There are several classifications applied to electric vehicle charger. Electric vehicle charger is also called EVSE which means electric vehicle supply equipment. Understanding EV charger classification is a great help for everyone who owns EV.
1. In Terms of Power Delivered to the Electric Vehicle
2. In Terms of Level
3. In Terms of Charging Speed
4. In Terms of System Configuration or Solution
EV Charger Classification in Terms of Power Delivered to the Electric Vehicle
There are two classifications of EV charger or EVSE when talking about the type of power delivered to the electric vehicle. These are AC charger or EVSE and DC charger or EVSE.
AC Charger or AC EVSE
AC charger means that the input of the charger is AC and its output which is used by the electric vehicle is still AC.
This classification of EVSE is commonly used in homes to charge vehicle overnight since this is a very slow charger. This type of EVSE is given together with the vehicle during purchase.
There is also an AC charger that rated with higher current compared to the one given by the EV manufacturer or dealer. This is not anymore often used in homes but commonly found in public places such as restaurants and convenient stores. This type of AC charger can give current as high as 80A and a power as high as 22kW.
An AC charger is not a true charger. It can be described as an adaptor instead. The actual charging process is performed inside the electric vehicle. When the AC power enters the electric vehicle, it will be directed to the onboard charger and battery management system. This will be the one to converter the AC power to DC power that is usable by the battery.
DC Charger or DC EVSE
A DC charger means the input of the charger is AC power while its output that is feed to the electric vehicle is DC. This means that this charger classification has the AC to DC conversion and has the charging process already as compared to the AC EVSE.
The DC power delivered by this EVSE is no longer pass through the onboard charger but will go directly to the battery. The charging process is fully performed by the EVSE.
This classification of charger is often associated with high current and high voltage, thus giving high charging power. This is commonly installed in public places like big supermarkets, groceries stores, malls or in a dedicated charging station in a strategic location. This EVSE classification is often call as fast charger.
EV Charger Classification in Terms of Level
You may hear about level 1, level 2 or level 3 EV chargers. These are EV Charger classification in terms of the reference standard or a.k.a. textbook definition.
Level 1 Charger
Level 1 is the classification given to the charger that given together with the electric vehicle during purchase. The input source voltage to the charger is AC and it is compatible to the country where the EV is purchased. This is a slow charger that may be used by EV owners to charge their cars overnight. For EVs with big battery pack, charging overnight many not able to full the battery (though still depend on the state of charge). This type of charger may add less than 5 miles range in every hour of charging.
Level 2 Charger
Level 2 charger classification is still an AC charger. However, it has higher current capacity than level 1 chargers. It is not often used in homes but very common in convenient stores, supermarkets, malls and hotels. Its input source voltage is AC and may be single phase, split phase or three-phase. In the US, the voltage range is 208Vac to 240Vac. A perfect example of this L2 charger is BTC Power MaX variants. Check it at
https://btcpower.com/products/ac-chargers-level-2/, and ABB Terra AC Wallbox, check it at https://new.abb.com/ev-charging/terra-ac-wallbox.
This charger classification is still a slow charger but faster than level 1. It can full an electric vehicle battery in 3 to 8 hours, depending on the battery pack size and state of charge. It can add around 62 miles per hour of charging.
Level 3 Charger
Level 3 charger is often associated to DC charger. It is also referred to a fast charger. Level 3 chargers can add around 300 miles of range (or higher) in every hour of charging.
EV Charger Classification in Terms of Charging Speed
EVSE is also classified in terms of charging speed. It can be a very slow charger, slow charger or a fast charger.
Very Slow Charger
Level 1 charger is under very slow charger classification. This is a charger that given by the vehicle manufacturer or dealer during purchase of the EV. It is pluggable to the wall outlet with a current capacity of 12A to 16A only. It may not full a big battery pack at low SOC when charge overnight.
Slow Charger
Level 2 charger is considered a slow charger. It can offer a charging current of 32A to 80A. With this charger, a big battery pack may get fully charge in 3-8 hours.
Fast Charger
DC charger is commonly considered as fast charger. It has a power of 50kW and above.
Upon this writing, extremely fast chargers are called hyper fast and ultra-fast. Hyper fast DC chargers can provide at least 150kW of power. Ultra-fast on the other hand can deliver at least 350kW of power. This type of charger can fully charge a standard car battery in 20-30 minutes.
EV Charger Classification in Terms of System Configuration and Solution
EV charger classification can be extended to standalone (or All-in-one in some manufacturer) and split system. A standalone EVSE means a complete charger by itself. The AC to DC conversion as well as the power dispensing to the vehicle are process on a single system.
A split system refers to an EVSE that uses two or more system to make a complete charging station. In common practice, the AC to DC conversion or the so-called power cabinet is isolated to a single enclosure and installed far away from the dispensing system. The dispensing part is the one going to interface the electric vehicle.
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