How Long Do Electric Cars Take To Charge?
A person has to consider charging when buying an electric car, which is not the case to petrol or diesel cars. You need to learn that electric cars will take many hours to fully charge while a petrol car will need a few minutes to be filled. It is important also consider the cost of charging a car when buying it. It is not easy to know the exact cost of charging an electric car because many companies offer the services that range in price compared to doing it from home.
Time to Charge with Different Charging Points:
- 3.7kW Charger: 15 miles of range per hour
- 7kW Charger: 30 miles of range per hour
- 22kW Charger: 80 miles of range per hour
The important thing to know is that the cost of charging an electric car is lower than the price of fuel. The adoption of electric cars is not easy, but in the long run, it is worth it. The time for charging an electric car ranges between 30 minutes to 12hours. The key determinants of how long a car will take to charge a car are the size of the battery and how fast the charging point is.
It is essential to note that power rating of home charging points are 7kW or 3.7 kW (22kW charger not available unless you have three phase power).
Charging with a Rapid Charger
The fastest way of charging an electric car is by use of rapid charging points; offering upto 80% charge within 30 minutes. The use of the rapid charging points will be helpful even for cars which do not charge at rapid speeds. The rapid chargers make use of the special connector type, which exists in two forms (known as CCS and CHAdeMO) usually in vehicles that are fully electric. Their installation is in motorway services station to facilitate quick charge for journeys that cover longer distances.
What is Top-up Charging?
The drivers of electric cars are less worried about the time it will for the cars to charge as they top-up charge in the entire day. They charge up whenever their cars are idle in places for instance supermarket, gym or workplace. You should be aware that the charging points at the workplace and public range between 7kW and 22kW which offers a decent rate of charge.
When a charging point in the public is 7 kW, it will be helpful for a range of 30 miles in an hour of charge. You should combine overnight charging in your home and top-up charging to enjoy an efficient performance.
Charging Speed
The types of charging speed that exist in the UK are four in which each offers an increasing quantity of electricity that in effect make the charging of your car faster. These types of charging speed support different kind of plugs and they are not similar.
3.7kW and 7kW: These types of charger are common and used in homes, supermarket car parks street parking and car parks. These kinds of charger are used by all cars that are electric.
22 kW: This charger offers a faster form of charging, but is so rare to obtain. They are found in motorway service stations or committed petrol stations.
43 kW: It is the fastest means of charging that can be used by a person with a standard type I connector. A person who desires to go faster should have a car supported by CCS or CHAdeMO.
50 kW: It is known to be the upper limit for any car currently available, and that is not Tesla. The cars that can support 50 kW must have CCS or CHAdeMO. They are so rare and will only be found in a motorway service station or special locations.
120 kW: The charging speed is found on Tesla vehicles (currently) and will only be available if you are using Tesla's 40+ supercharger which are not widely available in the country.
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