How Long Does It Take to Charge an Electric Car at Aldi?
Gasoline vehicles release a lot of harmful emissions that harm the environment. As a result, electrification of the automotive market through the development of eco-friendly EV models emerged as a viable alternative to gasoline vehicles. Many people believe that electric cars conserve the environment and are gradually adopting their use.
Since electric cars are becoming more popular, many businesses are warming up to the idea by providing charging stations for their customers. Even the famous supermarket chain Aldi has started installing charging stations for electric vehicles. So, how long does it take to charge an electric car at Aldi?
EV charging stations come in different levels
In order to know how long an electric vehicle takes to charge, it is important to understand the different charging levels. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, an EV can be charged at three different levels: Level 1, Level 2, and Direct Current Fast Charging.
Level 1 is the slowest charging speed available for an EV through a 120-volt AC outlet. Only residential areas have this level of charging because of how slowly it charges. An empty battery electric vehicle would take 40–50 hours to reach full charge at this level, while a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) with much less range would take 5–6 hours to reach full charge.
Next is Level 2 charging, available both in residential areas and commercial enterprises. In residences, Level 2 charging uses a 240-volt outlet, while commercial enterprises use a 208-volt outlet. A battery electric vehicle would take 4–10 hours to reach full charge from empty, while a PHEV would take 1–2 hours.
Level 3, also known as Direct Current Fast Charging, is the fastest charging level for EVs. A Level 3 charging station offers direct current from 480V. A battery-electric vehicle takes 20 minutes to 1 hour to reach 80% at this level. The Tesla Supercharger is also a type of Level 3 charger. However, it is currently only available for Tesla models. Additionally, Level 3 charging is only available commercially.
How long does it take to charge an electric car at an Aldi?
Businesses with EV charging stations usually only have Level 2 and 3 charging stations. A typical Level 2 charging station has a power output of 7 kW–19 kW, while a Level 3 charging station has a power output of 50 kW–350 kW. Furthermore, the duration to charge your EV depends on the charging level and the electric car’s battery capacity.
Let’s take the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5, for instance, with a battery capacity of 77.4 kWh. If its battery runs low and you decide to charge it at a Level 3 charging station with an output of 75 kW, it would take almost an hour to reach full charge.
Most Aldi branches have Level 2 charging stations. Therefore, depending on your electric car’s battery capacity, charging your EV at an Aldi store may take a minimum of 4 hours to reach full charge, especially for electric vehicles with a higher battery capacity.
Aldi is adding more EV locations to its stores
Aldi envisions a more comfortable future for its customers by doubling the number of EV charging stations across all of its store branches. An example is Aldi Ireland, which plans to add 41 EV charging stations. So, 19 Aldi stores will have a total of 79 charging stations.
Electric vehicle charging map applications such as PlugShare have eased the process of EV charging. EV owners can finally take advantage of these stations while shopping at Aldi and monitoring the charging progress of their electric vehicles.
With these apps, you can check if your local Aldi store has an EV charging station since they show the nearest EV charging station and others in the surrounding region. This has saved EV owners the trouble of driving long distances to find a charging station.
