A Q&A with Jose Luis Gutierrez, Host Partnerships, Plunk EV Inc.
José Luis, when most people hear “EV charging,” they picture the big highway stations where you pull in for a few minutes and get back on the road. Is that what Plunk installs on host properties?
No, and that’s one of the biggest misconceptions we run into. Those highway stations are DC fast chargers, sometimes called Level 3 chargers. They’re a completely different category of infrastructure from what we deploy. Plunk installs Level 2 chargers. They’re quieter, smaller, dramatically less expensive to install and operate, and they’re designed for a fundamentally different use case. Understanding the difference between the three charging levels is one of the most useful things a property host can do, because it immediately clarifies why Level 2 is the right fit for almost every commercial property.
Let’s start at the beginning. What’s a Level 1 charger?
Level 1 is the simplest form of EV charging. It’s a standard 120-volt household outlet, the same thing you’d plug a lamp or a phone charger into. Every EV sold in North America comes with a portable cord that lets you charge from a regular wall outlet.
The problem is speed. Level 1 adds roughly 5 to 8 kilometres of range per hour of charging. If you have a battery that’s close to empty, you could be looking at two to three days for a full charge. For a driver who parks at home every night and only commutes a short distance, it can work. But for a property host offering charging as an amenity, Level 1 is essentially useless. No guest or tenant is going to be impressed by a charging option that’s slower than walking.
And Level 2?
Level 2 is the sweet spot. It operates on a 240-volt circuit, the same type of electrical connection used by a clothes dryer or an electric stove. A typical Level 2 charger delivers between 7 and 11 kilowatts of power, which translates to roughly 30 to 50 kilometres of range per hour.
That means an overnight stay at a hotel gives a guest somewhere in the range of 250 to 400 kilometres of range added to their vehicle. A two-hour dinner at a restaurant adds 60 to 100 kilometres. For a driver who plugs in when they get home from work, the car is fully charged by morning. These are the real-world scenarios where Level 2 charging fits perfectly, because it works with the time people are already spending at your property.
What about DC fast charging? Why not install those and give drivers the fastest option?
DC fast chargers are impressive machines. They bypass the vehicle’s onboard charger entirely and push direct current straight into the battery at 50 to 350 kilowatts. A high-powered DC fast charger can take a vehicle from 10% to 80% in 20 to 40 minutes. That’s why you see them at highway rest stops and gas stations, where the whole point is to get drivers in and out quickly.
But there are four reasons DC fast chargers don’t make sense for the vast majority of host properties.
First, cost. A single DC fast charger costs $80,000 to $250,000 or more to install, and that’s before you factor in potential transformer upgrades and utility service changes. A Level 2 charger, by comparison, typically costs $1,500 to $5,000 for hardware and a few thousand more for installation. With Plunk, the host pays zero for either the hardware or the installation.
Second, electrical infrastructure. DC fast chargers require industrial-grade three-phase power that most commercial properties simply don’t have. Installing one often means bringing in a new transformer from the utility, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars on its own and take months to complete. Level 2 chargers run on standard 240-volt power that most commercial buildings already have available.
Third, demand charges. Utilities charge commercial customers based on their peak power draw. A single DC fast charger pulling 150 kilowatts can spike a property’s demand charge dramatically, adding hundreds or even thousands of dollars to the monthly electricity bill even if the charger is only used a few times a day. Level 2 chargers draw a fraction of that power and don’t create the same billing problem.
Fourth, and this is the one people don’t think about: battery health. Frequent DC fast charging generates more heat in the battery and can accelerate degradation over time. Most EV manufacturers recommend Level 2 as the everyday charging method and suggest reserving fast charging for road trips and emergencies. By offering Level 2, a host property is actually providing the type of charging that EV drivers prefer for daily use.
So who’s a DC fast charger actually for?
Highway corridor operators, gas station owners along major routes, and fleet depots that need to turn vehicles around quickly during a shift. Those are legitimate use cases where the speed justifies the cost and complexity. A hotel, a restaurant, an apartment building, an office, a retail plaza? Level 2 is the right tool for the job, every time.
You mentioned that Plunk covers the cost of hardware and installation. How does that work for the host?
The host pays nothing for the charger, nothing for installation, and nothing for maintenance. Plunk handles all of it. The charger generates revenue through Canada’s Clean Fuel Regulations carbon credit market, which is how we fund the program. The host provides the parking space and the electrical connection, and in return they get a fully operational EV charger on their property at zero cost.
There’s no app for drivers to download, no account to create, no payment step. A driver pulls in, plugs in, and the charger starts automatically. That’s it.
Every EV can use a Level 2 charger, right?
Every battery-electric vehicle and every plug-in hybrid sold in North America is compatible with Level 2 charging. The standard connector is called J1772, and it’s been the universal plug for Level 2 AC charging across the continent for over a decade. Tesla vehicles can also use J1772 chargers with an adapter that comes included with the vehicle, and newer Tesla models with NACS ports have adapters readily available.
This is actually a major advantage of Level 2 over DC fast charging, where connector compatibility has historically been more fragmented. With Level 2, a host doesn’t have to worry about whether the charger works with a particular brand of vehicle. It works with all of them.
What would you say to a host who’s hesitating because they think they should wait for faster technology?
I’d say they’re solving for the wrong problem. The question isn’t “how fast can I charge a car?” It’s “what does my guest or tenant actually need?” A hotel guest doesn’t need a 20-minute charge. They need to wake up to a full battery after sleeping for eight hours. A restaurant customer doesn’t need 300 kilometres in 15 minutes. They need 50 to 80 kilometres added during a meal they were going to eat anyway.
Level 2 matches the rhythm of how people actually use properties. And because Plunk covers the cost entirely, there’s no financial risk in starting now. The charger is generating carbon credit revenue and attracting EV-driving customers from day one. Waiting for faster technology means leaving that value on the table.
Any final thoughts?
Canada has over 27,000 Level 2 public charging ports now, and the number is growing fast. The federal government is investing in adding thousands more. Level 2 is the backbone of Canada’s everyday charging infrastructure, not because it’s a compromise, but because it’s the right technology for the way most people actually charge their vehicles. Properties that offer it now are ahead of the curve. Properties that wait will eventually be playing catch-up.
To learn more: Natural Resources Canada’s Electric Vehicle Charging page provides an official overview of charging levels, connector types, and how to find charging stations across the country. For a U.S. perspective with detailed technical comparisons, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Charger Types and Speeds guide breaks down charging levels, dwell times, and estimated costs for site hosts.
José Luis Gutierrez is a member of the Host Partnerships team at Plunk EV Inc. Plunk deploys Level 2 EV chargers at zero cost to property hosts and drivers across Canada.
