The biggest myths about electric cars, debunked

It’s true that the time it takes to charge an EV varies, and that regardless of the option, it’s likely to take longer than it does to fill up a gasoline-powered vehicle. But that doesn’t mean charging has to take an extraordinarily long time, or that it’s impossible to own one because of the charging times. 

There are a few types of charging.

According to the US Department of Transportation, Level 1 charging could use a standard outlet and take up to two days to charge an EV from dead to 80% (the caveat here is, typically you wouldn’t let your EV run all the way to 0%, and you don’t always need to top it off to 100% either). 

Level 2 charging could get an EV from 0% to 80% in anywhere from 4 to 10 hours.

An EV driver would typically use those two applications overnight or during the day if they’re at a workplace for 8 hours.

Level 3 charging, known as DC fast charging, could take just 20 minutes to an hour, according to the DOT — this would be best if you’re on a roadtrip or in a hurry.

The key is having access to fast charging.