Red Tesla Model 3 rental plugged in at home in Salem, Oregon

Our red Tesla Model 3, plugged in and ready to roll in Salem.

Charging Made Simple

The Critter's Guide to EV Charging: the two-minute version

The 30-second answer

Most EV charging happens at home, overnight, like charging your phone.
Road trips use DC fast chargers: about 20–45 minutes to get to 80%.
Not every car charges at the same speed. Some take 4x longer at the very same charger.

🔌 Level 1: the wall outlet

A regular 120V household outlet. Slow, about 3–5 miles of range per hour, but plenty if you drive under ~40 miles a day and plug in every night.

⚡ Level 2: the everyday workhorse

240V, like a dryer outlet. Adds about 20–40 miles per hour and fills most cars overnight. Found in garages, shopping centers, hotels and workplaces.

🚀 DC fast: the road-trip stop

Big roadside chargers that take most cars from 10% to 80% in 20–45 minutes. Plugs are CCS, NACS (Tesla-style) or the older CHAdeMO. Stop at 80%, because the last 20% is slow.

🐢🐇 Why some cars charge faster

A Kia EV6 can pull about 235 kW. A Chevy Bolt tops out around 55 kW. Battery voltage, temperature and how full the battery is all matter.

🔴 Non-Tesla at a Tesla Supercharger

Most big brands can now use Superchargers. You'll usually need your automaker's NACS adapter plus the Tesla app (or your car's app). Not every model qualifies.

🗺️ Salem fast-charger map

A live Google map of DC fast chargers around Salem, plus the handful of stations worth knowing about.

Our go-to charging gear

Duosida Level 1 + 2 Portable EV Charger (16A, 25 ft): Plugs into a regular 120V outlet today and a 240V NEMA 6-20 outlet later. J1772 plug, so Teslas use their included adapter.
Fanttik X8 Apex Cordless Tire Inflator: Low tires quietly eat range. This one stops automatically at your set PSI.
Lectron Vortex Plus NACS-to-CCS1 Adapter (UL 2252): Lets eligible CCS-port EVs plug into Tesla Superchargers. It's the adapter BMW and MINI officially approve. Owners of GM, Hyundai and Kia cars should check their automaker's approved adapter first (warranty).

Want to try an EV before you buy? Rent an EV from ORCritters on Turo. We're veteran-owned and Salem-based, with Salem airport delivery available.

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