Jake Sundstrom for CarMax
A beginner’s guide to EV fast charging
If you own an electric vehicle of any sort, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about “fast charging,” or “DC fast charging.” Fast charging at a public charging station is the quickest way to charge an electric car.
Key takeaways:
Fast charging tops up electric vehicles quickly, adding up to 80 miles in 20 minutes at public stations, compared to slower home charging.
Three plug types exist: Tesla's NACS, the widespread CCS, and CHAdeMO, mostly for the Nissan Leaf.
Tesla Superchargers are common for fast charging; ChargePoint has the most stations overall, but no fast chargers.
Non-Tesla vehicles will soon be able to use Tesla stations via the upcoming Magic Dock adapter.
The best charging station varies by the EV's c