Economist: Go With Slow Level 1 Charging!

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Well, this is music to my ears. It was shared with me by Phillip Kobernick, a recent CleanTech Talk guest who I discussed this matter with at length. The short story: Install more Level 1 charging capacity! This is all most of us need! And it’s much cheaper.

Naturally, all things being equal, who wouldn’t choose a 10-minute charge over a 3-hour charge or a 10-hour charge? But all things are not equal. Superfast chargers are far more expensive than Level 2 chargers, and Level 2 chargers are also significantly more expensive than Level 1 charging infrastructure (normal electricity outlets).

Phillip Kobernick, Associate Director of Energy Programs at Peninsula Clean Energy, made the case superbly on our podcast that Level 1 charging is often better for getting more charging capability installed and more electric cars charged. You get 4–7× more charging capability installed for the same cost if you go with Level 1 charging instead of Level 2. And given that people often just plug in their electric vehicles overnight, Level 1 charging can more than adequately provide what you need in that time.

Okay, on to the news. University of Calgary associate professor of economics Blake Shaffer starts with something that I have said for years is probably extremely common. He thought that when you had an electric car, you needed a Level 2 charger, and thus had to buy one on top of buying your car — and probably had to pay to have it installed (possibly even needing new electrical wiring and an upgraded electric panel). This is not the case. You can simply plug an electric car into a normal electricity outlet (see slides above).

Unsurprisingly, Shaffer also found that most people had this misimpression. “The interesting thing we found here is most folks expect you need to install a fast charger at home, these Level 2 chargers, and we found that overwhelmingly you don’t,” Shaffer said.

Research he and his colleagues did found that most drivers only needed cheap Level 1 charging except on rare occasions. “Shaffer and his co-authors worked with Enmax to study data from the driving and parking habits of 129 EVs in Calgary between December 2021 and 2022. The study concluded that the distances these EVs traveled each day were short enough, and the time they were left parked each night long enough, that a Level 1 charger met the needs for 29 per cent of cars in the study. An additional 53 per cent would have only needed to visit a public rapid charging station once per month or less on top of the Level 1 charging,” CBC in Canada writes.

The key is simply providing access to Level 1 charging in places where people tend to park — and, in order to get more people into EVs in the first place, making more people aware of this cheap and simple option.

Naturally, if people have a plug at home, they can rely on home charging. If they don’t have that option, even having a 110V outlet at work where they can plug in should cover almost all of their charging needs based on typical driving patterns.

Again, for much more on this topic, check out the podcast discussion I had with Phillip Kobernick:

Also, let us know if you have any other comments or questions on this matter.