Volts (V)
Also known as: VoltageV
A volt is the unit of electrical "pressure" — the force that pushes current through a circuit. In US residential service, two voltages matter: 120V for standard outlets (lamps, TVs, phone chargers, small appliances) and 240V for high-power devices (electric range, dryer, EV charger, water heater, central AC).
Your home is supplied with 240V from PG&E, which is split inside the main panel: most circuits get one of the two 120V "legs"; large-appliance circuits use both legs simultaneously to get 240V.
When deciding which EV charger to install, voltage matters more than brand. Level 1 charging uses 120V (slow); Level 2 uses 240V (4-6× faster); Level 3 (DC fast charging) is reserved for commercial chargers. Most home installs are 240V Level 2 — which is why a new dedicated 240V circuit is usually part of the work.
"Higher voltage = faster" is roughly correct for chargers, but not for everything. For most appliances, voltage is fixed by the device. Don't try to "boost voltage" — boosting is a misconception; what matters is whether the device gets the voltage it expects on the right circuit.
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