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Get all the information you need on the four key types of electric car charging options, from home wallpoints to rapid chargers.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve either made the eco-friendly switch to an electric car, are considering the leap, or are simply curious about how the world of EV charging operates. Whatever brought you here, this guide gives you a rundown of the four key ways in which all types of electric cars get their fuel.
We’ll unravel the various charging options available for electric cars and delve into the statistics of each method. From the home wallpoint to the super-speed rapid charging units, there’s a lot to explore.
Trickle Charging
Trickle charging is the baseline method of charging an electric vehicle, and uses a standard 120-volt plug socket. Everyone has one at home, but with a power output of less than 3.7kW, it’s not the most dependable when you need to get anywhere in a hurry. You’ll get around 13 to 16kW of range for every hour it charges. Trickle charging is most beneficial for charging at home overnight.
Home Wallpoint Charging
Home wallpoint charging is a remarkable home charging upgrade that will charge 3-4x faster than trickle charging. With a 230V outlet, you’ll get between 3.7kW and 8kW of power, meaning a full charge on a 40kW electric car takes six hours. While it does mean that you’ll need to install a dedicated charging tower into your home, the UK government offers generous grants to make the financial aspect much easier. Alternatively, your place of work may have a wallpoint charger outside which you could use during working hours.
Public Charging
In shopping centres, hotels, chain restaurants and more, public charging points are popping up everywhere. As electric cars become more popular, so too have these stations, meaning there is no shortage of options to recharge your vehicle when you’re out and about. Plus, these charging stations are more powerful than your average home wallpoint, producing anywhere between 8kW and 49kW. Next time you’re visiting anywhere commercial, find a public charging point and you can refuel while you shop, dine or sightsee.
Rapid Charging
Rapid chargers are at the top of the tree when it comes to boosting your electric vehicle, and with over 50kW of power, they rack up some incredible statistics. The reason they charge faster is because they use DC output instead of standard AC, and the results mean a charging rate between 10 to 20 miles of range per minute. You’ll find dedicated rapid charging stations in certain petrol stations and supermarkets that typically recharge a vehicle to 80% in around 30 minutes.
However, watch out for certain brands like Tesla, who use a dedicated rapid charging station with a proprietary plug, so you will need to use their station finder app to find a Tesla charging station. Most importantly, for all-electric vehicles, DC-based rapid charging should be kept to a minimum in order to preserve battery health.
Now that you are well informed on the various types of charging options for electric vehicles, you may want to find a new EV to take advantage of the quicker charging capabilities. At cars2buy, we have thousands of quality leases on all types of electric cars, scouted from trusted lease partners. Our transparent service has shortened our customers’ journey toward a brand new EV by taking out the time-consuming task of comparing lease offers on hundreds of different websites. We’ve put them all in one place, meaning you can search, filter, sort and compare them all to find the perfect match. Browse our collection of electric car lease deals today and you could be using a fast charging station for your brand-new EV sooner than you think.
