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Charging your car at home using a dedicated wallbox that you’ve had installed is really easy. If you have a tethered wallbox, with a permanently attached cable, all you have to do is:
If you have an untethered wallbox – also known as a socketed or universal unit – then you’ll have to use your EV’s charging plug usually found in the boot. Then just follow the above steps connecting the electric car to the wallbox charger.
For charging with a normal 3-pin socket from your house, you’ll need to use a special cable that is typically included in the sale of an EV. However, recharging an EV this way only adds around 8 miles an hour. It’s not only really slow, it’s also not as safe as using an installed wallbox. So, our advice is to use this method only as a last resort.
To get the best from your EV and home charging, here’s some top tips. It’s a good idea to:
Like phone charging cables, there are different car charging cables/plugs for different EVs. It sounds and looks complicated at first – but (again) like phone chargers – it’s actually quite straightforward. The charging connectors you need to know about are:
Type 1 Plug – a 5-pin connector usually found in older EVs and first-generation models, as well as in some plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) like the Mitsubishi Outlander. Type 1 is designed for Alternating Current (AC), accepting slow 3kW and fast 7kW charging. Type 1 public chargers are usually untethered (without a permanently attached charging cable), requiring EVs of this type to use an adaptor to plug into public charge points.
Type 2 – this 7-pin plug has become the most common type used in the UK. And that’s only set to increase with recent EU legislation requiring most manufacturers to fit this as standard. Type 2s accept slow and fast charging, as well as 22kW charging (as long as your EV make and model allows it). Furthermore, most tethered – with a permanently attached cable – public charge points use a type 2 plug. Type 2 connectors can also be ‘locked’ so they can’t be removed whilst charging, unlike Type 1 connectors.
Combined Charging System (CCS) – also known as combination plugs, this system is for Direct Current (DC) rapid charging. Brand-new all-electric vehicles tend to be fitted with this system as it allows use of DC rapid chargers and AC home wallbox charging. Basically, it combines a type 2 or type 1 plug with a 2-pin DC plug, which allows you to switch between the two when required.
CHAdeMO plug – an abbreviation of Charge de Move, this plug type is another one for the DC rapid chargers. It’s favoured by Japanese car manufacturers, such as Nissan and Honda, and was created in Japan too. EVs that use the CHAdeMO system have two plug sockets, one for a Type 1 or Type 2 plug to connect to AC chargers, the other for the CHAdeMO DC charging.
3-pin plug – this is your standard domestic plug socket for plugging in at home. Most EVs are able to do this, with a Type 1 or Type 2 plug attached to the car and (via a transformer box) the 3-pin plugged into your home’s wall socket.
To get the most out of your electric battery, we’ve compiled our top car charging tips. If you follow these points below, your EV’s battery should last longer and be able to retain more of its charge.
Once you know how, electric car charging is really easy. So let us help you ‘know how’ by answering your EV charging FAQs.
You simply plug them in to a dedicated charge point, whether that’s at a charging station or at home via an installed wallbox or 3-pin socket. It’s that simple.
The cost to charge an electric car at home will differ depending on your electricity supply and tariff. If you pay 30p per kWh and your EV has a 50kWh battery then it’ll cost £15 to fully charge it (at 30p x 50kWh). At a rapid charge point, you’re typically looking at around 40p/kWh.
It all depends on the charger and the car’s charging speed. However, an ultra-rapid charger could recharge your EV to 80% in under 30 minutes.
The fastest-charging electric car on sale in the UK is currently the Porsche Taycan, with charging speeds up to 270kW. According to Porsche, it’s capable of a quick recharge adding 62 miles of range in a mere 4 minutes! Other fast charging electric cars, include:
Yes. And it is best practice to charge overnight, so your EV is ready to go in the morning.
Other electric car charging places can include the workplace, dedicated charging stations (often found at petrol and service stations), and even at supermarkets. If you own a Tesla, you can also use Tesla Supercharger stations.
Regenerative braking is a mechanism that EVs and hybrids feature, where the kinetic energy used to slow down the vehicle is transformed into electricity to recharge batteries and boost efficiency. It basically taps the ability of an electric motor to act as a generator.
There are currently over 25,000 public charging points for electric vehicles in the UK, including 4,500 rapid chargers. And more and more are being added every year. According to EDF Energy, there are now over 42,000 charge point connectors (in total) in the UK, spread over 15,500 places!
Yes, you can slow charge your electric car from a regular 3-pin plug socket at home. However, it’s safer and quicker to do it from a dedicated wallbox charger.
It all depends on your EV’s car charging speed and how much you’re willing to spend on your wall charger. A 3kW slow charger wallbox will recharge the car in 8-12 hours and is the cheapest option available. A fast-charging 7kW wallbox will cost more, but offers a charge time of 6-8 hours. Either way, charging overnight will mean your electric vehicle’s ready to go in the morning.
And see which EV’s can travel from London to Edinburgh on a single fully-charged battery, with our Top 10 Electric Cars with the Longest Range.