The popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) is high as more people embrace sustainability. Businesses are using the opportunity to attract and maintain customers. Festival Foods is among the brands and chains embracing the automotive market’s electrification. The company is now offering EV charging stations in many of its stores across Wisconsin. 

These amenities are available for both customers and employees. Before using the EV charging stations at Festival Foods, here’s what you should know, including how long it might take to charge your electric car at your local FF store.

How long does it take to charge an electric car?

The charging level will determine the time needed to recharge your car at Festival foods. According to the US Department of Transportation and NeoCharge, you can charge an electric vehicle using three speeds. 

Equipment offering Level 1 charging uses a 120-volt (V) outlet. Standard outlets are common in homes and workplaces, but you can also find them in public areas like Festival Foods. You need 40-50 hours to fully charge an empty battery electric vehicle (BEV). However, if you have a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), you’ll only need 5-6 hours to reach a full charge from empty.

Level 2 charging equipment features a 240V outlet in residential applications. However, you will likely find a 208V electric service in a commercial setting like Festival Foods. Level 2 equipment can charge a PHEV in 1-2 hours and a BEV in 4-10 from empty.

Level 3 electric vehicle charging equipment is only available in public locations due to the cost and resources needed. Per EV Town, such devices often have 480V outlets. They use a direct current (DC) instead of an alternating current (AC). This means the chargers deliver power straight into your EV’s battery instead of via the onboard charger. Additionally, Tesla Superchargers are a type of Level 3 charger.

Charging your EV with Level 3 chargers can take 20 minutes to 1 hour. The exact duration will depend on the power rate capacity of the direct-current fast charge (DCFC) station and your electric car’s battery capacity.

The types of charging stations you can find at Festival Foods

Festival Foods, among other businesses, often offer Level 2 and 3 charging stations. This measure allows EV users to recharge their cars faster. Besides, it lets more customers and employees enjoy electric vehicle amenities.

According to Chargerzilla, Festival Foods also has many locations with Tesla Superchargers. For example, the Westowne Avenue branch in Oshkosh provides six DC fast chargers, which are available 24/7.

Calculating the time needed to charge your electric car

The time you need to charge your electric vehicle can depend on several factors. Such include:

• The state of your battery
• The maximum charging rate of your electric car
• The size of your battery

Before charging your electric car at Festival Foods, check the charge rate. After that, compare it against your vehicle’s battery capacity. This measure will allow you to determine the time needed to charge your EV up to 100% or the desired capacity.

Here are some steps to estimate the time required to charge your car at Festival Foods.

1. Calculate load power by multiplying the current (in amps) by the voltage. For example, 16 x 230 V = 3,680 W 
2. Divide the load power by 1,000 to get a value in kilowatts. For instance: 3,680 W = 3.7 kilowatts (rounded off)
3. Divide the power of your EV battery (also in kW) by the figure obtained in step 2 to get the charging time. For example, 24 kW/ 3.7 kW= 6.5

Festival Foods is adding more EV charging station locations

Festival Foods announced more EV charging stations at eight of its stores. These have a J1772 plug charge, which is usable on any electric car, including Teslas.

You won’t incur any cost for the first three hours when charging your EV at festival foods. However, the store requires $5/hr for each additional hour in all branches except Holmen.

If you want to confirm whether your local Festival Foods has an EV charging station, you can use an app like PlugShare.