Along with monthly cost and driving range, charging time is a key issue for anyone considering the switch to an electric car. And there is no way to sugar the pill here: the process does take time.
Even with rapid improvements in battery technology, it will be many years before electric cars can match the few minutes it takes to fill up with petrol or diesel. Nonetheless, there are several ways to make living with an EV easier.
Keep reading for advice on how to save time when charging your electric car.
1. A longer range means a longer charge
Cars with a long range have bigger batteries and thus generally take longer to refill from empty than vehicles with smaller, lower-capacity batteries.
All else being equal, a car with a 100kWh battery will require twice as long to fully charge as one with a 50kWh battery. It’s simple mathematics.
2. Large cars take longer to recharge
Large electric cars tend to have bigger batteries, too – not least because they offer more space to accommodate them. But their additional weight also means they consume more power, therefore each unit of electricity carries you further in a smaller, lighter car.
3. The language can be confusing
Beware of the terminology around charging. The terms Fast, Rapid and Ultra-Rapid are bandied around, but there is no hard industry definition for them. It all relates to the rate a charger puts power into the car’s batteries.
4. 30 minutes is often enough
A big selling point is how much you can charge in the time it takes to buy a coffee and take a comfort break. Many electric cars come with the claim you can charge to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes, although with longer range cars, you’ll need a very powerful charger to achieve that.
Half an hour at a public charging point could give you another 100 miles in a typical small EV, however. Then you can fully top-up using cheaper electricity at home.
5. You can take your time at home
Charging at home doesn’t need to be a rush job, either. Most electric cars can be recharged overnight, making use of off-peak electricity and leaving you with maximum range the following morning.
It’s also unlikely that you’ll park up at the end of the day with just a handful of miles left in the battery, so your overnight charge is likely to be a partial rather than a full fill. That means even cars with massive batteries, like the Audi E-tron SUV, can get a useful dose, although if you wanted to charge the Audi from empty at home it could take 14 hours.
6. Charging at work could be free
This is an ideal scenario for many, allowing you to fill up again, possibly using electricity your employer is paying for. Many workplaces now have similar recharging stations to those used in private homes.
7. Charging on the go is trickiest
This is where it matters most, and it’s the area where owning a Tesla has traditionally offered an advantage. Not only do you get impressive battery range on Tesla cars, the company’s Supercharger network promises ‘the world’s fastest electric vehicle charging’. There’s also a network throughout Europe, which makes long-distance travel easier.
Tesla’s network is gradually being opened up to other cars, so this early advantage is being eroded. Whatever EV you drive, though, it’s important to understand what’s on offer when you pull in for a power boost. Many locations offer a choice of chargers, so there might be a Type 2 slow charger and Type 2 fast charger, plus CCS rapid chargers of maybe 50kW and 100kW.
Here is what Pod Point says about recharging times for two different electric cars and a plug-in hybrid:
| Vehicle | Empty to full charging time | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Battery | 3.7kW slow | 7kW fast | 22kW fast | 43-50kW rapid | 150kW rapid | |
| Volkswagen ID.5 | 82kWh | 22 hrs | 12 hrs | 8 hrs | 1 hr | 30 mins | |
| Tesla Model S Standard Range | 75kWh | 21 hrs | 11 hrs | 5 hrs | 1 hr | 30 mins | |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 13.8kWh | 4 hrs | 4 hrs | 4 hrs | 40 mins | Can’t use this kind of charger | |
This table gives some ballpark figures, and a sense of what you’ll encounter when you arrive at a friend’s house and plug into their domestic socket (Slow), to using your own home wallbox and lesser public charging points (Fast), and finally to the public chargers that are mostly found on major roads and motorways (Rapid and Ultra-Rapid).
If you have any further questions, please let us know in the comments – or visit the Charging section of the Motoring Electric website.
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