What is DC Fast Charging?

As automotive technology continues to advance, more and more electric vehicles are being manufactured every year. That’s why Honda of Chantilly believes it’s important to shed some light on the ins and outs of DC fast charging. Afterwards, feel free to contact our staff with any further questions. 

DC Charging

If you’ve never heard of DC charging, we’ll start off by letting you know that the term “DC” stands for direct current. This means when you plug into one of these systems, the DC power will go straight to your EV’s battery, unlike alternating current power. AC power requires a converter to charge the battery in your car, which makes it slightly less effective than DC. For this reason, DC charging is the preferred method for long distance traveling. DC charging stations can fully replenish your vehicle’s battery in anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes. This is because it has an output in the range of 50 kilowatts to 350 kilowatts.

Charging Levels

Electric vehicles can be recharged in a number of ways. Even though there are at-home units and public locations, they don’t all operate at equal rates. First, there is Level 1 charging, which uses a common 120-volt household outlet. This is best used overnight as it only adds between three and five miles of range per hour. Level 2 chargers can also be installed at home, but they utilize a 208-240-volt outlet. With that power, they can charge your ride up to 10 times faster than Level 1 units. Finally,we have Level 3 chargers, which is what DC charging falls under. These units require a heft 400-volt circuit, which means that you’ll likely only find them at public locations. When hooked up, it can provide three to 20 miles of range per minute. Reach out to our team if you have questions about these chargers.

Finding Charging Stations

Since this technology is relatively new, we understand that it might be difficult to find a charging location. Luckily, if you download the HondaLink®1 app on your mobile device, you’ll be able to pinpoint the nearest station. It will also let you know what level of charging is available near you. But, if that’s not an option for you, you can head over to the Alternative Fuels Data Center website to locate these units all over the country. It features a tool that you can use to find compabtile stations with just a few clicks. 

What is DC fast charging? We hope this overview has made this clearer for you. However, if you want to know more about this topic, give Honda of Chantilly a call today!