Charging equipment

In North America, electric vehicle connectors and charging stations are standardized, and the equipment has been tested and approved to ensure user safety.

120V Outlets

It is possible to charge an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid with a 120V outlet, whether outside the residence or in the garage.

Charging an electric vehicle uses about as much electricity as a 1,400W air conditioner.

Approximate charging time

• Plug-in hybrid: 6 to 8 hours
• All-electric vehicle: 11 to more than 45 hours

240V Stations

A 240V charging station reduces charging time compared to a standard outlet.

Portable or fixed 240V charging stations can be installed outside or in your garage.

You must hire a master electrician to install a new 240V outlet on a building. The type of outlet is similar to those used to plug in a dryer or an oven inside a house or a welding machine in a garage.

It is also possible to use an existing 240V outlet (welding machine type, for example) to plug in a portable charging station.

One 240V station uses about as much electricity as a 151-litre (40-gallon) water heater.

Approximate charging time

• Plug-in hybrid: 1 to 3 hours
• All-electric vehicle: 6 to 10 hours

Notes

• Find out more about home charging station.
• Find out more about the eligibility requirements to receive a rebate for the purchase of a 240V home charging station.
• Make sure the charging station model you plan to buy is on the list of eligible charging stations.
• Find out more about the rebate for a charging station at work (in French only).

Fast Charge Stations

Direct current fast chargers, usually referred to as DCFC, operate at higher power. The high purchase and installation costs of quick chargers explains why they are not as common as 240V charging stations.

Estimated charging time

• It takes 30 to 60 minutes to charge a battery to 80% capacity.
• In 10 minutes, a quick charger can provide enough electricity to run an all-electric vehicle for 50 kilometres.

Not all vehicle models can use fast-charging stations

Fast-charging stations use two systems: SAE Combo, also known as the Combined Charging System (CCS), and CHAdeMO. Only electric vehicles with fast-charge plugs can use the connectors at those stations.

That is why you often find supplementary 240V chargers at fast-charging stations.
Here are some vehicle models that are compatible with fast-charging station connectors:

• Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan Leaf, Kia Soul EV
• Tesla using a special adapter

Other vehicle models are not compatible with fast-charging stations:

• Certain plug-in hybrids
• A few all-electric vehicles

The Electric Circuit website has a list of electric vehicle models compatible with fast-charge stations .

See where to find Québec’s public fast-charging and level-2 stations.