Alternating Current (AC) Home Charging

Home AC charging utilizes the existing home AC power source to charge an Electric Vehicle (EV) battery through the EV’s Onboard Charger (OBC) to convert the incoming AC supply to Direct Current (DC). Once the charge cable is connected, the EV determines the charger’s AC current capability via the charge connector control pilot signal and limits charge current accordingly.

Level 1 AC home chargers, often referred to as Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), operate from 120V and can draw currents up to 15A. Due to the lower voltage and current, the maximum power for level 1 chargers is less than 2 kW, which results in a recharge rate of three to five miles per hour of charging. The main advantages of level 1 chargers are that they operate from readily available 120V outlets, are inexpensive and are typically included with the EV purchase.

Level 2 AC home chargers operate from 208 to 240V and can draw currents up to 80A from a dedicated circuit. The most common configuration is 240V at 32A, which results in a power rating of 7 kW—about four times higher power than level 1 chargers. The higher power increases the charge rate to 10–20 miles per hour of charging. The main advantage of level 2 chargers is decreased charge time, which often allows the EV to have 100% charge capacity from an overnight charge.

We offer a wide selection of 8-, 16- and 32-bit microcontroller (MCU), analog, power management, wireless and wired connectivity, energy metering, memory, security and Human-Machine Interface (HMI) solutions to complete any AC home charging design.