Episode 2: Electric Vehicle Charging Explained – Levels, Connectors, and How It Works

Charging is one of the most common questions people have about electric vehicles. How long does it take? What types of chargers exist? And what actually happens when you plug a vehicle in? In this second episode of the electric vehicle webinar series from College of the North Atlantic, we explore how EV charging works, the different levels of charging available, and the connectors used by various electric vehicles. This episode breaks down key concepts such as battery range, charging levels, charging equipment, and the technology involved when a vehicle connects to a charger. We also explain common charging standards including SAE J1772, Combined Charging System (CCS), Tesla/NACS, and CHAdeMO, along with the factors that affect how long it takes to charge an electric vehicle. If you’ve ever wondered what really happens when you plug an EV in—or how to estimate charging time—this episode walks through the details step by step. If you missed Episode 1, where we introduced the different types of electric vehicles and how they work, you can watch it here: ▶ Episode 1:https://youtu.be/gdP8x_nbwWU To make it easy to find the information that interests you most, you can jump directly to specific sections using the chapter timestamps below. Chapter Selection: 00:00 - Meet your host! 00:19 - Electric Vehicle Charging 00:43 - Terminology 01:42 - Battery Range 02:53 - Levels of Charging 05:26 -What does all this mean? 06:03 - Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment 06:39 - SAE J1772 07:52 - Combined charging system 08:36 - Tesla/NACS 09:29 - CHAdeMo 09:57 - Recap: What we've learned 10:46 - What Actually happens when I plug in? 11:11 - Control Pilot and Proximity Pilot 11:43 - Onboard Charger – AC/DC Converter 12:55 - Factors that control the amount of time to charge 13:43 - What do we do with that information? (Charging time scenarios) 18:27 - Does anything else affect how long to charge? 21:15 - Conclusion