Why Level 1 EV Home Charging Is Surprisingly More Beneficial

Using an electric vehicle, you might find that a simple wall socket becomes your greatest ally. I discovered this during my journey with the Rivian R1T.

Let’s face it: nobody likes waiting for hours to recharge their electric vehicle. Many potential buyers are deterred by the lengthy charging times and lack of accessible locations to plug in. Charging from a regular household socket can take quite a while, which is definitely a concern. ranging anywhere from 60 to 200 hours Depending on the vehicle—it isn’t particularly reassuring.

Many electric vehicle (EV) owners charge their cars at home using quicker Level 2 chargers, which fully power up the battery within hours rather than days. Some others depend on public DC fast charging for quick refills during regular usage or long drives, restoring energy in just minutes. Nonetheless, every EV has the capability to connect to a common 120-volt household electrical socket. However, how practical is this option truly?

Actually, it’s really quite good, despite what you might think. I discovered this during my road trip. to the distant West Texas wilderness 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 charging was a lifesaver during this trip. Here’s why.

( 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 quite sparse in this area. The nearest option was at a hotel close to where I was lodging; however, their level 2 charger was exclusively available for guests. While I likely could have persuaded them to let me use it occasionally, I did not wish to impose.

My safest option was the Tesla Supercharger station located in the town of Alpine. I frequently utilized this station during my journey, owing to the adapter provided by Rivian. However, this station was situated 30 miles from my starting point even before accounting for any reductions in range due to driving on highways. opposite The direction towards everything I love doing outside of Marfa. To put it briefly, whatever that entailed resulted in a broad impact nearly immediately after leaving the parking area.

Fortunately for me, Rivian provided a compact mobile charging station. I opted to use this with my R1T when it was stationed in the driveway. As expected, it turned out to be exactly what I required.

Stage 1 Charging: Understanding What Awaits You

A typical 120-volt household electrical socket usually delivers between 1 and 2 kilowatts (kW) of power, which equates to approximately three to five miles of driving distance added each 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 It depends on the speed. In the most favorable situation, around 2 kilowatts of electricity per kilowatt-hour of battery capacity would be required. Does that make sense?

That's significantly lower compared to my personal home ChargePoint Level 2 charger, which provides a consistent output of 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 only take about five or six hours for charging. I have never let the car’s battery deplete completely down to 0%, nor do I plan to drain it entirely in the future.

If you’re new to electric vehicles, you might dismiss level 1 home charging as overly sluggish. However, keep in mind that what does your car do for the majority of the day? It’s simply staying put in a parking spot.

Since it remains stationary, you can simply refuel it. This is somewhat like a hidden superpower for electric vehicles (EVs) that not many discuss. In contrast to gasoline cars, which require you to go out and find fuel, with an EV, for 95% of the time when the car is 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 all my time behind the wheel. Instead, I explored the city on foot, visited tourist spots, dined and drank with loved ones, or took pictures. Just like any car would do, the R1T remained parked quite often throughout the day. So, I decided it made sense to leave it plugged in while it stayed put.

It proved extremely beneficial. Simply by plugging into a standard wall outlet, I managed to add around 30 to 40 additional miles of range each day, mostly during nighttime charging while I slept. This meant I never let the battery drain completely, avoiding the need for a full recharge every time. Plus, having access to a Tesla Supercharger provided an added buffer. As such, relying solely on the regular household plug guaranteed ample range for all my everyday tasks and trips.

I've observed that electric vehicle (EV) charging doesn’t follow the same “fill it up immediately when empty” approach as with gasoline vehicles. Instead, it’s more focused on ensuring you get just enough charge for your specific needs each time. Daily, I didn’t require the R1T to be completely full; rather, I only needed sufficient range to meet my travel requirements without worry. By using a standard wall outlet, I maintained an adequate reserve until needing access to a Tesla Supercharger 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 gained from nightly home charging were enough to cover much of my journey. This explains why quite a few electric vehicle owners rely solely on Level 1 charger at home for their everyday needs. My coworker Kevin Williams has covered this topic thoroughly. He lives in an apartment and frequently opts for slow charging.

Think about people who own a smaller EV with a smaller battery, or who have an EV as a second or third car primarily for around-town errands. Why would you not Why use a wall outlet, particularly when you don’t require something as quick or expensive as a Level 2 home charger?

At minimum for me, since I drive quite often at home, having access to a Level 2 charger is essential. Using only a Level 1 charger just doesn’t meet my requirements. However, nowadays, I view it more like an additional resource—an extremely useful and handy one—that I can rely on. This becomes particularly relevant during long-distance travel and holidays. Should you be heading somewhere unfamiliar without assured availability of numerous quick-charging stations en route, I’d highly advise carrying a mobile wall charger. Although this might not offer the quickest charge, it’s certainly preferable over having no backup solution and could save you from significant inconvenience.

I’ll include the usual warnings and emphasize the importance of ensuring that the power source you’re using for charging is compatible and safe. is secure, contemporary, sturdy and capable of managing the workload . If you’re leasing an Airbnb, make sure to confirm with the hosts whether they allow EV charging (and It likely won't make a significant impact on their electricity costs. .)

Certain manufacturers warn against utilizing an extension cord for such purposes. When dealing with extended periods of use involving heavy power consumption, extension cords may pose issues. Although a robust, thick gauge industrial-strength extension cord might work better, my advice is to strictly follow your owner’s manual recommendations—especially when in doubt, consult an electrician regarding safe usage for longer cables. Do not simply rely on whatever extension cord happens to be available nearby. Level 1 charging undoubtedly assists in keeping vehicles operational; however, damaging the charger or causing a fire could exacerbate the situation significantly.

So long as you can do it safely, do not rule out Level 1 wall charging, especially on your next EV road trip. Always remember: if it's parked, maybe it can be plugged in somewhere.

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

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