Charging Electric Cars: How long does it take?
Electric cars are literally the future; with the UK set to ban new fossil fueled cars in less than 10 years we all need to get ready for those changes.
But what are the different types of charging that electric cars need and can get?
Slow charging
Anything that starts with Slow in the name isn’t a good start; afterall you don’t travel on the slowest form of transport unless you’re trying to save money; which is exactly what this form of charging gives you.
Even the smallest cars like a Nissan Leaf with a 40kWh battery takes nearly 12 hours for a full battery charge on a wall charger like that plug outside your garage.This kind of charger is 3kW and has a three-pin plug for use for your home electricity supply.
If you buy a new electric car you will almost always get one of these as standard, but because new cars have larger battery packs most manufacturers suggest using them only when no other method is available, and it is slow.
The benefit here is that you can plug your car in overnight and charge it without the extra cost of having to have a faster charger fitted. Slow charging also is the best way to charge a hybrid where you don’t rely on the battery as your sole means of power.
Fast charging
If you have an electric car you plan on using a lot and do lots of miles in then you might want to invest in a fast charger that charges between 7kW (at home) or 22kW out and about at public charging points.
A Domestic wallboxe, like Pod Point, runs at the lower 7kW, which halves the time it takes compared to the slow 3kW charger.
Your Nissan Leaf and its 40kW battery will charge in about 6 hours, while your new Tesla starting with a 75kW battery will need about 12 hours. The much faster 22kW needs a three-phase electricity supply requiring some complicated electrical work at some expense at your home; but these 22kW chargers use Direct Current (DC) charging and Alternating Current (AC) charging.
This means that charging times will be halved again against that 7kW charger and a 75kW Tesla will take around six hours.
Rapid charging
Rapid charging is very hard to find – unless you have a Tesla – which is what the Tesla Superchargers provide.
Rapid charging can vary from 50kW to up to 150kW found at motorway services and charging hubs like the aforementioned Tesla superchargers.
If your car works with a rapid charger you will know it already as you would have been told when you bought the car. And rapid chargers are getting more rapid as car charging technology improves. The Porsche Taycan can charge at 270kW if you can find any charging points that powerful.If you had a 40kW Nissan Leaf using a 50kW charger which is typical in the UK then the car can get to 80 percent in under an hour which is significantly faster.
In terms of a Tesla that means through the supercharger network you can get 80% charge in 30 minutes which is enough time for a short break and something to eat.
Top-up charging?
This is pretty straightforward just plug the car in whenever you’re near a charging point, for example if you shop at a supermarket or mall with charging points and you can keep your car battery topped up.
If you then also leave it plugged in overnight you should have enough range to not have to worry about your normal journeys and to keep your battery at its optimal 80%.
Charging Rates
| Charger Type | Range Added after 1 Hour Charge |
| 3kW | 10 miles |
| 7kW | 30 miles |
| 50kW | 175 miles |
| 150kW | 80% to Full Range depending on battery size and car model |
Factors that effect charging speed
Charging speed is dependent on the size of the battery as well as the power rating of the charging point used as well as the temperature of the battery.
The first 80 percent of a battery is filled up much quicker than the remaining 20 percent – where the charging slows down considerably and this is most noticeable on fast or rapid chargers.
Your car also can’t charge faster than it was designed to. If you can even connect a car designed for a maximum of 50kW then that is all you will get even if you can find a 150kW charger. The charger you use also works the same way so you will only get the maximum rating from that charging point even if your car can charge faster.
And just like people when it is cold we might be slower and so is your battery charging speed and range. The colder it is the worse performance you typically get from modern batteries. You will likely find your best range in the summer as well.
With this in mind new cars can have battery heating systems to help the car charge faster and keep the battery in the optimal charging condition.
If you have read this article then no doubt you are interested in Electric cars and you can find videos on the Tesla Model 3, Model S and Polestar 2 on the YouTube channel.
