Read The Full Article On: Metro
In an age where electric cars are being mass produced by Jaguar Land Rover and brands like Ford are releasing an all-electric SUV, the prospect of all brands selling electric vehicles (EVs) and us all one day owning them seems to be becoming increasingly realistic. No longer just a dream for the eco-conscious, while electric cars may still be quite pricey, there’s government schemes and Duty discounts to encourage you to consider swapping your traditional fuel powered vehicle for an electric one. Plus, some electricity companies are now also offering special tariffs on bills for electric car owners who will be charging their motors at home. But how do you actually charge an electric car and how often do you need to plug in?
How do you charge an electric car? There are now more than 29,000 electric vehicle charge points across the country in over 10,000 locations – which means there’s actually more electric car charging points in the UK than there are petrol stations.
An electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using electrical energy stored in rechargeable batteries or another energy storage device.
Public charging points can be found in car parks, motorway service stations and even on the street. Supermarkets like Lidl and Tesco offer electric car rapid chargers in their store carparks which cost around £7 for 30 minutes charge time. Electric cars are charged using an EV charging cable which plugs into both the car at one end and either the grid or a charging unit at the other. Wireless car charging points are also coming soon – but aren’t widely available in the UK yet. Similar to buying any electrical product, an electric car will almost certainly come with a charging cable when you buy or rent one.
Public charging points can be found in car parks, motorway service stations and even on the street. Supermarkets like Lidl and Tesco offer electric car rapid chargers in their store carparks which cost around £7 for 30 minutes charge time. Electric cars are charged using an EV charging cable which plugs into both the car at one end and either the grid or a charging unit at the other. Wireless car charging points are also coming soon – but aren’t widely available in the UK yet. Similar to buying any electrical product, an electric car will almost certainly come with a charging cable when you buy or rent one.
While some electric cars come with a traditional 3-pin plug that you can use with a domestic socket, this is the less efficient and most dated way of charging a car. More commonly a Type 2 cable will be needed, as these are the ones which can be plugged into an AC charging socket – which are the type found at public charge points. You can also charge an electric car with a Type 2 cable if you install a tethered charging point in your home.
EV charging points can also be easily installed in homes or offices using standard mechanical fittings and existing electrical connections. They must be installed by a certified electrician but can be placed either outside or inside a garage. For more information on choosing an EV charging cable and EV charging points, see the advice offered by Pod-Point here. How often does an electric car need charging? Similar to a fuel powered car, how often an electric car needs charging will depend on how much the car is used. If the driver is covering many miles per journey, the car will need charging more regularly. How often an electric car needs charging also depends on the car’s battery size and the power rating of the electric charger.
There are other factors, such as the climate (lithium-ion batteries perform better in warm weather) but this is more minor. The good thing about electric cars is that unlike a traditional car which requires you to visit a petrol station when you’re running low on fuel, electric cars can be topped up as and when it’s convenient for the driver. Much like charging a mobile phone, many electric car owners might choose to charge their cars at home, overnight, while they are asleep and not using them. This would mean charging the car a little but often, as opposed to full charging it in one go.
You can also plug the car in to charge while you’re parked up at the supermarket, so the car has a little boost of power whilst you complete your weekly shop. The options for charging an electric car are more versatile than having to visit a petrol station and therefore how often you might charge an EV will also depend on the car owner’s lifestyle.