EV Charging Information

Charging your EV is one of the most common concerns drivers have when deciding whether to make the change.

The fear of running out of charge is commonly referred to as "range anxiety" it's really no different than running out of petrol but of course people do not fear being able to find a petrol station.

Below talks through the 3 main types of charging options and there locations and positives/negatives for each. 

Slow Charging

This is the charging of your car using a cable that has a normal 3 pin plug. 

Typically performs at between 3kW - 6 kW, reality being it will take 10+ hours to complete a charge. 

Positives

Means you can charge at anyone's house, as long as they have a drive or garage that your cable with reach.

If you only do minimal and have a garage/drive it can work fine.

Negatives 

Extremely slow, not a viable option in the long term for most drivers.

Fast chargers

These are wall mounted charging units, installed at homes, places of work, car parks and other public places. 

Typically performs at between 7kW - 22 kW, reality being it will take between 2 - 6 hours to charge your car.

Positives

Overall probably the most ideal solution, whether you have one installed at home or your place of work, you know you have the ability to fully charge you car within a reasonable time period.

Negatives 

Having one fitted at home would be at a cost, if you are unable to do so you need to find access to one at your place of work or in public places. 

Rapid chargers & Ultra Rapid Charges

These are the ones typically found at service stations or dedicated sites across the UK. 

Typically performs at between 43kW up to 100kW, lot of variables with these but you can easily get a 80-90% charge in little over 30 mins. 

Positives

Speed is key with these, perfect for when you have to do a long journey for work or a family trip, even if you were in a petrol car doing these lengths of journey, you'd probably stop anyway so represents little inconvenience. 

Negatives 

Because of the locations and demand, they can be reasonably expensive, that said still cheaper than filling your car with petrol!

Also availability, there may only be 2 or 3 at certain places so on occasions you may need to wait.

This is proving less of an issue as time goes by as the number of locations and chargers grows. 

Summary 

Before buying an EV you need to plan for how you will charge your vehicle. The amount of miles you do and the frequency of use will dictate what the best solution is.  

If you can have a home charger fitted or guaranteed access to one at work for most drivers are then comfortable.

If you do very low mileage and can't access a home/work charger but are happy to utilise a public charging point whilst shopping etc again most drivers are fine with this.

If you do very high mileage and/or often do very long journeys this will may well require a visit to a public charger so you will need to plan your day/journey. 

If any of our guides haven't answered your questions please contact the team who will be happy to help Contact Us.

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