I've heard the quick charge stations only work for Tesla automobiles - is that true? 45 minutes is acceptable to 'fill up'. 4+ hours on a regular charge to get another 150 miles is not.
So, Tesla has their own charging network. They are starting to make it available to non-Tesla cars overseas but right now Tesla only.
So the quick charging is known as Level Three charging or DC Fast Charging. There are multiple companies building out networks for these in the US. Electrify America, ChargePoint and EVgo are probably the most popular. They basically have charging stations all along in the Interstates and in multiple places in large cities. Usually at a Walmart or similar shopping center.
As for charging speeds on DCFC, most modern cars can go from 0-full in 45 minutes or less. That rate of charging continues to improve. Most of the new cars can give you about 80% charge in about 15-20 minutes. Physics slows down that last 20 percent. Range also continues to improve. The new Lucid Air is the current range champ. It can get over 500 miles on a single charge. As an incentive, most new cars come with a couple of years of free DC fast charging on one of these networks.
There are two other types of charging. Level 1 which is just using your regular 120 plug at home. This is slow, but if you plug the car up and let it charge over night, it will meet most of your day to day needs.
Level 2 is a 240 plug like your dryer uses. It will usually charge the car in three to four hours. Again, just plug it up at night and you are good to go in the morning. Most of the chargers/cars have features where you can tell it to charge when rates are the cheapest if your electric company adjust usage rates.
If you live in an urban area there are probably already some level 2 chargers spread out over your town that you can use. Several of them are even free. I just charge at home so I pay no attention to them. Plugshare is a great app you can use to see what is in your area. An app called A better route planner is great to use if you are going on a trip. It can help you plan when and where to stop and charge.
We own one electric car, and as soon as the market calms down we will buy a second. The cars are fun to drive, have little to no maintenance, and they are cheap to operate. If you are thinking about getting a new car I would suggest test driving one.
One last note. If you have seen a commercial for a self-charging Electric car, just ignore it. Honda and Toyota are lagging behind in getting into the EV market. So, they are using this new campaign to basically sell their existing hybrid cars.
