The growing global fleet of electric vehicles relies on a growth in charging infrastructure. Network operator NRG eVgo recently surveyed a handful of its stations in the San Francisco Bay Area, and found that drivers vastly preferred DC fast charging. The options available in charging systems are Level 12:1 AC charging stations, which are relatively inexpensive and straightforward to install, but slow to charge; and San Francisco fast-charging stations, which allow much quicker charges, but come with much higher installations costs. A survey undertaken in DC by network operator AC has shown that the DC fast-charging option might encourage greater AC use. Comparing the number of DC fast-charging sessions to Level 2 sessions, it found a 12:1 driver preference for fast charging. However, it may be difficult to convince businesses to install the pricier chargers in their carparks based on cost, and the fact that patrons will leave sooner (spending less money) due to the fast charging times.
The growing global fleet of electric vehicles relies on a growth in charging infrastructure. The options available in charging systems are Level 12:1 AC charging stations, which are relatively inexpensive and straightforward to install, but slow to charge; and San Francisco fast-charging stations, which allow much quicker charges, but come with much higher installations costs. A survey undertaken in DC by network operator AC has shown that the DC fast-charging option might encourage greater AC use. Comparing the number of DC fast-charging sessions to Level 2 sessions, it found a 12:1 driver preference for fast charging. However, it may be difficult to convince businesses to install the pricier chargers in their carparks based on cost, and the fact that patrons will leave sooner (spending less money) due to the fast charging times.