One of the reasons many people choose electric cars is the potential savings and cash savings. In many cases, electricity is cheaper than traditional fuels such as gasoline or diesel, and in some cases more than half of the cost of “filling the fuel tank once” is spent charging an electric car battery over a period of time.

However, it all depends on where and how you charge; So here is a comprehensive guide to charging an electric car battery that will answer all your questions.

The cost of charging an electric car at home

The pressing , according to the Campaign for electric vehicles «Go Ultra Low», which is supported by the Government of Great Britain, 90 percent of owners of electric vehicles to charge at home and the cheapest way is to charge the vehicle battery.

Of course, this depends on the car you are charging and your electricity tariff; But in general, the cost of fuel for an electric car will not be nearly as much as a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine .

For example, charging a Nissan Leaf even with the most expensive tariffs for a full charge should be less than پ 5, and this charge provides a distance of up to 320 km for the car owner.

In some countries, it is better for people to invest in one of the newest “smart” wall chargers; That way, they can program the battery charger of their electric car using apps on their mobile phone so that the battery can be charged normally overnight only at the time of the cheapest electricity tariff.

The cost of installing an electric car charger at home

You can easily use the three-pin charging socket supplied by the factory; But the charging time is long and the manufacturers warn of continuous and long-term use due to the discharge of current in the socket.

Therefore, it is better to use a dedicated wall charger that can charge up to 7 kWh of battery capacity and is more than twice as fast as the three-pin socket option.

In addition to the connection options (permanently connected with the charging cable) or disconnected (allowing you to select different sockets and cables for different vehicles), there are a number of different manufacturers to choose from.

Whatever method you decide upon, that look can be further enhanced by the type of shutter hinges used.

The good news is that the British government is willing to allow drivers to use electric vehicles and provide generous subsidies to the public; So if you have your wall charger installed by an authorized installer, the OLEV will reimburse you up to 75% of the total cost (up to a maximum of  350).

Of course, prices are different; But with government grants, people can pay around پ 400 for a home charging station. Those who have not yet purchased an electric car should keep in mind that a number of manufacturers offer free wall chargers and installation services to customers when purchasing one of their electric models.

Car charging fee at the public charging station

Again, this depends on the model of the electric car and how it is used; Because there are so many options for public charging stations. For example, if you only need to charge when you are out of the house and rarely, depending on whether you use a fast or ultra-fast charger, the cost will be between 20 and 70 pence per kilowatt hour.

Instavolt chargers work on this principle and do not require anything other than internet payment, and other suppliers receive additional costs such as downtime (parking fee) plus the cost per kilowatt hour for electricity consumption.

If customers go to these charging stations more often, providers such as BP Pulse offer subscription services for around ۸ 8 a month; But this gives customers free access to about 80% of the company’s network of 7,000 chargers in the UK.

 Customers can use these chargers by paying simultaneously online with a bank card; But the cost of connecting the car to the charger is 1.2 pence with 18 pence per kilowatt hour of electricity.

The cost of 50 and 150 kW chargers for subscribers is 12 pence per kilowatt hour; For other people, a one-time fee of 1.5 pence will be charged, and the electricity tariff will start at 25 pence per kilowatt hour.

Some hotels and shopping malls offer free electric car charging services to customers.

Extensive use of smartphone apps for all providers to find places to access the charger reduces costs and makes them free for providers; So people can easily use the provider that suits their needs and budget.

Many automakers offer cheap charging to customers by accessing multiple providers under their charging plans.

For example, the Audi E-tron recharge service account gives access to almost 20 different companies; All new E-tron models, on the other hand, have subsidies that cover the first 1,000 miles for free.

Owners of Tesla electric vehicles will receive a dedicated Supercharger network along with a number of Destination fast chargers in places such as hotels.

Holders of Tesla Model S or Model X purchased before 2017 are eligible to receive a free charge; Owners of higher-end cars, on the other hand, will be charged 26 pence per kilowatt hour.

The cost of charging on the highway

Owners of electric vehicles will pay more for charging at the highway service station; Mostly because most chargers are fast or super fast. Until recently, Ecotricity was the only provider of charging services in these locations, with about 300 chargers available; But now companies like Ionity have joined.

Ecotricity offers both AC and DC charging options, all of which are available with a maximum usage time of 45 minutes.

There are a handful of fast AC chargers; But using them with ecotourism RFID card is free. DC fast chargers can be used for instant payment at 30 pence per kilowatt hour, which can be reduced to 15 pence per kilowatt hour if powered by eco-chargers.

Ioniti charges slightly more for customers who use wireless payment services, but has business relationships with automakers such as Audi, Biamo, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar, which allow drivers to charge their electric vehicles at a lower rate.

The cost of charging an electric car at work

In the early days, there was still talk of companies offering their employees the opportunity to charge an electric car at work. Employees usually do not pay to connect to a charger while at work, and in fact, installing a charger in the workplace can be cost-effective for employers.

Like private homes, the government subsidizes € 350 for each charger installed ; In addition, no tax is levied on electricity consumption, whether for company vehicles or employees’ personal vehicles.

Electric car charging time

According to Autocar , charging time is an important issue for electric vehicles. Starting to use a fast charger means that people can forget for hours waiting for their electric car battery to charge, and these crashes can soon become a memory.

However, fast chargers are still relatively scarce; So what other options are there to charge the car battery the rest of the time? Here are all the ways to charge your car and what are the best ways to increase efficiency.

Charge slow

As the name implies, this method has the longest charging time, and some larger electric vehicles that charge this way take up to 24 hours to recharge the battery.

Even a Nissan Leaf with a 40 kWh battery takes about 12 hours to fully charge the battery. These chargers, which typically operate at about 3 kW, are sometimes still found at public charging stations; But they are not more portable and use a three-pin charging socket to use the home power supply.

Most electric vehicles receive one of these chargers as standard; But increasing the size of battery packs means that most manufacturers recommend using them only if other charging methods are not used.

Of course, if the car owner does not travel long distances during the day, slow charging will allow him to charge the car battery well during the night; While low charging speeds generate less heat in the battery, which can help extend its useful life.

Fast charge

Fast charging is fast becoming the most popular charging method, especially for home use. The Fast charging is done at a speed of 7 kW or 22 kW, the latter is usually considered for public charging stations.

Most proprietary home wall chargers, such as the Pod Point, operate at a lower rate of 7 kW, which reduces the charge time by almost full compared to a slow charger; So, for example, you can expect a Nissan Leaf to be fully charged with a 40 kW battery in about 6 hours; While a Tesla with a 75 kW battery takes about 12 hours.

The 22 kW charger requires a three-phase power supply; This means that it is a rare and expensive solution for home use.

This type also requires a vehicle that can accept direct current (DC) charging as well as alternating current (AC) charging method. If the car can accept this amount of charge, expect the charging time to be reduced by almost half compared to the 7 kW charger; So the Tesla 75 kW will be charged in less than 6 hours.

Super fast charging

On paper, this is the fastest way to charge an electric car battery; Because some chargers can inject significant energy into the battery in just 20 minutes.

These charges, with power ranges from 50 to 350 kW, are commonly found at highway charging service stations and dedicated charging centers.

To use ultra-fast chargers, you need a car that can withstand this type of DC charge and charges only up to 80% of the battery capacity for best results; Because beyond this point, the charging speed is significantly reduced to protect the battery cells from overheating in such high currents.

Of course, to use this feature, you need a car with a compatible charging system that can accept fast charging.

Most low-end models are available with optional upgrades that allow direct DC charging up to 100 kW; While more expensive models such as the Tesla Model 3 and Model S can be charged at 250 kW. Some types of Porsche Taikan and Audi E-Tron GT use 800 volts electric system that can withstand up to 270 kW; The Lucid Air electric sedan, which will hit the market next year, will provide 300 kW.

Consider a concrete example to learn about the charging speed of different electric vehicles. The 40 kW Nissan Leaf can charge up to 80% of its capacity in one hour using a 50 kW charger (currently the most popular electric model in the UK; but the 150 and 350 kW models are also entering the market).

 At about the same time, a 75 kW Tesla car can be charged using a 150 kW charger. With a 350 kW charger, the Porsche Taikan takes just over 22 minutes to reach 5% to 80% charge.

However, keep in mind that regardless of the charger power, the electric vehicle will only be able to charge at its maximum internal system speed.

Therefore, Nissan Leaf with 50 kW charging capability receives current at the same speed (50 kW) even if connected to a 350 kW charger.

What is extra charge?

Top-up charging is a method used by most electric car drivers. In this method, it is plugged in and charged whenever the driver has a chance (usually at a public charging station on the street or in a supermarket parking lot).

So instead of waiting for the driver to completely drain the battery, it is actually simpler and faster to keep the cells in normal charging condition; This means that the car will usually have a lot of charge and therefore rarely suffers from anxiety due to reduced radius.

Owners usually combine this method with a full charge overnight using a slow or fast home charger.

How far can you go with each hour of charging?

As you might expect, the answer to this depends on the charger used and the amount of capacity of the vehicle (not all vehicles are capable of fast charging).

However, as a guide, you can expect the standard 3 kW slow charger to have a range of 16 km after one hour of charging. With a 7 kW fast charger, the charging rate of most home wall chargers increases and after 60 minutes up to 48 km is added to the navigation capacity.

In contrast, a 50 kW fast charger can have a range of 280 km at this time; To achieve this, you need a large battery, and by reducing the charging speed, with smaller chargers, you can achieve the final 20% of battery capacity.

This is similar to 150 kW chargers; But as a sign of their efficiency, you can add about 160 km to the car within a 10 minute radius.

Factors that affect the charging speed

There are several factors that can affect the charging speed; Especially when it comes to full charge. One of these is the size of the battery, and the larger and more powerful the battery, the longer it will take to charge.

After that, the amount of charge in the battery also has an effect, and 80% of the initial capacity is charged much faster than the final 20%; This is when the charging speed decreases, especially in fast or ultra-fast chargers.

The internal adapter of the electric vehicle also determines the charging speed; Therefore, if its capacity is 50 kW, the maximum speed of battery power is the same; Even if connected to a 150 kW charger.

This also applies to the charger used; Therefore, a car with a capacity of 150 kW can only be charged with a fast wall charger with a capacity of 7 kW.

You will also see a slower charge when the weather is cold, especially in a fast charger. Battery heating systems try to minimize deceleration; But when you do this, they add current, which adds a little to the charging time.