Level 3 Fast DC charging

[richkae]

There is so much confusion around EV "chargers".
All Level 1 and Level 2 chargers are just extension cords with some trivial signaling.
The car tells the extension cord when to close the circuit, and the extension cord tells the car the max amps it can draw.


What exactly is a level 3 "charger"?
I assume it is a big box that rectifies AC into DC.

But the actual "charging" decisions still need to be made in the car right? All the electronics to measure the level of charge and request power to pump into the batteries has to happen in a box that knows that battery chemistry and how much it can handle.
So then there must be a simple protocol for the car to ask for a certain voltage and current and the big box delivers it.
So any complexity in the big box is just the ability to deliver DC at variable voltage?

 

[EVNow]

L3 is now a deprecated term. It is now being called "DC Fast Charge". There might be an AC fast charge at some point.

The fast chargers might also have some ability to store some power. That adds to the cost.

Getting a new 3-ph 480V connection isn't cheap, either.

 

[Norbert]

I don't think fast chargers are rocket science. They need some safety features to protect the battery and to be more fool proof, but so do the J1772 Level 2 chargers (which are less than $1,000). The AC/DC conversion itself is not exactly new technology. Nissan can apparently build 50 kW chargers for $10,000.

Hopefully there will be a sane level of competition once the standard for fast charging is decided, and when they become "real" products with a steady demand.