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" The Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, Prius PHEV and a host of EVs and PHEVs that are coming to market all include with a Level 1 charger, essentially nothing more than a very smart extension cord, in the trunk. The smaller battery packs used in PHEVs and the Volt can charge completely this way overnight.  The Leaf is a different story\u2014it carries a massive 24-kwh pack and takes a lot longer. My 50-mile one-way drive depletes the pack so much that the charge timer on the dash predicts a 34-hour charge. For shorter commutes, that lengthy charge time might not be an ultimate barrier, especially if you have an opportunity to charge during the day, as we have in our parking garage (thanks to the good graces of some very cooperative parking-lot attendants.) But for most people, the time constraint might preclude using the Leaf for everyday commuting. Any serious charging of these vehicles, then, will require a Level 2 charger, which reduces the Leaf&amp;#039;s 34-hour wait to a manageable 6 hours or so. Unfortunately, not every home can support a Level 2 charger without major upgrades.       The high charge rate demands the wall-mounted charger to have a dedicated 40-amp circuit wired directly to the home&amp;#039;s service panel. Many homes, particularly older ones, have only 100-amp service, restricted not just by the size of the main circuit breakers but by the size of the wiring to the pole-mounted transformer, and perhaps by the transformer itself. If you figure you&amp;#039;re using 30 amps to run the air conditioning, 20 or 30 for an electric water heater, 20 more for an electric range and more amps to run the TV set and a refrigerator and some interior lighting, then plugging in an electric vehicle simply will overtax the whole system. So the minimum requirements for a Level 2 charger start with 200-amp service and a couple of empty bays in the service panel for the new breaker or a new subpanel. Hopefully, the panel will be somewhere near where the car will be parked\u2014otherwise you&amp;#039;ll need a lot of heavy-gauge wiring. Aerovironment&amp;#039;s Richard Gershman wasn&amp;#039;t at liberty to speak about the cost of the actual charger, but Nissan is saying that the typical Level 2 charger installation will cost as much as $2000. If this triggers an upgrade to 200-amp service, the total cost could be substantially more. The installation is relatively simple for a licensed electrician, but the work will require a permit from the local building department and and an inspection after the work is completed. &amp;amp;gt; Popular Mechanics&amp;#039; New EV Charging Station &amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/hybrid-electric/a6681/what-it-really-takes-to-charge-an-electric-vehicle/>