Why Level 1 EV Home Charging Is Surprisingly More Practical

Using an electric vehicle, often a simple wall socket can become your greatest ally. I discovered this during my journey with the Rivian R1T.

Let’s be real for a second: nobody wants to sit around and wait hours and hours for their electric vehicle to charge. The fear of long charging times, along with nowhere to actually do it, is what scares many people away from owning an EV. And certainly, the time it takes to charge from a standard wall outlet—which might take
ranging anywhere from 60 to 200 hours
Depending on the vehicle—it isn’t particularly reassuring.

Many electric vehicle owners charge their cars at home using quicker Level 2 chargers to fully power up within hours rather than days. Some others depend on public DC fast-charging stations for top-ups either routinely or during long drives, allowing them to replenish in just minutes. Still, every electric car has the capability to connect to a regular 120-volt household socket. However, how practical is this option actually?

In fact, it’s really quite good, despite what you might think. I discovered this during my road trip.
heading out to the distant West Texas desert in a 2025 Rivian R1T
That experience made me realize that what’s known as Level 1 charging, which is the most gradual method of electric vehicle charging available, can be incredibly handy—provided you employ it properly.

Actually, using wall power charged my devices when I needed it most during this journey. Here’s why it was crucial for me.

(

Full Disclosure:

Rivian lent me an R1T for a journey during the 2024 winter break.)

During the holiday season, I traveled approximately 400 miles from San Antonio to Marfa, a distant town in Texas close to the Mexican border. Given what you can imagine, electric vehicle charging stations are scarce in this area. The nearest option was at a hotel near my accommodation, which offered a Level 2 charger; however, it was reserved exclusively for their guests, so I couldn’t use it. While I likely could have persuaded them to let me charge occasionally, I did not wish to impose.

The most reliable option for me was a Tesla Supercharger station located in the town of Alpine. I frequently utilized this during my journey due to the adapter provided with the Rivian vehicle. However, even without considering highway range reduction, the station was situated 30 miles from our starting point.
opposite
The direction towards everything I love outside of Marfa. To put it briefly, this entailed a broad spectrum impact almost immediately after I left the parking area.

Fortunately for me, Rivian provided a compact mobile charging station. When the R1T was parked in the driveway, I opted to use this portable option. As expected, it turned out to be exactly what I required.

Stage 1 Charging: Understanding What Awaits You

A typical 120-volt household electrical outlet usually delivers between 1 and 2 kilowatts (kW) of power, which equates to approximately three to five miles of range added per hour.

With a 149-kilowatt-hour battery pack (of which 140 kilowatt-hours are usable), similar to the one in my R1T Dual Motor Max Pack test unit, you would expect
approximately 30 to 40 hours to recharge from 20% to 80% of its capacity
, varying with speed. Approximately two kilowatts of electricity required per kilowatt-hour of battery capacity, at most. Does that make sense?

That’s significantly lower compared to my personal ChargePoint Level 2 charger, which consistently delivers 7.2 kW. This allows me to fully recharge my Kia EV6, equipped with a 77.4 kWh battery, within approximately 10 hours. However, I usually take about five or six hours for charging. I have never let the car drain completely to 0%, nor do I plan to do so.

If you’re a beginner with electric vehicles, you might dismiss Level 1 home charging as being too sluggish. However, keep this in mind: What does your vehicle do for the majority of the time? It’s simply stationary when parked.

As it remains stationary, this implies you can recharge it. This feature serves as a sort of hidden superpower for electric vehicles (EVs) that not many discuss. In contrast to gasoline cars, which require you to go out and refuel at a station, with an EV,
for 95% of the time the vehicle remains stationary
, it can continue charging its battery as long as it remains close to a power source.

This proved incredibly helpful for me. During my journey, I didn’t spend every moment behind the wheel. Instead, I spent time exploring towns on foot, visiting attractions, dining and socializing with loved ones, or snapping pictures. Just like any car would do, the R1T remained parked quite often throughout the day. So, I thought why not let it charge while it was sitting idle.

It proved highly beneficial. By simply plugging into a regular wall outlet, I managed to add approximately 30 to 40 additional miles of range each day, with much of this occurring during nighttime hours while I slept. Since I maintained at least some charge by not letting the battery drop to zero percent, I avoided having to recharge entirely from empty. Additionally, I could rely on residual power from the nearby Tesla Supercharger station. Thus, relying on the standard wall socket guaranteed ample range for handling my everyday tasks and outings.

I’ve noticed that electric vehicle (EV) charging doesn’t usually follow the “fill it up when it’s empty” approach we’re used to with gasoline vehicles. Instead, it’s all about ensuring you have sufficient range for your specific needs each day. I didn’t require the R1T to be fully charged every single day; rather, I just needed an adequate range to meet my typical travel requirements. Charging via the wall outlet provided me with a reliable daily reserve until I could reach a Tesla Supercharger station again. This has led me to adopt a more strategic mindset regarding energy consumption with EVs. And this shift isn’t necessarily negative.

The additional 30 to 40 miles provided each day through standard home charging were enough to support many trips. This explains why quite a few electric vehicle owners rely solely on Level 1 charger at their homes for everyday driving needs.
My coworker Kevin Williams has covered this topic thoroughly.
He lives in an apartment and frequently opts for slow charging.

Consider individuals who possess a compact electric vehicle equipped with a smaller battery, or those who use an electric vehicle as their secondary or tertiary car mainly for local trips and errands. What reasons might lead them to
not
Why use a wall outlet, particularly when you don’t require something as quick or expensive as a Level 2 home charger?

For me personally, using a Level 2 charger is essential because I drive quite often at home. Depending only on Level 1 charging doesn’t meet my requirements. However, I’ve started viewing this Level 2 charger more like an additional tool—an incredibly useful one—that I can utilize. This becomes particularly relevant during long journeys and holidays. When traveling to unfamiliar locations where high-speed charging stations might be scarce, I highly advise carrying a portable wall charger. Although it’s not the quickest solution available, having it is far preferable to having none and could prevent serious issues.

I’ll include the usual warnings and emphasize that it’s crucial to ensure the power source you’re using for charging is safe and compatible.
is secure, up-to-date, sturdy and capable of managing the workload
. If you’re staying at an Airbnb, make sure to confirm with the host whether EV charging is acceptable.
It likely won’t make a significant impact on their electricity bill.
.)

Certain manufacturers discourage the use of an extension cord for such purposes. For prolonged usage involving significant power draw, extension cords may pose issues. Although a heavy-duty, thick-gauge extension cord would be ideal, my advice is to strictly follow your owner’s manual recommendations—or consult an electrician if you’re unsure—regarding extended cable lengths. Do not simply connect any available extension cord without consideration. While level 1 charging can assist in keeping you mobile, damaging your charger or causing a fire could escalate matters significantly.

As long as safety permits, consider using Level 1 wall charging, particularly during your upcoming electric vehicle road trip. Keep this in mind: whenever it’s stationary, there might be an opportunity to plug in your vehicle.

Contact the author:
patrick.george@insideevs.com

More EV News

• The Federal Electric Vehicle Charging Initiative Might Be Terminated. It Had Only Recently Begun Yielding Results.
• Ionna States We Require Chargers Where ‘Reliability Is Not Up For Debate’
• Canadian buyers of Ford electric vehicles can receive a complimentary home charger along with free installation.
• 2025 Rivian R1T Review: Here’s Why Rivian Will Succeed
• Rivian’s CEO States Hands-Free Driving Will Be Here in ‘Weeks’
• The Rivian R1T’s Gear Tunnel Is What Has Me Enthusiastic About Electric Vehicles