You've started your charging session! Now what?
While technology continues to speed up EV charging sessions, it can still take some time for your vehicle to charge. In this article, you'll find some information on what you can expect while your vehicle is charging.
- Session length
- Charging speed
- Monitor charging sessions with the EVgo app
- Unattended vehicles at an EVgo charger
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If you need additional assistance during your charging session, feel free to check out our Charging Session FAQs or contact the EVgo Charging Crew at 877-494-3833. Our Call Center team is available to support you 24/7, 365 days a year. |
Session length
The length of your EVgo charging session will depend on the charger you're using. At a fast charging station, you can charge for up to 120 minutes or until your battery is full. The session will stop automatically if either of these actions occur.
Level 2 Chargers:
The charging session can last as long as you're plugged into the L2 charger. The charging session will officially stop when the connector is unplugged from your vehicle.
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Beware of 'trickle charging' on L2 chargers! For L2 chargers, the session ends when the connector is unplugged from the vehicle. This means that even after a vehicle is fully charged and charging stops, the session has not completely ended. If you want the charge to end at that time, you should go back to your vehicle and unplug to fully end the session. If you do not remove the connector after the vehicle is charged, you may experience 'trickle charge'. Over time, even when not in use, batteries can lose energy. If plugged into an EVgo station, the charger will notice that the vehicle is no longer fully charged and start the charge again. |
To stop your charging session, you can check out our article Stop a charging session.
Charging speed
The most important thing that impacts your charging speed is your vehicle itself. You can check your owner's manual for more details on exactly how much energy your vehicle will accept at any point during a charging session (also know as the Charge Curve).
In general, if you want to ensure your vehicle is charging as quickly as possible, we recommend that you:
- Fast-charge using a Level 3 station (50kW or greater)
- Turn off your vehicle while it charges
- Use a charger whose energy source is not in use by any other vehicle or device
You can learn more about charging speed and why these actions can help by reviewing our Guide to EV charging speed.
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What's a Charge Curve? The amount of power your vehicle can receive is dictated by its Charge Curve, which is a graph that shows the maximum power that can be delivered to the battery at any given State of Charge. Each EV has a different Charge Curve. We encourage you to check your owner's manual or search the web for your vehicle's Charge Curve to better understand your EV's charging capabilities. |
Monitor charging sessions with the EVgo app
When you start a charge using the EVgo app, it allows you to monitor the charging session on your mobile device. You'll be able to review charging progress, a session timer, and other data you may find helpful for review.
To learn more about monitoring an active charging session, such as where to find the Charge Monitoring screen and how to read the provided data, check out our article: Monitor your charge in the EVgo app
Unattended vehicles at an EVgo charger
After your charge has started, it's fine to leave your vehicle unattended while it's actively charging. You should ensure that the vehicle and charge port (if needed) are locked before leaving your vehicle.
If you plan to leave your vehicle unattended, or if you come across an unattended vehicle that has completed charging, we recommend reviewing our article Unattended vehicles at an EVgo charger before taking any action.
In general, we know the EV driver community is a strong one, so please respect your fellow drivers and take actions that you would appreciate someone else taking for you!
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Important note: EVgo is not liable for any damages or issues with your vehicle that may occur while you have left your vehicle unattended. Please review our Terms of Service. |