Corn Belt Energy Electric Vehicle (EV) Project

Follow our blog below as we share our electric vehicle experience.

Not your typical fuel - how charging works with an EV

Friday, 20 July 2018

EVs are more efficient and environmentally friendly than gas vehicles. They also use a different fueling model: as an EV owner, you'll top off the battery by charging when you're parked at a business or your home, instead of making a separate trip to refuel.

The Chevy Bolt EV accepts the universal connector on every standard Level 2 charging station, which adds about 25 miles of range per hour. It takes just a few seconds to plug in, then you can go about your day (or night) while the Bolt EV charges. We also opted to purchase the DC fast charger adapter which was a $750 factory option on the Chevy Bolt.

What types of chargers are available for EVs?

Level 1: 120V charger - This charger included with the car (plugs into a conventional wall outlet)

Level 2: 240V charger - This charger an electrician would install in your garage or at your home residence. It is most common to utilize this charger at home for example overnight.

Level 3: DC fast charger - This charger is the up and coming charger and not all vehicles are capable of this.

How long will it take to charge my EV?

Level 1: charges at a rate of 4 miles in 1 hour - For the Chevy Bolt, it will take approximately 59.5 hours to charge the Bolt on a 120V charger from empty to a full charge.

Level 2: charges at a rate of 25 miles in 1 hour - For the Chevy Bolt, it will take approximately 9 hours to charge the Bolt on a 240V charger from empty to a full charge.

Level 3: charges at a rate of 180 miles in 1 hour up to 80% charge and then charges at a rate of 25 miles in 1 hour for remainder of the charge - For the Chevy Bolt, it will take approximately 3 hours to charge the Bolt on a DC Fast charger from empty to a full charge. (Please note: the DC Fast charger charges at a slower rate for the final 20% to keep the battery from overheating or overcharging.)

What apps and websites can you utilize to locate charging stations?

Below are a few of the many apps and websites available to direct you to nationwide charging stations.

Plugshare, (http://www.plugshare.com/)
ChargeHub (https://chargehub.com/en/charging-stations-map.html)
U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_locations.html).
ChargePoint (https://na.chargepoint.com/charge_point)

More information about the Corn Belt Energy EV Project

Throughout our EV project, we will provide information about our journey with the EV on this blog. We encourage you to follow our blog posts as well as social media posts about the EV, and if you have any specific questions, please contact Jeremy Myers at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling us at 800-879-0339 x221.