The idea of finding a convenient EV charger can be overwhelming. What are the most popular electric vehicle charging stations for your new electric vehicle? Plus, what are the different chargers such as Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast-Charging?

ChargePoint and Tesla are the most popular electric vehicle charging stations

The U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center has a lot of electric vehicle data. According to the data collected at the end of 2020, there was around 105,000 electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) ports. That was made up of approximately 30,000 charging station locations. Between 2015 and 2019, the number of charging stations almost doubled. In 2020, the number of charging stations increased by 18%.

If you are not new to electric vehicles, there’s a good chance you have heard of Tesla. Tesla has more than 25,000 superchargers globally. However, not all EV drivers could utilize the Tesla Supercharger network. Tesla is opening the Supercharging network up so more drivers will have access to it.

This left room for ChargePoint to take over as the largest and most open EV charging network. ChargePoint offers 18,000 charging locations across the U.S. and Canada. That’s more than Starbucks and McDonalds!

More popular electric vehicle charging brands and how to locate a charger

EVgo is another popular EV charging company with more than 800 charging stations. However, it has been in the news a lot lately after the new infrastructure bill passed. EVgo plans to partner with Uber to provide drivers with chargers. EVgo is also working with GM to build another 500 charging stalls.

Blink Charging has had an impressive year so far and currently has about 15,000 stations in the U.S. With the infrastructure bill, it is likely that some of these more prominent names continue to expand.

An easy way to find a charger is by using the map on PlugShare. This map allows drivers to choose various electric vehicle charging stations such as public stations, fast-charging stations, and where the chargers are at. Many of the brands listed here have an app that drivers can easily download.

EV charging does not have to be a daunting task

Electric vehicle chargers are not limited to just different brands, the U.S. Department of Energy reports. There are different types of chargers within the brands. Level 1 chargers usually use a J1772 connector and charge quite slowly. This is often the charging that takes place if a driver plugs into a 120V outlet. This can net about five miles or charge for every one hour of charging, depending on several factors.

Level 2 Chargers also use a J1772 connector but charge faster. Drivers can get between 10 and 20 miles of charge over an hour. According to the U.S. DoE, over 80% of public EVSE ports are Level 2 chargers. Tesla electric vehicles come with a J1772 adapter to access non-Tesla chargers.

DC Fast-Chargers accept a few different kinds of connectors. These include the CCS connector, CHAdeMO connector, and the Tesla connector. Around 15% of electric vehicle chargers in the nation are DC Fast-Chargers. These fast chargers can offer between 60 and 80 miles of range in approximately 20 minutes.

There is a lot of information out there about EVs, but hopefully finding a good charging station isn’t overwhelming. Don’t forget, you can always install an electric vehicle charger in your home if a public charging station isn’t convenient.