Understanding Electric Vehicle Amperage and EV Charger Amperage

Understanding EV Amperage Capability

Amperage refers to the flow rate, or volume, of an electrical current. In the context of your EV, your vehicle’s amperage represents the maximum amount of the AC current capable of passing through the onboard charger to your battery.

Amperage ratings for electric vehicles have historically ranged anywhere from 16 to 80 amps, but most recent models can accept between 40 to 50 amps. Amperage is an important consideration when choosing an EV since it directly impacts the amount of power your EV can accept, and thus, also has a direct impact on charging times and the power of the charger you can use.

The higher the amperage rating, the faster you can potentially charge your EV, provided that the charger can match the EV’s capacity.

If you currently own an EV, familiarizing yourself with your vehicle’s amperage rating will help you better understand the charging capacities of your car and help ensure you are selecting an optimal charging solution.

You can easily find your vehicle’s amperage in either your owner’s manual or by simply looking up your EV’s make and model on the manufacturer’s website.

What Does EV Charger Amperage Mean?

Now that you are familiar with electric vehicle amperage, it’s important to understand EV charger amperage as well. This refers to the maximum flow of current the charger can draw from the grid and supply to your EV. It’s important to understand your charger’s amperage capabilities, as they can vary significantly depending on the charging level.

Level 1 EV Charging

Level 1 charging, which uses a standard 120V outlet, typically provides a flow rate of 12 to 16 amps.

While this is sufficient for charging a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) in approximately 5-6 hours or topping off an EV battery, it results in slow charging times of over 40 to 50 hours for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which have a larger battery capacity and solely rely on electricity to operate, to fully charge.

Level 2 EV Charging

Level 2 charging ranges from 15 to 80 amps, with hardwired chargers typically delivering a higher flow rate than portable models. A Level 2 charger will typically take about five hours to fully charge your EV but can take up to ten hours depending on the capacity of the charger and the size of the EV battery.

You should also note that amperage not only affects charging speed but can also impact the cost and installation requirements of the EV charging equipment.

To ensure the long-term safety and efficiency of an EV charging station, a qualified electrician must install a circuit breaker with a capacity 25% higher than the charger’s amperage. So, for example, if you are looking to install an 80-amp EV charging station in your home, your electrical panel would need the capacity both in electrical load and physical space, to add a 100-amp breaker to support the EV charging station.

Level 3 EV Charging

Lastly, Dc Fast Charging Stations, or Level 3 EV chargers, deliver the highest amperage as well as the fastest charging times—often fully recharging an EV in about an hour.

These commercial-grade chargers, which are not available for residential use and generally cannot be used by PHEVs, can deliver anywhere from 100 to 500 amps, depending on the make and model of the vehicle.

This is the most expensive form of EV charging and is best for when you are driving longer distances, such as a road trip.

One key difference between DCFC and Level 1 and Level 2 EV charging is that DC Fast Charging stations already provide electricity as a DC current instead of an AC current. This is more efficient as the EV will not need to convert the electricity to a DC current to store within the onboard battery.