Where is the charger when you plug in an electric car?
The box beside an electric car is not always where the electricity is converted for its battery. With AC charging, that conversion happens in an onboard charger; DC fast charging performs it outside the vehicle. Calling both pieces of equipment a 'charger' can hide two different routes from the supply to the battery.
Questions you could explore
- How does the location of the conversion equipment affect what a vehicle can accept?
Start reading
- US Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data CenterFlipping the Switch on Electric School Buses: Charging Infrastructure, Module 1
Explains the distinction between onboard AC conversion and offboard DC charging in an electric-vehicle training module illustrated with school buses.
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