u/Cool-Replacement4972

We been driving an EV for 9 months now and I must say, it's one of the best vehicle decisions we ever made. We had a level 2 charger installed at home, we charge when we need to, and it's glorious. So much so that my wife also got herself an EV a couple of months ago. 

Before all this, we were spending hundreds of dollars a month on gas. Now we're spending less than $70 between us.

90% of EV buyers say they will never buy a gas car again. It's not just hype because gas is expensive at the moment. They have seen the light. And, by the way, the gas vs. electricity math works in favor of EVs even with pre-war gas prices.

If you're in the market for a car, do yourself a favor and look into whether an EV works for you.

Given that the majority of Canadian EV buyers lease rather than finance them, why is there so much focus on their sticker prices? Surely, interest rates and depreciation (the difference between the sticker price and the residual value at the end of the lease) are more important.

A Toyota BZ fully loaded or a Cadillac Optiq? Both new.

Is it fair to assume that if you already own a level 2 charger (purchased for a few hundred dollars), it is not worth it to join the Grizzl-E Club or any other carbon credit program?

Here is how I would approach this question.

A level 1 charger outputs a maximum of 1.44 kW (120 volts x 12 amps / 1000).

Let's assume you have 10 hours of overnight charging available. The most charge you can replenish is 14.4 kWh (1.44 x 10).

Now let's assume the worst case scenario: it's the dead of winter and your car's efficiency is 25 kWh/100km.

If your round-trip commute is less than 58 km (14.4 / 25 x 100), you can replenish your battery back to it's starting percentage every night.

But let's say your daily commute is 80km. You need 20 kWh to cover that distance (80% of 25 kWh).

Let's also say that your EV has a capacity of 60 kWh and you start out at 80% battery capacity (48 kWh). What will happen is your battery will drop from 48 kWh to 28 kWh on day 1 then climb to 42.4 kwh after the overnight charge. The next day, the battery will drop to 22.4 kWh and then climb to 36.8 kWh. And so on...

The question is, how long can you keep up this steady loss of capacity before you must top up for more than 10 hours (on the weekend, perhaps)? Or maybe top up at a level 3 charger?

Let us begin at your home's main electrical service box. In Canada, it is usually in the utility area of the home. The total electrical service available to the home is stamped on the electrical box's main on/off switch (200 amps, 100 amps, and so on).

The row of black switches that control electricity to the various areas, lights, and appliances in your home are called breakers. Your electrician determines how much of your overall electrical capacity is in use and how much is available.

You need to be aware of the following: "the 80% rule in electrical design (NEC) states that continuous loads—those running for 3 hours or more—must not exceed 80% of a circuit breaker or fuse rating." EV chargers are governed by this rule.

Let us assume that your electrician determines there are 40 amps available for an EV charger. By applying the 80% rule, you must not operate a charger at more than 32 amps (80% of 40 amps is 32 amps). If, as another example, you have 60 amps available at the box, your charger cannot exceed 48 amps.

A level 2 ev charger operates at 240 volts. Using the 32 amp ev charger example, the charger outputs 7.68 kW (32 amps x 240 volts / 1000). In the case of the 48 amp charger, the output is 11.52 kW (48 x 240 / 1000).

It's very important to understand that your EV cannot accept more power than it is capable of and that your EV charger cannot deliver more power than it is capable of. For example, let us assume that your EV can accept a maximum of 9.6 kW. If you have a 7.68 kW charger, your car will charge at a maximum of 7.68 kW (that is all the charger is capable of). If you have an 11.52 kW charger, your EV will charge at a maximum of 9.6 kW (that is all the EV is capable of).

To figure out how much battery capacity your charger can fill, multiply your charger's capacity by the number of charging hours available. Over 8 hours, for example, the 7.68 kW charger can add roughly 61 kWh to your EV battery. An 11.52 kW charger can add about 92 kWh.

One last thing: these days, there are devices that allow installation of EV chargers in homes which, on paper, do not have enough capacity (power management devices, for example) . If yours is one such home, ask your electrician about your options.

Let's say you're on a road trip in a 400 volt architecture EV that's supposed to peak-charge at 150 kW. But for some reason, your car peak-charges at 112 kW. The battery is preconditioned. It is at a low state of charge (10%). Your DC fast charger is rated at 240 kilowatts (well above the 150 kW you expect). It is not sharing power. There are no equipment problems at play. What could be the matter? Well, it could be a mismatch between the charger and the EV's capabilities.

Let me explain.

Recall from one of my previous posts that kilowatt  =  amps x voltage / 1000.

Let's say that your EV operates at a maximum of 400 volts. 150 kW is 150,000 watts. This means that your car operates at a maximum of 375 amps (because 375 amps x 400 volts = 150,000 watts).

Now suppose your 240 kW DC fast charger operates at 800 amps and 300 volts (800 x 300 = 240,000). While the charger's amperage is much higher than your car's, its voltage is lower. While your car can accept 400 volts,  the charger can deliver only 300. For amperage, let's assume the charger delivers the full 375 amps.

Your car's maximum charging speed will be 112.5 kW (375 amps x 300 volts = 112,500 watts = 112.5 kilowatts).

The point I am making is that kilowatts are not a unitary measure but rather a product of amperage and voltage. Both the charger and the car have limits to each of these measures. A charger cannot deliver more than it is capable of and an EV cannot accept more than it is capable of.

At your next charging stop, you find a charger that also operates at 240 kW. But this charger delivers 480 amps and 500 volts (480 x 400 = 240,000). Here, your car hits the expected peak charging speed of 150 kW because the charger is capable of delivering both the maximum amperage (375) and maximum voltage (400) levels.

A watt is a measure of power. It's calculated as follows:

Watt = Current (in Amps) x Voltage

A kilowatt (kW) is 1000 watts

Kilowatt hours (kWh) measure how many hours of power there are in your EVs battery. It's the equivalent of how many litres or gallons of fuel there are to power your ICE vehicle.

Level 1 charging

A level 1 comes with your EV and operates at 110 volts (in North America) and a maximum of 12 amps.

Watts = 12 amps x 110 volts = 1,320 watts = 1.32 kW.

It uses a regular three-prong wall socket.

Level 2 chargers may be provided by the car seller but are often purchased separately. They use a plug similar to a dryer's or an electric stove's. Level 2 chargers operate at 240 volts in North America, and they usually have amperages of between 16 and 80. They deliver between 3.8 kW (16 amps x 240 volts / 1000 watts) and 19.2 kW (80 amps x 240 volts / 1000 watts)

EV owners buy Level 2 chargers because they charge much faster than Level 1 chargers. For example, a 40-amp Level 2 charger delivers 9.6 kW, which is 7 times faster than a Level 1 charger.

Charging a 56 kWh battery would take 42 hours using a Level 1 charger and 6 hours using a Level 2 charger.

Hey everyone! I'm u/Cool-Replacement4972, a founding moderator of r/the80percent4EVs.

This is our new home for all things related to the following:

1. Changing mindsets around electric vehicles (such as EVs are expensive and impractical)

2. Encouraging would be car buyers to consider electric vehicles (for example, does the discouraging use case really apply to the would-be buyer?) 

3. Giving would be buyers practical insights about living with electric vehicles (for example, installing level 2 chargers and road tripping EVs)

4. Combating EV misinformation

We're excited to have you join us!

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On average, more than 150,000 brand new passenger cars are sold in Canada each month. I wonder how many of those buyers the following describes (my guess is 80%).

You are in the market for a new car. You (can) have access to off-peak level 2 charging (or you can charge for little or free somewhere (at work, perhaps)). You will not use your new car to commute hundreds of kilometers each day. You will only occasionally take long road trips. You will not use your new car to tow thousands of pounds over long distances on a regular basis.

The average round trip Canadian commute is less than 60 km.

Take an EV with a (smallish) useable battery capacity of 60 kWh. Assume it's the dead of winter and you're relying on only 60% of that capacity (36 kWh). Assume, too, that your EV has a horrible efficiency of 30 kWh/100km. Your EV can travel 120 km without a recharge.

Also, many EVs have bigger than 60 kWh batteries and better efficiency than 30 kWh/100 km.

So, should you really be anxious?

In Canada, a Toyota Prius with fuel efficiency of 4.5l/100 km would cost $5.63 to travel 100 km at $1.25 a litre.

A highly inefficient Chevy Silverado EV with an efficiency of 33 kWh/100 km would cost $3.23 to travel the same distance when charged overnight at an Ontario, Canada home.

An average efficiency EV (21 kWh/100 km) would cost $2.06 in Ontario and $2.75 in expensive Alberta.

Just saying...