Tech: 2024 Tesla Model 3 Review, Part 2 - Adventures in Charging

One of the biggest questions a new EV owner has is, "How do I charge this thing?" It turns out there are a few options, all of which have pros and cons:

Level 1 charging: This is a fancy way of saying, "plug the car into a standard 120V outlet." While you can find such an outlet in almost every garage in America, level 1 charging is incredibly slow. Using Tesla's mobile connector, for instance, you will probably be relegated to adding only a few miles of range per hour of charging. 

I have never bothered with this kind of charging, but might be necessary if you find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Level 2 charging: The main way most people will be charging their cars, encompassing both typical home charging equipment and most "destination" chargers at parking garages and municipal buildings. Level 2 charging is faster (for almost any EV, it can fully charge a car overnight), enough so that it makes sense to plug in whenever you anticipate spending an hour or two at a location. Some caveats: most destination chargers require payment, and the chargers can be occupied for a long time. 

I am lucky enough to have a level 2 charger at work, so I always leave the office with a full "tank," and I've also been able to charge for free at certain chargers (usually owned by the city).

Level 3 charging: This is DC fast charging, including both Tesla's famous "Superchargers" and chargers provided by other networks. Level 3 charging is orders of magnitude faster because it dumps power directly into your battery; it can usually add hundreds of miles of range in 10-20 minutes. There are a host of problems with DC fast charging, though - it costs more money (sometimes as much as gas), it's bad for the long-term health of the battery, and the charger itself is harder to maintain, meaning that non-Tesla DC chargers are often broken.

I've only used Tesla's Superchargers, which offer a very simple, user-friendly experience - no apps, no credit cards, just plug in, and your account is charged automatically.