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Pretty much every EV out there comes with a "granny cable" that you can use to very slowly charge. It won't fully charge overnight (works out to about 4 miles a

Pretty much every EV out there comes with a "granny cable" that you can use to very slowly charge. It won't fully charge overnight (works out to about 4 miles an hour), but if you are topping off it can be adequate. I have used it many times, including one time where I actually ran out and had the car towed. Towed the dead car home, plugged in. Went to work fine the next morning and plugged there. That's if you are in the US, actually, where most outlets are 110V. If you have access to 220V or you can rewire an outlet, then charging time should be similar to public level 2 charging stations. Beware that not all charges will support 220v and will blow up (but some can be modified). 110v is the biggest barrier for adoption everywhere, that and old electrical installations. As an EV owner, I'd say that you need either a place to charge at work, or at home (great if you have both). If you do, then it is more convenient than pulling up at gas stations (more so if you are trying to get the cheaper ones in the likes of CostCo). If you do not, then relying on the public infrastructure is stressful and time consuming.

reaperducer 8y ago
Thanks for the detailed response. One of the cars in my family only drives eight miles a day, and never on weekends. So I'm thinking about replacing it with an EV. Sounds like a granny cable might be all I need.
- outworlder 8y ago
  My commute today is exactly 8 miles (4 each way). With a 2015 Leaf, I could go for two weeks without even bothering to charge if I'm only commuting. Since I can charge at work for free, I do it every Friday. And it's fantastic. My previous commute was 50 miles a day. Using only a standard 110v, I would top off every day, and that worked just fine. I could even forget once (but not twice in a row!). It took about 12 hours to charge what I used up during the day. So yeah. Just grab an extension cord (make sure it is rated for the current), and plug into whatever outlet you can find.
- s0rce 8y ago
  Not to be a smart ass but a bike/e-bike also works pretty well for a 4 mile commute assuming you can ride a bike.
sokoloff 8y ago
US residential electricity is (typically) 240 V center-tapped to ground, so you can have 120V or 240V. 110V hasn’t been the standard since before World War II. Slow charge for my LEAF is about 5 miles per hour from a standard outlet.

reaperducer 8y ago

Thanks for the detailed response. One of the cars in my family only drives eight miles a day, and never on weekends. So I'm thinking about replacing it with an EV. Sounds like a granny cable might be all I need.

outworlder 8y ago
My commute today is exactly 8 miles (4 each way). With a 2015 Leaf, I could go for two weeks without even bothering to charge if I'm only commuting. Since I can charge at work for free, I do it every Friday. And it's fantastic. My previous commute was 50 miles a day. Using only a standard 110v, I would top off every day, and that worked just fine. I could even forget once (but not twice in a row!). It took about 12 hours to charge what I used up during the day. So yeah. Just grab an extension cord (make sure it is rated for the current), and plug into whatever outlet you can find.
s0rce 8y ago
Not to be a smart ass but a bike/e-bike also works pretty well for a 4 mile commute assuming you can ride a bike.

sokoloff 8y ago

US residential electricity is (typically) 240 V center-tapped to ground, so you can have 120V or 240V. 110V hasn’t been the standard since before World War II. Slow charge for my LEAF is about 5 miles per hour from a standard outlet.