When Should You Use a DC Fast Charger?

Posted 04/01/2025

When you’re new to electric vehicles, you hear much about Level 2 and direct current fast charging (DCFC). Two common questions are, “Why are most public chargers only Level 2?” and “Why don’t more businesses install DCFC?” The answer to the Level 2 versus DCFC debate is that Level 2 charging meets the daily needs of most EV drivers. But if fast charging is not meant for daily charging, when should EV drivers use DCFC? Here’s what you need to know.

Best Use Cases for Level 2 Charging

There are three main types of EV charging stations:

Level 1- Trickle charging using a charging cable that plugs into a standard 110V wall outlet.
Level 2- Standard EV charging that uses a charging cable or charging station with 208V or 240V electricity to deliver 30-60 miles of range per charging hour.
DCFC- Fast charging that requires a charging station with 480V or more of electricity to fully charge an EV in less than an hour.

Many EV drivers who live in a single-family home install a residential Level 2 charger in their home garage. EV drivers without access to a home charger can instead ask their multifamily property manager or workplace facilities manager to install commercial Level 2 charging stations as a residential or employee amenity.

Why are businesses installing Level 2 charging stations? In short, L2 chargers are less costly to purchase and install while still providing a relatively swift charging experience compared to Level 1 charging. Businesses or homeowners who want to install EV charging stations incur fewer electrical upgrade expenses when installing Level 2 charging stations and may not even require any electrical upgrades if the building already has sufficient infrastructure.

There are two important statistics for EVs this year:

Most drivers only travel about 37 miles per day, and
The median EV range is 270 miles, as of Model Year 2023.

The Blink Series 7 is a commercial Level 2 charger that can deliver up to 19.2kW of electricity.

L2 charging stations can meet the needs of most EV drivers. And while charging overnight at home is most preferred by drivers, publicly available charging stations will be used for most of the daily commute.

However, while Level 2 charging is the most popular kind of charging, there are some specific cases when using a DCFC is a good idea.

Best Use Cases for DCFC

L2 charging is best for daily charging, but it cannot meet all drivers’ needs. Some renters who do not have access to a home or workplace charger and cannot find a convenient L2 nearby prefer to visit a public DCFC once or twice a week. For these drivers, DCFC can be a time-saver. Here are some other situations where Blink recommends using a DC fast charging station.

Extended travel and road trips

But, the scenario when you really need to use a DCFC is when you are traveling on an extended road trip. Because DCFCs can charge an electric vehicle battery in under an hour, they are essential for being able to drive long distances with minimal interruption. For an EV driver with a 270-mile battery range, traveling at 60 miles per hour, EV travel means stopping for food or a short walk every ~4 hours.

The Blink 60-360kW DCFC is an all-in-one modular fast charger.

The fastest charging vehicles can typically replenish their batteries from a DCFC in under 30 minutes. As experts recommend taking 15-30 minute stretch breaks every 2 hours, this is the perfect amount of time to stop at a DC fast charger.

Fleets

Another scenario where a DCFC is required is when charging multiple vehicles in a fleet. Sometimes a fleet operator needs a vehicle to be charged as quickly as possible so it can return to its route with little downtime. We recommend that fleets install multiple L2 charging stations for overnight charging and at least one DCFC for when a vehicle requires faster charging. Fleets with more medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles may require more DCFC for quickly charging a larger battery.

While EVs have not quite reached the point where charging a battery is as quick as filling an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle with liquid fuel, advancements in EV battery technology are moving in that direction. The landmark 5-minute EV charge is expected to require a megawatt (MW), or 1,000 kilowatts (kW). CharIN, an international standards organization focused on DC fast charging, writes that the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) standard would focus on “Class 6, 7, & 8 commercial vehicles, but could easily be used for buses, aircrafts, or other large battery electric vehicles (BEVs) with huge battery packs and ability to accept a >1MW charge rate.” MW charging would be excessive for consumer vehicles but has useful applications for fleet operators. Research and development continue into ultrafast, megawatt EV charging.

Rideshare services

Rideshare services, including a fleet of taxis or individual drivers working with Uber, Lyft, or another service, need DCFCs for their electric rideshare vehicles so they experience as little disruption as possible while working. Look for public DCFC along highways or near popular transit locations such as airports.

EVs are becoming more popular among ridesharing services, with some even offering the option to specifically hail an EV.

What Are the Differences Between L2 and DCFC?

The difference in the time it takes an L2 charging station and a DCFC to charge your EV battery comes down to how the two different types of charging stations deliver power to your vehicle. L2 charging stations deliver alternating current (AC) to your vehicle’s on-board charger, which then converts it to direct current (DC) and charges the battery with it.

Direct current fast chargers, on the other hand, deliver DC directly into your EV’s battery, bypassing the vehicle’s on-board charger and eliminating the need to convert the electricity from AC to DC for charging. Eliminating the need for this conversion allows the DCFC to charge your EV battery much more quickly. However, only battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have this capability. Plug-in hybrid EVs require the use of an on-board charger.

DCFCs can deliver more power than their L2 counterparts. Compare these three Blink chargers:

The Blink Series 7, which is also made in the USA, delivers up to 19.2kW when connected to a 240 Volt electrical system.
The new Blink Series 9, which is made in the United States, can deliver up to 40kW.
The Blink 60-360kW DCFC can deliver up to 360kW depending on the model installed by the host.

It is important to note that the amount of power an EV charging station can deliver is not the only aspect that makes charging faster or slower. EV batteries are designed to only be able to accept a maximum amount of power. For many newer EVs on the market, that can range from 50kW to over 200kW.

An EV’s onboard battery management system communicates with a charging station to determine the maximum amount of power that can be delivered to the vehicle’s battery. For example, if an EV with a maximum acceptance of 50kW is charging on a Blink 120kW DCFC, that vehicle will be unable to charge faster than 50kW. Charging this vehicle will take longer to charge than an EV that can accept 120kW even when using the same DCFC.

Learn more about how station amperage and kW affect EV battery charging times.

What Are the Different Types of Blink DCFCs?

EV drivers usually think of DCFCs that start at 50kW minimum of output power, like the Blink 60-360kW DCFCs, which are available in eight different power output levels between 60kW and 360kW. These fast charging stations can charge an electric vehicle in less than an hour.

The Blink Series 9 ISO comes in wall and pedestal versions.

However, there is another kind of DCFC; the low-power DCFC. Blink’s low-power DCFC, the Series 9 40kW DCFC, is useful for businesses that want to offer something more powerful than a standard L2 charging station, but don’t have the funding for a high-power DCFC. A low-power DCFC like the Series 9 may be a good compromise for these locations. Low-power DCFCs also require less power to operate, which minimizes upgrade costs and therefore shortens the installation timelines.

Blink supplies charging stations to meet multiple commercial needs, including low-power DCFC, like the Blink Series 9, and high-power DCFC such as the Blink 60-360kW DCFC.

Blink DCFCs in Action

One American business that is taking advantage of our Blink-Owned business model for DCFC is Maryland’s Royal Farms convenience stores. To date, we have installed 76 DCFC EV charging ports at 23 Royal Farms locations so far. For Blink Owned DCFC like those at Royal Farms, we are installing charging stations in high-traffic locations so more EV drivers can find the right fast charging station when you need it.

Conclusion

While Level 2 charging stations are more than capable of handling your day-to-day electric vehicle charging needs, direct current fast chargers are useful for when you need a quick charge, like during an extended road trip. Download the Blink Charging mobile app to find a DCFC near you.

To inquire about Blink’s L2 or DCFC commercial charging stations, please contact us today to speak with an EV charging expert.