30 cents per KWh.