Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming the new norm in transportation as the world learns more about climate change and renewable energy. And with EVs comes the need to charge them in order to use them. More and more charging stations are popping up in places for the convenience of EV users. But the electricity that charges an EV doesn’t magically manifest itself.
What is an EV Charging Station?
An EV charging station, also known as EV charger supplies electric power through a plug-in device to charge an EV. You can purchase different types of EV charging stations for your home or for commercial use from the web shop of Charging Shop or you can also find them at public places where you have to pay for charging your EV.
There are three different levels of EV charging stations levels 1, 2, and 3, and the charging speed increases with each level. Level 1 is the most affordable option and also the slowest one. Level 2 EV charging station is most common in residential as it is convenient and 15 times faster than level 1 charger. Level 3 EV charging stations are the fastest among all three that can charge your EV in a couple of minutes. But being too big and expensive, you will find them mostly at public charging stations such as malls or commercial buildings.
The Most Common Power Source for EV Charging Stations
If you want to know how are EV charging stations powered, the common power source is natural gas. It is abundant, cheap, and accessible. But not all electricity is generated alone by fossil fuels, as EV charging stations are connected to the grid.
Your home is connected to an electoral grid and if you own a home EV charging station, it is connected to that grid. So, while an EV provides zero emissions, the energy it gets is not always clean. To take the example of the USA, the majority of the power supply comes from natural gas and coal (around 60%) and 20% from nuclear. The rest is from wind, hydro and solar, where solar energy ranks lowest at 2%.
The Cleanest EV Charging Station Power Source:
The cleanest power sources for an EV charging station come from solar, wind, and hydro. And while controversial, nuclear is also considered a zero-emission power source. This may be debated but one thing is certain nuclear power is definitely cleaner than coal and natural gas.
The electrical grid uses all sorts of power to generate electricity, depending on their location. For example, most of the EV charging stations in Las Vegas and other parts of Nevada use more hydroelectric energy due to the presence of the Hoover Dam. Meanwhile, most charging stations in California use vast wind farms and solar grids established there. So, to answer how are EV charging stations powered, if the location has access to clean energy, they are most likely to use that, else they rely on natural gas or coal.