The problem with charging an EV on 120V is one of perception.  A lot has been written about requiring multiple days to charge on a common 120V receptacle, but the truth often escapes before anyone ever tries it. A group of three couples spend a week every year celebrating the end of summer in northern Michigan at a VRBO that doesn’t have Level 2 charging available.  Contrary to what you might think, we all were able to travel to the tourist destinations we enjoy without worrying about not being able to keep a safe level of charge.  

The group consists of two Teslas and one Escape PHEV, and we usually travel in different directions to visit touristy places each day. All these cars recover about five miles per hour when plugged into a 120V outlet. Our rental had two good plugs on two different circuits which we have, over the years, learned how best to share. Usually, one plug is reserved for the Escape to ensure it is always charged up to its 45-mile range. The other plug is shared between the two Teslas as needed. Usually, we take advantage of a destination or Supercharger sometime during the week. This year was a little different as we stumbled on three Tesla destination chargers generously supplied by the Saint Ignace Ferry Depot that allowed us to avoid a Supercharger stop on our return trip to the rental. 

There are a couple of tips to keep in mind when charging this way. It is best not to obsess about keeping vehicles charged but instead obsess about keeping them plugged in. The vehicle’s charge level is only important to cover the next day’s drive. Destinations naturally fluctuate from day to day, with one day having a long trip of 60 or 80 miles, and the next day 5 or 10 miles for just short shopping or lunch destinations. The average distance traveled per car was about 45 miles per day and the average charge was 12 hours or 18 kWh.

Usually, we don’t plan our trips around charging, but when we can get an opportunity charge in exchange for a short walk, we will take the opportunity and top up. We don’t generally change our plans based on chargers on the road, except for our trip to Mackinac Island, when we used the shuttle boat terminal at Saint Ignace instead of Mackinaw City.

Author: Bruce Westlake