Have you recently switched from petrol or diesel to electric?
Electric vehicles (EVs) are much greener than those with petrol or diesel engines. They use far less energy to get you from A to B, which means they have lower CO2 emissions.
There’s no denying that these vehicles are more energy efficient – but one of the biggest concerns for motorists in the UK is realistic charging times.
That’s why, in today’s article, we thought we’d outline which factors determine charging time for electric cars and why you should make us your first choice for EV charger installation.
What affects charging time?
Charging times can vary depending on:
· the make and model of your electric vehicle
· the size of your car’s battery
· the type of EV charging station you use
· how many miles you drive between charges
· your charging behaviour (i.e. topping it up or charging from empty)
Typically, the larger the car’s battery, the longer it will take to fully charge. If you’re charging your vehicle from empty, it’s bound to take longer to charge than if you were just topping it up.
Types of EV charger
There are thousands of free electric car charging points in the UK – often located in supermarkets, shopping centres, public car parks, hotels, and motorway service stations.
These include:
· Rapid chargers – rated at 43-50kw, these are the fastest chargers on the market, and great for topping up your battery during a long journey. Depending on the size of the battery and how much charge it has to start with, they are capable of charging cars up to 80% within 20-40 minutes.
· Fast chargers – these are rated at 7-22kw and often used at public charging points as well as residences. Taking between 3-7 hours to recharge an EV, these chargers are not as fast as their rapid counterparts, but there are several models to choose from.
· Slow chargers – for every hour of charge, a 3.7kw slow charger provides up to 15 miles. This is half the distance of a 7kw fast charger (30 miles) and six times less than a rapid charger (90 miles). However, taking between 6-12 hours to charge, they’re ideal for overnight charging.
Methods of charging
When it comes to electric vehicle charging, you have one of two options:
· Top-up charging
Most EV drivers plug their car in whenever they park – whether it be at home overnight, or during the day at their workplace, the gym, or supermarket – no matter how much charge it has. This is what’s known as ‘top-up charging’.
Instead of letting the battery run empty and having to wait for it to fully recharge from zero, they simply keep topping it up (usually with a rapid charger) whilst it’s parked.
· Home charging
The most effective way to charge your EV at home is to install a dedicated home charging point – but these tend to be the slowest.
Thanks to the government’s Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme contributing to the installation cost, 7kw fast chargers are simple to install and more affordable than ever before.
Could you benefit from an EV home charger?
We appreciate that most people rely on their vehicles to commute, drop the kids off at school or nursery, and do the weekly shop, whilst some regularly travel up and down the country – either for work or leisure.
Here at Michael White Electrical Services, we provide an EV charger installation service for customers across East and West Sussex, helping you to plug your car in and charge it up – ready for the journey ahead.
Our team will provide the most suitable electric vehicle charging solution for you, taking into consideration the mileage you drive, the size of your car’s battery, and your charging preference (i.e. charging from empty to full or frequent topping up).
For more information about our EV charging installation service, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Give us a call on 0774 758 8711 or email info@michaelwhiteelectrical.co.uk, and we’ll get back to you.