For most of us, electric cars are the future, and for many, they are now here. When compared to their petrol or diesel-powered equivalents, they are usually less expensive to operate, maintain, and are far better for the local environment. After all, there are no exhaust emissions, making it excellent for reducing your carbon impact.
Many people, however, are nervous about moving to an electric car, due to charging times that look to be much longer than what you'd spend simply going to the petrol station to fill up your tank.
This article will help you better understand charging times and address some of the fears you may have about switching to an electric car.
What things affect the charging time of an electric car?
Charging times differ depending on the manufacturer, model, and even the type of charger used, so there are a few things to consider, such as the battery's size and charging speed. The good news is that calculating an approximate estimate of how long it will take your electric car to charge is rather simple.
For example, if your electric car has a 70kWh battery and is plugged into a 7kW charger (one of the most popular outputs for public charging sites), it will take 10 hours to charge from flat to full. It's truly that easy to figure out.
This figure, however, assumes that the battery is dead, which is doubtful. You also don't have to charge your electric car to full capacity every time; simply remove it and get back on the road when the battery has achieved a satisfaction level — much like your smartphone.
It's also important to remember that once your electric car reaches a specific level of energy — usually about 80% — it will slow down. When the battery is nearly full, this is done to keep the current equal and protect the battery.
Charging at home (about 10-to-30+ miles per hour of range)
Installing a dedicated charging point, also known as a wallbox, is the most practical way to charge your car at home.
Charging at home typically offers you between 10 and 30 miles of range per hour, but this varies depending on your local grid, wallbox type, and electric car model. Tesla, for example, sells a 22kW home charger that claims to give a Model 3 40 miles of range every hour of charging.
In general, if you want to charge your electric car overnight and have it fully charged in the morning, you'll need a dedicated wallbox. It's also cheap, because while petrol costs around £1.20 per liter, charging an electric car only around 14p per kWh.
It's important to mention that if you go through a specialist firm, you'll have to pay for a wallbox, and while some manufacturers provide them for free with an electric car, they may cost you a bit more with your new EV.
The government offers a guide to help with wallbox installation costs. The Electric Vehicle Home charge Scheme (EVHS) could cover up to 75% of the cost of your charger, so if you're unsure, it's worth asking whoever you're buying your wallbox from for further information.
You can also charge your car using a standard three-pin plug outlet, however the charging speed will be significantly reduced.
Charging stations in public locations (approx. 20-to-80-mile range per hour)
Electric car charging stations are coming up all over the place, including town centers, supermarkets, offices, and service stations, to name a few.
7kW outlets are some of the most common outputs for public charging points, and they typically provide your car with 20 to 30 miles of range per hour. Some connections reach 22kW and can charge your electric car at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour, but these are still few and far between.
However, charging an electric car at a public charger is likely to be costly. Some outlets will be free, such as those found in supermarkets, but others may require you to subscribe to a certain provider or use a pay-as-you-go system.
It's possible that you'll be able to power up at work. If your workplace doesn't have a dedicated charger, talk to your boss about getting one installed; there's a government subsidy called the Workplace Charging Scheme that can help cover the price of charging stations.
You can usually use their own smartphone app to verify current availability of a charger (so you aren't left stranded if you arrive at a charger only to find it is in use) and see how much it will cost you for charging networks that offer subscription services.
Points of fast charging (A full charge takes around an hour.)
If you run out of battery power halfway through a long drive, public fast-charging ports, which are most commonly found in motorway service stations and public car parks, are usually the quickest option to recharge. Most EVs can be charged from empty to 80 percent in less than an hour with these chargers, which are normally rated at 50kWh (but can reach up to 150kW).
The speed of fast-charging technology will only improve over time, reducing any fears about charging an electric vehicle. If your vehicle's battery enables it, for example, it might be charged from flat to full in under an hour.
It's worth noting, though, that fast charging isn't always available in plug-in hybrids.
Superchargers are Tesla's fast charging stations (Full charge in around 40 minutes)
You don't have to be an expert on cars to be aware of Tesla. Elon Musk's idea has moved the electric car market, becoming the standard by which all electric vehicles are compared.
The dedicated Tesla Supercharger network, which can offer a full charge to its current models in around 40 minutes, has helped to the company's success. The most of Tesla's superchargers in the UK are rated at 150kW, but the company is now working on installing one megawatt cabinets in the future, so expected things to speed up even more.
However, other electric vehicles are currently not allowed to use Tesla's Supercharger network, and it is unknown whether this will change in the future.
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