Charger Types Used by Hyundai EVs


If you’re considering purchasing an electric vehicle (EV) for the first time, one of the biggest questions you’ll need to consider is how you’re going to charge it. The number of EVs on the road is growing rapidly, and charging stations are springing up across the country to keep up with demand. Whether you recharge your car’s battery at home or at a public charging site in Spokane, there are several things to keep in mind. The EV experts at Spokane Hyundai have put together a guide to charging your EV.

Overview of Hyundai EV Charging Options

Image by The Punisher | Licensed with Unsplash

The first thing you should know about EV charging is that there are three different charging options available for your Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kona EV. These options are often referred to as level 1, level 2, and level 3 charging, with level 1 being the slowest and level 3 being the fastest.

Level 1 charging is available to everyone with an accessible household power outlet at home to plug their EV in. Level 2 charging sites are generally only available at public charging stations, but you can have a level 2 charger installed in your own home for a cost. If you decide to go this route, you may want to check whether any EV incentives are available to cover some of the installation cost.

Level 3 chargers are only available at certain public charging sites in Spokane and across the country. They are the quickest way to recharge your EV, but they are typically more expensive than level 1 and 2 chargers.

Charging Your Kona EV at Home

The simplest way to charge your Hyundai EV at home is with a 120-volt power outlet, which is also called level 1 charging. Every Kona EV or Ioniq 5 comes equipped with a charging cable you can plug into your chosen household outlet to start charging immediately.

A level 1 charger adds approximately 5 miles of range to your battery for every hour of charging. It would take around 40 hours to fully charge your Kona EV at this relatively slow rate. For many drivers, this length of time makes level 1 charging unpractical.

An exception is if you have a relatively short commute to work and only need to charge your Kona EV once a week, such as over the weekend. The Kona EV has an estimated driving range of 258 miles, so this approach could work if you have a 10-mile or 20-mile daily commute and don’t plan on using your vehicle for much else besides this.

Charging Your Ioniq 5 at Public Sites in Spokane

A level 2 charging facility is a more attractive option for drivers who don’t have time to wait for their Hyundai to get to a full charge from a household power outlet. A level 2 charger can fully recharge your Kona EV’s battery in about nine hours, making it realistic to fully charge your electric SUV overnight.

There are many level 2 public charging sites throughout Spokane to choose from. Some of them may be attached to retail stores and other businesses, which may offer them for free to attract customers to their stores. Other level 2 chargers are part of national charging networks that you can join to secure favorable rates and easily accessible payment options.

DC Fast Charging for Hyundai EVs

Level 3 fast charging is ideal if you need to recharge your battery on the go. These charging sites can take your battery from 10% to 80% in an hour or less. If you drive the Kona EV, a level 3 charger can give you an 80% charge in 50 minutes. Meanwhile, the Ioniq 5 can go from a 10% charge to an 80% charge in around 25 minutes.

The key advantage fast chargers enjoy comes from their use of direct current instead of alternate current. They also use a much higher voltage level than level 1 and 2 chargers. Both these factors help fast chargers add up to 20 miles of range per minute of charge, compared with about 18 miles per hour from a level 2 charger.

Tips for Charging Your Hyundai EV

You can charge your Hyundai EV using all three types of EV chargers. Once you connect your Hyundai to the charging point, it communicates with the charger to determine how much charge it can provide. Your vehicle then only accepts the amount of charge it can cope with. For example, the Kona EV has an onboard 7.2-kilowatt charger. If you connect it to a charging station that can provide more charge than this limit, the Kona EV communicates with the charger to ensure that it only receives the amount of power necessary for it to recharge. Not sure what the differences in charger types are? Check out our blog post where we provide an in-depth look at charger levels!

If you’re charging your vehicle at home, you should try to charge it during off-peak hours to save on energy costs. Some electric utilities may offer EV charging plans, but the general rule to keep in mind is that charging your vehicle overnight will be more cost-effective than charging it during the early evening when energy demand is typically much greater, and electricity prices are higher.

A final tip to remember is that it’s not a good idea to allow your battery to drain completely before recharging it. Many EV experts recommend recharging your battery when it has 10% or 20% charge left. This advice isn’t just about helping you avoid getting stuck somewhere remote with a flat battery. In fact, regularly allowing your battery to run down too far can impact its longevity.

Explore EVs At Spokane Hyundai

If you’d like to learn more about Hyundai’s electric and hybrid vehicle options, don’t hesitate to contact us today. Here at the Spokane Hyundai showroom, we have an exciting range of EVs , such as the Ioniq 5 and Kona EV, as well as hybrids, including the Sonata Hybrid and Elantra Hybrid. We’d be delighted to arrange a test drive in Spokane so you can get to know how Hyundai’s EVs perform before you go ahead and buy one.