Electric Vehicle Charging Stations ...

[dogtag]

Do they charge at 120 ? I assumed it would be 240.

[Johnny P]

Normally the only 240 volt in a residence is an electric dryer receptacle, an electric range, and the heat/ac unit circuits. For something like $10,000 you can have a 240 volt charging system installed in your garage. 240 volt charging is not just twice as fast as 120 volt, but only takes something like 5 to 6 hours to fully charge and EV vs. the painfully slow 120 volt charger.

[Allen]

Like most all batteries, a "fast charge" usually shortens the life of the battery and who would be looking forward to a $30K batt replacement charge?

Something else to consider about home charging is not everyone has a garage or carport and the receptacle and plug-in to your car would be exposed to the weather/rain.

[bruce]

In a lot of towns and cities, there are charging stations to be found and used in parking lots, etc. We've used them multiple times. My wife used one daily when driving to work. Dealerships also were glad to provide charging. Sincerely. bruce.

[Art]

Public charging stations are definitely not free. Depending on your vehicle plan on spending a bit over $12.00 for a compact to as much as $40.00 for a big Ford Lightning pick up. Some public station quick chargers can get you to an 80% charge in less than half an hour depending on its capacity. These stations won't work for plug in hybrids which shouldn't need them anyway since they have a gasoline back up engine. As was said above their are promotions.

A 220/240 volt quick charger installed in your home is going to set you back thousands of dollars and, of course, is only practical if you have a garage. Recharging at 110/120 volts with a regular extension cord will be an all night proposition. My brother has a friend who has a plug in hybrid and he said charging overnight every day adds about $15.00 to $20.00 to his electric bill.

The road use tax is currently imposed on the price of fuel. Since an EV doesn't use gasoline or diesel the State of Texas is planning on imposing a road use fee to be paid at registration. I understand it will be a few hundred dollars. I'm sure other states either have or will institute similar fees. Yes, EV owners here are already screaming to high heaven.