All-electric vehicles (EVs), as well as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), are available to consumers and fleets that are interested in plug-in plug-ins. Most drivers will charge them at home or their fleet facilities. Charging stations at workplaces as well as public places could help increase market acceptance.

Charging Infrastructure Terminology

The charging infrastructure sector has agreed to a common standard called Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI). It defines the hierarchy for charging stations as location, port and connector. These charging infrastructure definitions are used by the station locator and Alternative Fuels Data Center.

Station location: A site that has one or more EVSE ports located at the same address is called a station. An example of this is a parking lot or a mall parking area.

The EVSE Port: An electrical vehicle charger (EVSE port) provides power for charging one vehicle at once, even though the connectors may be multiple. A charging port is a unit that houses EVSE outlets. This unit can be equipped with one or more EVSE connectors.

Connector The connector that is plugged into a vehicle to charge it is called a connector. Multiple connectors or connector types, such as CHAdeMO (or CCS), may be available at one EVSE port. But only one vehicle can charge at a moment. Connectors can also be called plugs.

Charging Equipment

The rate at which PEVs are charged is the basis of how charging equipment. Charging times can vary depending on how low the battery is, how much energy it holds, what type of battery and what type of charging equipment (e.g. power output and charging level). These factors can affect the charging time. It may take less than 20 minutes or longer to charge. To charge the growing number PEVs in use, a strong network of stations must be available for both fleets and consumers.

Level 1 Charge

Permits you to travel up to 8 KM

1-hour charging

Alternating Current Level 1 Equipment (often referred to simply as Level 1) allows charging through a 120-volt (V) AC outlet. The majority of PEVs, if they are available, will include a Level 1 cord set. No additional charging equipment is required. The J1772 connector plugs directly into the car’s J1772 charging port. While the NEMA connector plugs into a NEMA standard wall outlet, Tesla vehicles come with a unique connector. All Tesla cars come with a J1772 connector, which allows them to use other non-Tesla chargers.

Level 1 charging is used when there is no 120V outlet, but it can still provide sufficient charging to meet all drivers’ needs. For a mid-size electric vehicle, an 8-hour charge at 120 V will provide 60 KM of electric power. Less than 5% of all public EVSE ports in Australia were Level 1 by 2020.

Level 2 Charge

Per capita, you can expect to travel between 16 and 32 KM

1-hour charging

AC Level 2 equipment (often referred simply to as Level 2) allows charging through either 240 V (typically for residential applications), or 208V (typically for commercial applications). Because Level 2 equipment can charge an average PEV battery overnight and is available in most homes with 240 V service, many PEV owners install it as a home charger. Level 2 equipment can also charge the public and the workplace. This charging option is capable of operating at up to 80 amperes and 19.2kW. But, residential Level 2 equipment is more efficient at low power. These units deliver 7.2 kW power at 30 Amps. These units require a dedicated 40 amp circuit. 80% of the public EVSE ports within Australia are Level 2.

Level 2 charging equipment uses the J1772 connector as Level 1. All commercially available PEVs can be charged using Level 1 or Level 2 charging equipment.

Tesla vehicles come with a unique type 2 cable Tesla that can be used for all of their charging options. This includes their Level 2 Destination Chargers and home chargers. All Tesla cars come with a J1772 connector that allows them to use other types of charging equipment.

DC Fast Charge

Per capita, ranges from 96 to 128 KM

20 minutes for charging

Direct current (DC) fast-charging equipment (typically, 208/480V AC three-phase input) allows for rapid charging along heavy traffic corridors to installed stations. There are three types of DC fast-charging systems available depending on the type and location of the vehicle’s charge port: CHAdeMO, SAE Combined Charging System, and Tesla.

The CCS connector is also known as the J1772 combo. It allows drivers to use the same charging port when charging with Level 1, 2 or DC fast equipment. The DC fast charging connector only has two bottom pins.