The gross output of a Level 1 charger here is between 2-3 kw, I believe (an electric kettle). 220-240v AC. Hence my thought that a 60 kwhr battery was about 20 hours of charging.Not sure about the UK, but level 1 chargers in the US run at 8-12 amps at 120V. That's a maximum of 1440W. But not all of that goes to the battery. There are cooling fans and charging losses. My 2012 Leaf took 23 hours at level 1 for a nearly full charge after I drove it the first day I leased it. It only had about 18.3 kWh usable battery capacity. That means only 795W went into the battery out of the 1440W consumed by the charger. The rest was cooling and charging losses. That Leaf was a very short range EV.It's OK to simply plug in whenever you have the chance, and not get a full charge (which would take c 15-20 hours for a Level 1 charger?). That seems to be the pattern here (London, UK - street level chargers, and lamp post chargers).
Level 1 charging is really only useful for short distances, such as if one is commutting perhaps, and charging for a long time (8hr+). And basically nothing else. It is in particular not at all useful on a road trip if you need a full charge. A long range model 3 with a 70 kWh battery would need 88 hours for a full charge on level 1.
Most people shouldn't consider an EV if they can't charge at least at L2 speeds at home or work. But preferably home. So, the L1 use case is really limited. Some people will steal the EVSE on the street or parking lot. But wouldn't cut the cord off a permanently installed charging station.
However I am not sure what the net is? Interesting question.
Those lamp post chargers I see and I believe the ones in the pavement (sidewalk) outside my house are Level 1. People use them, and don't seem to use fast chargers except for long distance trips (there's very few houses with their own parking, and even those, with EVs, don't always have Level 2 chargers). There will be a problem if we all have Level 2 chargers, and we all try to charge at peak hours (say 430-930 pm on a winter's eve).
I certainly see a world where if we drive to work, there's a Level 1 charger at work, too. I think employers will just have to offer it - simply as a way of retaining employees & increasing their productivity. So that's another 7-8 hours charging/ day.
I'll have to do a bit of homework.
Statistics: Posted by Valuethinker — Tue Apr 23, 2024 3:55 am — Replies 14 — Views 1100