NEW 2012 Mitsubishi iMiEV: Recharging 105 (Remote Charging for Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan Leaf)

How Do You Charge Your EV Away From Home?

Immediately below are some introductory terms that should assist in interpreting the descriptions found on various web sites for charging stations. A list of web sites supporting charging station locations and screen shots of the maps they provide can be found below the terminology.

Charging terminology

The terms that follow should be able to help when researching charging stations. Here are some sample descriptions that can be seen when researching charging stations...
1 head ChaDeMo Fast Charger
2-head AeroVironment L2 EVSE
The 2 kW output delivers Level I (120 V @ 16 A) charging via a standard NEMA 5-20 receptacle protected behind a locking door.
The 7.2 kW output delivers Level II (208/240 V @ 30 A) charging via a standard SAE J1772.

350Green.com: Network of charging stations distributed across a metropolitan area. They offer both Level 2 (220v) and DC Fast (480v) options, depending on location and use.

AeroVironment: AeroVironment offers a 240V home-charging station for electric vehicles. It is compatible with the SAE J1772 standard for level 2 charging.Nissan selected AeroVironment to supply this home charging station and installation services for the Nissan Leaf electric car. AeroVironment also sells level 3 high-voltage DC fast-charge stations compatible with the CHAdeMO standard that can charge a Think electric car to 80% in 15 minutes. AeroVironment participates in various government and industry initiatives to create an electric vehicle charging infrastructure. AeroVironment also sells the PosiCharge line of industrial electric vehicle charging systems for forklifts and other warehouse vehicles.

CHAdeMO: (currently only supported by Nissan Leaf [SL but not SV] and Mitsubishi i-MiEV with Quick Charge optional equipment): per wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHAdeMO, CHAdeMO (sometimes spelled CHΛdeMO) is the trade name of a quick charging method for battery electric vehicles delivering up to 62.5 kW of high-voltage direct current via a special electrical connector. It is proposed as a global industry standard by an association of the same name.CHAdeMO is an abbreviation of "CHArge de MOve", equivalent to "charge for moving". The name is a pun for O cha demo ikaga desuka in Japanese, translating to English as "How about some tea?", referring to the time it would take to charge a car. CHΛdeMO can charge a car in less than half an hour. Also referred to as Level 3 or Quick Charge.

Chargepoint.com: The largest (9,048 charging spots as of 9/1/2012) network of independently owned EV charging stations. Company offers a card which can be used at free or pay stations. Web site provides a detailed map of stations, and reservations for stations can be made online or with downloadable apps.

ChargePro: Charging Station designed for Level 2 charging.

ChargePro Driver Manager: software for electric vehicle drivers used in conjunction with SemaCharge Pass card. "Easily register, manage, monitor and update your charging account through the ChargePro Driver Manager. The web-based management system makes it simple, convenient and effortless to use whether you’re at the office, on your laptop at home or on your mobile device."

CharJit Card (for Fast Charging): Product from 350Green, the $21 card includes three 30-minute sessions good for use at our fast charging stations.
Coulomb Technologies: (Coulomb Level 2) The company that provides charging stations for Chargepoint network.

EV Plug (plugshare.com)

EVSE: Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, enhances safety by enabling two-way communication between the charging station and the electric vehicle.

ICE: Internal Combustion Engine: a gasoline or diesel powered vehicle.

Level 1: (L1) Charging from standard household current (110V). Uses SAE J1772 connector on the vehicle. Remote stations may offer either an SAE J1772 connector to plug into an EV or offer an electrical outlet (NEMA 5-20) requiring the driver to supply the charger.

Level 2: (L2) Charging from a 240V source. Uses SAE J1772 connector.

Level 3: See CHAdeMO above.

NEMA 5-20 outlet/receptacle: All NEMA 5 devices are three-wire grounding devices (hot-neutral-ground) rated for 125 V maximum. The receptacle is the basic household electric outlet but with the addition of a grounding pin and a T-slot receptacle for the neutral connection.

Quick Charge See CHAdeMO above.

SAE J1772: Connector used for both Level 1 and Level 2 charging. It is a North American standard for electrical connectors for electric vehicles maintained by the Society of Automotive Engineers. It covers the general physical, electrical, communication protocol, and performance requirements for the electric vehicle conductive charge system and coupler. The intent is to define a common electric vehicle conductive charging system architecture including operational requirements and the functional and dimensional requirements for the vehicle inlet and mating connector. The connector is designed for single phase electrical systems with 120 V or 240 V such as those used in North America and Japan.

SemaCharge: membership program that "gives you access to the EV Driver Management software, exclusive newsletter updates, free giveaways, first hand release of station locations and much more!"

SemaCharge Pass: Credit card sized card issued when becoming a SemaCharge member.

SemaConnect: The company that offers SemaCharge Pass card for use at stations featuring proprietary ChargePro Charging Stations.