Unfortunately, there are also some serious drawbacks with Level 1 charging. As EVs have developed, the driving public has demanded greater range from their electric cars—range approaching that of gas fueled cars. And EV manufacturers have delivered! Cars that can travel up to 300 miles on a full charge are now readily available. This significant increase in range is achieved using larger batteries with higher charge-density. The problem, of course, is that the greater battery capacity means they take longer to charge.
Although there’s much discussion about the availability of ‘public charging’ facilities, the reality is that over 80% of charging is done at home; therefore, the speed of home charging is a very important aspect of the whole equation.The typical scenario is that an EV owner plugs in their car after returning home from work. The car then charges for the entire night and is ready to go for the work commute the next morning. Level 1 charging worked fine when EVs had smaller batteries and could be fully recharged (even from empty) overnight.
However, with a 2019 EV, such at the Tesla Model 3 or a Chevy Bolt, empty-to-full charge times from a Level 1 charger can run to 40 hours or more. So, for most EV owners today, Level 1 charging is great to have as a backup, but is unlikely to enhance the experience of ownership if it’s the sole method of charging.