Level 4 EV Charging

After gasoline-based automobiles first entered mass production over a century ago, industries devoted their focus to constructing refuel stations throughout the world and preceded to build other establishments around them. For many decades, this continued to be a priority and led to abundant gas stations, price competition, and economic dependence. Although the first electric vehicles debuted well before this time, limited electricity access in rural areas and greater costs ultimately resulted in a decreased demand with little to no production by 1935 [1].

Though the majority continued to favor internal combustion engines, interest shifted in the late 1960’s following increased fuel costs and resulted in EV prototypes which were further promoted by governmental legislation against petroleum emissions. By 2010, Toyota, Honda, and Tesla Motors had all entered mass production with consumer deliveries and more companies soon followed suit. In result, both public and personal chargers have been in concurrent development with increased access to electricity as well as maximum-load capabilities.

Although the initial infrastructure was incomparable to gas stations, long-range travel is more feasible than ever before with charging networks undergoing development on a global scale. While many still prefer a personal dock at home, limited EV ranges of around 300 to 400 miles mean that one could ever only drive 150 to 200 miles away before having to return or ensure their destination has a compatible charger. Currently, the largest networks across the United States include Electrify America, Tesla Superchargers, EVgo, ChargePoint, and Blink [2]. Despite this, collective abundance falls far short with approximately 104 gas pumps occurring every 1,000 miles while only 22 chargers [3]. To make matters worse, those 22 docks don’t charge at the same speed and can often be out of service for several weeks.

Despite the past issues with public networks, more people are considering electric vehicles with financial incentives, decreasing costs, continued infrastructure, practicality, and advancements in energy transfer. Established as an industry standard, Level 1 chargers peak at 100kW of energy but suffer from reduced capabilities when neighboring units are in use, Level 2 at 150kW with neighboring limitations, Level 3 at 250 kW, and most recently Level 4 at 350kW [4]. While batteries in no way charge at a constant wattage, these gradual increases contribute to reduced wait times and therefore more open docks for others. (It should be mentioned that every EV has a maximum energy acceptance per given instant. One’s speed of charge depends upon many variables including their remaining range at arrival, ambient temperature, charger capabilities, vehicle limitations).

With all things considered, advancements in both public and home charging systems are one more step towards a world free of fossil fuels and greater acceptance of electric vehicles. As this trend continues, infrastructure and upgrades to current systems will hopefully follow.

[1]         “The History of the Electric Car.” https://www.energy.gov/articles/history-electric-car (accessed January 25, 2025).

[2]         B. King. “5 Largest EV Charging Networks in the US.” https://www.makeuseof.com/largest-ev-charging-networks-in-the-us/ (accessed January 25, 2025).

[3]         “Gas Stations Vs. EV Charging Stations: Why Density Matters.” https://www.novacharge.net/blog/gas-stations-vs.-ev-charging-stations-density-matters (accessed January 25, 2025).

[4]         “Tesla Supercharger.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Supercharger (accessed January 25, 2025).

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