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Is fast charging bad for electric cars?
Level 1 charging is all that I’m able to do at home right now off of my 110-volt plug. I’m thinking about upgrading to a 240-volt outlet so that I don’t have to wait so long between charging cycles. But what about DC fast charging, which is Level 3? Is this bad for my car?
Jason Crosby · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Using DC fast chargers all the time could be tempting, since it halves the amount of time you spend waiting to recharge. Every once in a while, DC fast charging is okay. But if it’s done frequently, you’ll wear down your battery more quickly. Here’s why:
- Unlike Level 1 and Level 2home chargers, which use an AC current that’s converted to DC power by the vehicle, a Level 3 DC fast charger feeds DC energy straight to the battery. This overrides the car’s ability to regulate the amount of current the battery receives.
- Even though public DC fast chargers are convenient, it’s just too much energy for batteries to handle on a regular basis. For long, occasionalroad trips, it’s okay to use them. They’ll boost you back up to 80% capacity after about 60 minutes of charging. But if you can be patient, don’t go higher than Level 2. Batteries are expensive to replace, and you don’t want to have to shell out thousands of dollars for a new one before you have to.
- Because of the amount of energy transferred into your battery’s lithium-ion cells, your capacity will be reduced more quickly with frequent fast charging use. Once your electric car has been driven more than 50,000 miles, your battery’s capacity can dip by more than 10%—and with frequent DC fast charging, you’ll add about another 4% to that number.
DC fast charging might be quick, but the takeaway is that this charging method comes with a drawback. However, fast savings with
Jerry
doesn’t—we’re here to help you save on car insurance, plain and simple. Get started today, and receive updated quotes every six months to keep the savings flowing, and your EV rolling safely down the road. View full answer
- Gregory R.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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