How long does it take to charge an electric vehicle (EV)?
What factors affect an EV's charge time?
One of the main factors that impacts how fast your car charges is the type of charger you’re using. For example, are you charging using a plug at your home or are you using a dedicated fast public charger?
These chargers are given a kilowatt (kW) rating which lets you know how fast they charge. The higher the rating, the faster the charge.
How does the size of the battery affect an EV’s charging time?
Simply put, the larger the battery the longer it will take to charge. How long depends on the output of the charger. For example, a Nissan Leaf with a 40 kWh battery will take 11 hours to charge on a 3.7 kW charger, whilst a Tesla Model S with a 75 kWh battery will take 21 hours.
To work out how long it will take to charge your car, you take the size of the battery and then divide it by the power output. So, a 100 kWh battery being charged with a 10 kW charger will take 10 hours to charge.
How do fast charging points work?
You can find fast charging points across the UK, normally in motorway service stations or public car parks. Fast chargers are usually around 50 kW, but can be up to 150 kW. This means that you can charge most electric vehicles from empty to 80% in under an hour.
Some cars, for example plug-in hybrid cars don’t support fast charging, so it’s best to check whether your electric car can.
How fast are public charging points?
Like fast charging points, and as the name would suggest, you can find these in a variety of public places such as supermarkets, service stations, town centres and even at your workplace.
Public charging points normally having outlets around 7 kW. That means they can give you about 20-30 miles of range in your electric car per hour of charging. Some public charging stations can be up to 22 kW which will give you around 60-90 miles of range per hour of charging time.
Some public charging networks are free, however the majority will charge you (no pun intended). You can sign up to pay as you go or subscription services for charging networks, which will show you how much it will cost to charge as well as the locations of chargers that you can use with that service.
How quick is it to charge your electric vehicle at home?
You could of course charge your vehicle from a standard domestic socket, however this will take a long time. The most effective way to charge your vehicle at home is by having a dedicated EV charging point installed. These are also called wallboxes and can give your car around 10 - 30 miles of range per hour.
Wall chargers, like other chargers, do also come in a range of kW, which means they’ll charge your car differently depending on how high the power rating is.
As you’re at home, you can charge your car overnight and have it ready for your morning commute. With the E.ON home app you can even schedule your car to charge at certain times to take advantage of off-peak prices.
How do I get a home charger installed?
We can help you find the right electric vehicle charger for your car, working out what output you need and then installing it for you. We can also help you apply for grants which can give up to £350 towards the cost of installing an EV charger at home if you're a landlord.
You can get more information on what electric vehicle chargers we offer as well as book your installation.