My experience with electric vehicles

By Don Smolenski, Contributing Editor | TLT Machinery October 2024

Here’s what I learned about my all-electric vehicle.
This spring it was time to get a new vehicle, and I decided to bite the bullet and go all electric. I purchased a 2024 Cadillac Lyriq. It’s a very advanced technology vehicle, and I sheepishly admit to spending the first couple of weeks just figuring out how to use everything on the vehicle! We have a 220 volt (V) charging station in our garage, so that was satisfactory for around town trips, charging in an hour or two. We were going to a wedding in Chicago, though, so decided to drive the Lyriq and become acquainted with charging along the way. Preparing for the trip, we learned about the type of charger that would be required for this vehicle. The major charger types are shown in Figure 1.1, 2


Figure 1. North American electric vehicle charging connectors.

• The SAE J1772 connector is an AC charging connector used in many electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, with charging speeds up to 19.2 kW, which is relatively slow. 
• The CCS Combo connector uses the SAE J1772 charging inlet with two additional high-speed pins. Many automakers currently use the CCS standard. This charger is being transitioned to the SAE J3400 configuration in 2025. This is the type of connector the Lyriq required.
• The CHAdeMO charger is the official standard charger in Japan and is used in many Japanese vehicles in North America. It is being replaced, though, in North America by North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors. 
• The SAE J3400 (Tesla) charger uses the same NACS connector for DC fast charging. NACS connectors, standardized as SAE J3400, accept all voltage, so don’t require a different connector specifically for DCFC (DC fast charging).

This basically addresses the mechanical connection—what charger would plug into our vehicle. The next important thing is charging speed or level (measured in kW).
• Level 1 involves charging from a standard 110 V outlet, which is straightforward but agonizingly slow. The exception would be if you don’t travel many miles and can charge overnight.
• Level 2 means that you’re charging from a 220 V outlet. This is typical of chargers installed in garages for overnight charging.
• Level 3 or fast charging connector can fully charge your electric vehicle from empty in as little as 30 minutes. Second-generation public fast charging stations are more expensive to use, but they are a great deal faster, with some charging at 350 kW!



My next column will report on the problems and successes of two road trips with the Lyriq.

REFERENCES
 1. www.enelxway.com/us/en/resources/blog/ev-charging-connector-types
2. www.nrdc.org/stories/electric-vehicle-charging-explained 

Don Smolenski is president of his own consultancy, Strategic Management of Oil, LLC, in St. Clair Shores, Mich. You can reach him at donald.smolenski@gmail.com.