How Long Does It Take to Charge an Electric Car?

Subaru is launching an all-new fleet of fully-electric vehicles, starting with the 2023 Subaru Solterra compact SUV! If you’re interested in buying a Subaru electric vehicle but have never owned one before, you probably have a few questions. For one thing, how long does it take to charge an electric car? EVs run on large batteries that need to be regularly recharged by plugging your car into a wall charger, either at home or at a public charging station. 

There’s no one answer to the question of an EV charging time because every EV has a different-sized battery, and charging times vary between make and model. However, there are some general conclusions we can draw by examining the different methods of charging. The service team at Serra Subaru of Traverse City has outlined everything you need to know about the three main types of charging, along with the average electric car charging time for each, in the guide below. 

Three Electric Car Charging Options

• Level 1 Charging – Domestic Outlet Home Charging: This is the most common type of charger you’ll find since all it requires is a standard three-prong electrical outlet. This is called Level 1 charging, and it uses the same level of charge that you use to power everything from your refrigerator to your computer. However, because an electric vehicle is much larger than a phone or laptop, charging via a Level 1 outlet often takes multiple days to recharge your battery to full capacity. 
• Level 2 Charging – Brand-Approved Domestic Charging: While Level 1 outlets are the most commonly found, Level 2 chargers are most frequently used by EV drivers in the Garfield Township area. Level 2 charging uses rapid charging technology at 240 volts or more, and needs to be installed by a professional electrician. These chargers typically top off your battery in a matter of hours, and DC (direct-current) fast charging can get the battery up to full capacity even faster!
• Level 3 Charging – Public Fast Charging: If you’re outside the house and need to give your battery some juice, you can stop by a public charging station for high-performance fast charging that can give you up to 80% charge in as little as half an hour! These charging stations can be found anywhere from shopping malls to parking garages, and at certain big-name stores like Walmart or Kohls. In fact, some even offer emissions-free renewable charging powered by solar panels or wind turbines!

Typical Domestic Charging Electric Car Charging Time

When recharging your EV from home, your charging times vary depending on whether you choose a Level 1 or Level 2 charger. Here’s the average charging time for both:

• Level 1 EV charging often takes days to fully charge an electric car. 
• Level 2 EV charging takes hours to fully charge an electric car. Generally speaking, a single night of Level 2 charging is sufficient to fully recharge an EV.

Most new EVs come with a Level 1 charger included, but EV drivers typically intermix Level 2 at-home charging with topping off at Level 3 public fast chargers. Public chargers are an excellent choice for drivers who want to take their electric cars on long road trips.

If you drive a plug-in hybrid like the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek, your charging times could be even lower! Since plug-in hybrids are still partially powered by gasoline, their batteries are smaller and therefore take less time to recharge. The average plug-in hybrid takes between one and four hours to fully recharge and can switch to gasoline power as a backup if the battery runs out on the Interlochen roads. 

Typical Public Charging Electric Car Charging Time

On average, home EV chargers offer either 3.7 kW or 7 kW chargers. By contrast, public charging stations offer 22 kW charging at the very least and can go up to 50 or even 150 kW rapid charging! Public chargers are designed to top off your battery in an extremely short timeframe, often charging the battery up fully in an hour or so. However, the EV charging time varies depending on the make and model of your specific car. 

Find Your Next EV at Serra Subaru of Traverse City!

If you have any questions about EV charging times or anything else we’ve discussed above, feel free to contact our office! You can also stop by our dealership near Williamsburg to talk to a member of our team about our lineup of hybrid and electric vehicles.