Two Big Reasons The EV Charging Station You Need Already Exists

Joseph Nagle
January 1, 2023
Often people want bigger, faster, and more complex EV charging systems that are capable of replicating the current gas station model, but what if we told you there are two big reasons the charging station you desperately need already exists?

While EV sales are sky-rocketing with multiple automotive OEMs dedicated to building multiple new EV lines in the near future a significant portion of the population are simply waiting to see what happens. Not because they aren't interested in electric vehicles but because of a far more basic problem, charging. Specifically, the question of how we plan to charge millions of electric vehicles. We have become so accustomed to gas stations we have a hard time imagining the world without them, and so millions of people are waiting for an EV that can charge in 4-5 minutes and can essentially copy the gas station model.

Unfortunately that's just not the best solution, even if that technology eventually exists. What we need is nothing more than the outlets and power infrastructure we've already built, that's currently installed in every home in the country.

Odds Are Good Your Car is Parked Right Now

Cars Parked at General Motors

Even though we think we use our cars nearly all the time the data actually shows the complete opposite. In fact, the average automobile will spend 95% of its entire life parked. Until we can turn vehicles into a completely autonomous fleet, its likely that our vehicles will remain fairly sedentary into the future, In today's world while you work, sleep, spend time with family, etc. your car just sits there. In fact, it sits the most when you're at home, typically 12-15 hours each night.

Now imagine for a second that while you slept someone was able to fill your car up for the next day, so when you start your car up in the morning the tank is always full. While it's a crazy thought for a gasoline vehicle it's completely do-able with electric cars. You simply plug in overnight and have a completely full charge for the next day. Your standard 120v outlet actually provides more than enough juice during the night to replace what you've used the day before. In that same 12-15 hours an Orange 520 Outlet can replace 60-75 miles of range, and before you say thats still not enough you may not realize just how little you actually drive.

You Don't Actually Drive As Far As You Think You Do

Average American Daily Drives

For some reason, we tend to greatly overestimate the distance that we drive. Perhaps it's the time we spend in traffic or that people in general can't perceive distance all that well, but once again the proof is in the data. As it turns out the Average American drives ~30 miles in a single day, that's it. Even older, lower range EVs can handle the great majority of your daily driving let alone the 300 miles that has become the industry standard. Simply put, for your daily driving needs, EVs, even low range ones, do just fine.

When thinking about EV charging, we don't need something that gives us 300 miles of range in less than 10 minutes. What we really need is something that gives us enough range overnight to replace what we used. So again, even with the lowest level of charging you'll get well above what you need.

This also means that on those occasions where you do go well beyond 30 miles you're still covered as you can either make up the charge throughout the rest of the week or you can leverage the existing public charging networks. No matter how you look at it, the charging station you need already exists, now we just need to start installing them where people need them most, their homes.

If you need EV charging at your apartment schedule some time with us and we can help.

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While EV sales are sky-rocketing with multiple automotive OEMs dedicated to building multiple new EV lines in the near future a significant portion of the population are simply waiting to see what happens. Not because they aren't interested in electric vehicles but because of a far more basic problem, charging. Specifically, the question of how we plan to charge millions of electric vehicles. We have become so accustomed to gas stations we have a hard time imagining the world without them, and so millions of people are waiting for an EV that can charge in 4-5 minutes and can essentially copy the gas station model.

Unfortunately that's just not the best solution, even if that technology eventually exists. What we need is nothing more than the outlets and power infrastructure we've already built, that's currently installed in every home in the country.

Odds Are Good Your Car is Parked Right Now

Cars Parked at General Motors

Even though we think we use our cars nearly all the time the data actually shows the complete opposite. In fact, the average automobile will spend 95% of its entire life parked. Until we can turn vehicles into a completely autonomous fleet, its likely that our vehicles will remain fairly sedentary into the future, In today's world while you work, sleep, spend time with family, etc. your car just sits there. In fact, it sits the most when you're at home, typically 12-15 hours each night.

Now imagine for a second that while you slept someone was able to fill your car up for the next day, so when you start your car up in the morning the tank is always full. While it's a crazy thought for a gasoline vehicle it's completely do-able with electric cars. You simply plug in overnight and have a completely full charge for the next day. Your standard 120v outlet actually provides more than enough juice during the night to replace what you've used the day before. In that same 12-15 hours an Orange 520 Outlet can replace 60-75 miles of range, and before you say thats still not enough you may not realize just how little you actually drive.

You Don't Actually Drive As Far As You Think You Do

Average American Daily Drives

For some reason, we tend to greatly overestimate the distance that we drive. Perhaps it's the time we spend in traffic or that people in general can't perceive distance all that well, but once again the proof is in the data. As it turns out the Average American drives ~30 miles in a single day, that's it. Even older, lower range EVs can handle the great majority of your daily driving let alone the 300 miles that has become the industry standard. Simply put, for your daily driving needs, EVs, even low range ones, do just fine.

When thinking about EV charging, we don't need something that gives us 300 miles of range in less than 10 minutes. What we really need is something that gives us enough range overnight to replace what we used. So again, even with the lowest level of charging you'll get well above what you need.

This also means that on those occasions where you do go well beyond 30 miles you're still covered as you can either make up the charge throughout the rest of the week or you can leverage the existing public charging networks. No matter how you look at it, the charging station you need already exists, now we just need to start installing them where people need them most, their homes.

If you need EV charging at your apartment schedule some time with us and we can help.