How often should I charge my electric car? How long does it take to charge? Can I plug it into a regular outlet at home? If you’ve got these questions and more, keep reading.
Charging an electric vehicle is a crucial factor when deciding to buy an electric car, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid. You might be considering it right now. What if we told you there’s no need to worry about EV charging? Operating an electric car, especially one with a swappable battery, is actually quite simple.
How Often Should I Charge My Electric Vehicle?
Charging frequency depends on several factors. These include the battery capacity, your driving style, and even the weather—whether it’s raining outside or you’re enjoying the blue sky. Lastly, your preference for using the heater or air conditioning will also affect how often you need to charge.
In general, the higher the battery capacity and the more efficient the energy management, the longer the car can run without charging. Yes, that makes sense. On average, you can expect to charge every 3-4 days in normal city traffic.
How Long Does It Take to Charge an Electric Car?
The charging time depends on the charger power and battery capacity. There are three main types of charging:
- Home charging (AC): Takes 8-12 hours using a standard home outlet or 4-6 hours with 7 kW power.
- Public charging (AC): Can take 2-4 hours at public charging stations with 11-22 kW.
- Fast charching (DC): At fast charging stations, it can take as little as 20-40 minutes at 50-150 kW.
So, you can either leave your electric vehicle to charge overnight while you sleep or stop for a coffee and a toilet on your way to the seaside, and the car will charge just fine in the meantime.
Although this is a relatively new feature, some electric cars already offer a battery swap system, meaning you can simply swap a dead battery for a fully charged one instead of waiting for a charge. That could work, right?
How Much Power is Needed to Recharge an Electric Vehicle?
It’s not as simple as it seems. You can charge your EV in various locations, and the power output differs between a charging station and a home outlet. The amount of power needed to charge your electric car depends on the type of charger you use:
- The home power sockets provide a power output of 2.3 kW, which is enough for slow charging overnight.
- Home wallboxes with 7 kW can significantly reduce this charging time.
- Public AC chargers provide 11-22 kW and are suitable for faster charging during the day. For example, when you run errands at the office or go shopping.
- DC fast chargers can deliver up to 50-350 kW. You’ll appreciate them the most on long-distance routes, when you can get enough power for the next mile in a short time.
Where to Find Charging Stations for Electric Cars
In 2023, 650 new charging stations for electric vehicles were added in the Czech Republic, an increase of 16% compared to 2022. In total, 2,392 stations with 4,892 charging points were in operation at the end of 2023. A further 58 stations were added in the first quarter of 2024.
The Czech Republic has one of the densest networks of charging stations in Europe, with an average of 6.7 EVs per charging point, which puts us in sixth place in the EU.
How to Find a Specific Charging Station for Your Electric Car
- In mobile apps and websites such as PlugShare, ChargeMap, Ionity or local apps from energy providers such as CEZ or PRE.
- Modern electric cars themselves often have integrated navigation systems that show you available charging stations.
- Charging stations are now easy to find on online maps like Google Maps.
Whether you’re at the start of your EV journey or just looking for more information, check out AutosEU to read more on electric cars.
