EV Charging
There are three main types of EV charging; Rapid, Fast and Slow.
All chargers have different power ratings.
The speed to charge depends on the kW rating of the charger and the maximum speed the car battery can charge at.
Learn more from the ev LEASING SPECIALISTS
Charging your electric vehicle
Rapid Charging
- Fastest way to charge an EV.
- Usually found on motorway service stations or locations close to main routes.
- Supply high power direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) to recharge the car as fast as possible.
- Average EV would take approx. 1 hour on a standard 50 kW rapid charge point.
Fast Charging
- Usually found on car parks, supermarkets, or leisure centres where you are likely to be parked for at least an hour or more or you can have one installed at home.
- Typically rates at either 7kW or 22kW.
- Charging times vary.
Slow (Trickle) Charging
- Common method of charging – usually at home overnight.
- Delivers low voltage 3kW-6kW therefore charges slowly over a longer period.
- Mainly home-charging units, some workplace and public charge points can also be found but these are much less common and tend to be older units.
5 factors that affect the time it takes to charge an EV
TIME TO CHARGE
Size of Battery
The bigger the battery capacity, the longer it will take to charge.
Current Charge
It will take longer to complete a full charge from empty versus if you are simply topping up.
Environmental Factors
During colder weather, it can take slightly longer to charge. Charging is also less efficient.
Max Charge Rate of Charger
You can also only charge at the chargers max charge rate, for example, if you are using a 7kW charger but your vehicle can charge at 11kW it will still only charge at the max 7kW.
Vehicle's Max Charge Rate
You can only charge at the max charge rate of your EV, for example, if your EV has a max charge rate of 7kW it won’t charge any using a 22kW charger.
Summary
The time it takes to charge an electric car can vary significantly and be anything from as as little as 20-30 minutes to over 12 hours depending upon the speed of the charging point and the size of the battery.
- A typical EV (based on 60kWh battery) will take just under 8 hours to charge from empty to full using a 7kW charging point.
- The bigger the battery and the slower the charger, the longer it will take to charge from empty to full.
- Regularly topping up during the day and charging fully overnight is recommended if you want to keep charging times to a minimum.
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