Charging

Find out how and where to charge an electric vehicle at home, at work, on road trips and around town.

EV Charging 101

One of the great things about an electric vehicle (EV) is that fueling up is as easy as plugging in. Though the vast majority of charging takes place at home, there are over 2,000 public places to charge an electric vehicle in B.C., including well over 100 fast-charging stations.

There are four simple but important things you need to do before using public charging stations.

Know which plug types you can use. This is really easy. See the descriptions below.
Use an app/website to find public charging stations: for example, PlugShare, or BC Hydro EV.
Sign up for a service network account. This will let you activate charging stations using a smartphone app or an RFID card.
Know about charging station etiquette.

Know your plugs

Charging stations have a few types of plugs depending on the manufacturer and power level they are supplying. You’ll need to know what type of port you have, and therefore which connections can plug into your vehicle.

While that may sound complicated, charging is actually quite easy. Essentially, charging stations are either made by Telsa for Tesla vehicles, or are public stations with multiple connections to accommodate everyone else. Tesla vehicles can use public stations too, so long as they have the proper adapters.

Charging Stations

These ports give EVs access to 3 different levels of charging which are known in the industry as level 1, level 2 and Level 3, or Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC).

Level 1

Level 1 is known colloquially as a “trickle charge.” All EVs come with a cordset that plugs into the car’s J-1772 or Tesla port with the other end plugging into a standard home wall outlet. Vehicles can typically gain 8-10 km of driving range per hour of charging, making this the slowest charging method, but still adequate for most daily commuters.

Level 2

Level 2 chargers are very common and can be found at community centres, parks, shopping malls, hotels, parkades and rest areas. Electric vehicle owners typically install one in their home garage using a 240v connection.

These charging stations use the J1772 plug except for Tesla versions, which of course use the Tesla plug. They provide more power than a regular household outlet and most vehicles will gain 20-40km of range per hour of charging.

Tesla vehicles can use J1772 charging stations by way of a small, inexpensive adapter.

Level 3

Level 3 charging is better known as Direct Current Fast Charging or simply ‘fast charging’. These charging stations enable most EVs to charge to 80% in under an hour, making road trips easier and quicker.

Public fast charging stations have two plugs: One CCS and one CHAdeMO. Only one plug can be used at a time, but the stations are designed this way so you can use them regardless of which plug type you have. Since Teslas have their own type of charging port, they will need a CHAdeMO adapter to use public stations like these.

Networks of fast charging stations are being built all across Canada and the United States. Check out their locations on PlugShare. Before heading out to use one of these stations, read our public charging page to learn about network accounts and etiquette.

Superchargers

Superchargers are charging stations Tesla installs for use by their vehicles. Teslas can gain from 10-20km of range per minute at Superchargers. Due to their unique charging plug Tesla Superchargers aren’t compatible with EVs from other manufacturers.

Charging Cards and Apps

Many stations require an account linked to an RFID card or smartphone app to activate. While most of your charging will likely be done on one or two networks, you will encounter more – and might need more accounts – as you travel around. If you are travelling to a new area, use PlugShare to see where charging stations are located and which network accounts you will need.

Greenlots | Flo | Chargepoint | BC Hydro EV | SWTCH

As you travel around B.C., you will find charging stations belonging to utilities (BC Hydro, Fortis BC), cities or regional districts. Don’t worry; they can be accessed with the accounts listed above.

Other Charging Stations

Petro Canada has charging stations that do not require a service network to activate. You can use your credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, like using a gas pump.

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has installed fast charging stations at rest areas. These stations do not require any accounts or credit cards. Just follow the instructions posted on-site or on PlugShare.

Tesla vehicles can use the Tesla Supercharger network, which is handled by an exiting Tesla account. Note: Tesla vehicles can access non-Tesla fast charging stations using a CHAdeMO adapter, but other vehicles cannot use Tesla charging stations.

Charging Station Etiquette

Etiquette is important at fast charging stations. We recommend you limit your charging time to 30 to 40 minutes to minimize the waiting time for others who need to charge.

Your fast-charging speed will slow down as the battery fills up. This is done to avoid damage to your battery, but it means that your car will charge slower as the battery gets topped up. Fast charging stations are increasingly being accompanied by Level 2 stations so that you can switch if you need to charge above 80%.

Don’t overstay

Don’t “ICE” electric vehicle parking stalls

Don’t park at a charger if you don’t need to charge

Next: Finding Charging Stations