When property owners start planning EV charging, the instinct is often to reach for the fastest, most powerful chargers available. But faster isn’t automatically better, and it can cost dramatically more than a site actually needs. The right choice comes down to one simple question: how long do the vehicles sit?
How the two types differ
Level 2 (L2) charging runs on the same kind of 240-volt power as an electric dryer or oven. It adds roughly 20 to 40 miles of range per hour, and a typical vehicle charges fully overnight or over a workday. L2 chargers are relatively inexpensive to buy and install, and they’re gentle on your electrical service.
DC fast charging (DCFC) converts high-voltage power to charge a battery directly, adding 100+ miles of range in as little as 20 to 30 minutes. That speed comes at a price: the hardware costs several times more, it requires substantial electrical infrastructure, and the demand it places on your utility service can trigger significant power upgrades and higher ongoing electricity charges.
Match the charger to the dwell time
The trick is to look at how long vehicles are parked at your property.
Level 2 is the right fit when vehicles sit for hours. That covers apartments and condos where residents charge overnight, workplaces where employees park all day, hotels where guests stay the night, and fleet depots where vehicles return each evening and roll out the next morning. In all of these, there’s plenty of time to charge, so paying for speed you can’t use is wasted money.
DC fast charging earns its cost when vehicles turn over quickly. Think retail centers where customers stop for 30 minutes, fleets that need a mid-shift top-up to stay in service, or travel-corridor locations where drivers won’t wait long. Here, the speed directly translates to more vehicles served and more value.
Plenty of properties end up with a mix: mostly Level 2 for the everyday charging, with a couple of DC fast chargers where quick turnaround matters.
Beyond speed: the parts people forget
Two other factors matter as much as charger type. First, your electrical capacity. DC fast charging in particular may require utility coordination and service upgrades, which affect both cost and timeline. Second, reliability. A charger that’s fast but frequently offline serves no one. That’s why we take a hardware-agnostic approach, selecting equipment based on your site rather than a single brand, and back installations with Evolved360, our monitoring and maintenance program that keeps chargers online throughout their operating life.
The bottom line
Don’t start with the charger. Start with how your property is used. Get the match right and you’ll spend less up front, avoid unnecessary electrical work, and end up with charging that actually fits the way people use your site.
Not sure which is right for you? Request a free site survey and we’ll design around how your property actually operates.
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