How long does it take to charge or top-up your Electric Vehicle

We believe that most EV Drivers ask 2 key questions.

How long will my battery last or what is its range so we can calculate the route to plan a stop at a Charge Point?

How long will it take to top up or recharge the EV to enable the return or onward journey ?

The first question is simpler to answer but still involves a number of variables.

There are various factors that can affect the EV range, including;
Battery Age
Just as the battery life of a smartphone diminishes over time, so does the battery life of an electric car. The older it gets, the shorter its range becomes. According to a study, the average decline in energy storage of EVs is around 2.3 percent per annum. So to give you a better idea, for an EV that has a range of 150 miles, some 17 miles will be lost after five years. The rate of decline will slow down in the years following.
Battery Size
As a general rule, the larger the battery, the further you’ll be able to travel. Consider it like having a bigger fuel tank. Having said that, it is important to consider that a larger battery also means that it has more weight. Hence, not all cars can be fitted with large batteries.
Smaller car models such as the Honda e and the Mini Electric are in fact fitted with relatively small batteries.
Driving Style
Your driving style and speed will also affect EV range. Economical drivers can expect to get more range from their EV, as the faster you drive, the fewer miles you can expect to travel.
Weather
Weather conditions play an important role in influencing EV range. The colder the temperatures, the less the EV range is going to be. There will be more need to use heaters and blowers for example. The exact same can be said in very hot conditions. If your car needs to have air conditioning running constantly, the internal A/C condenser will drain a lot of power from the battery.
Electric Car Battery Efficiency
Electric cars are propelled by one, or sometimes more than one electric motor, which are powered by a rechargeable battery. As a result, EVs are very energy efficient. They convert over 77% of electrical energy from the grid to power. Conventional internal combustion engine vehicles however, only convert around 20% of the energy stored in gasoline to power the axles. Needless to say, EVs are also more environmentally friendly as they produce zero emissions. Moreover, since electricity is a domestic energy source it leads to reduced energy dependence. According to studies conducted in this field, it has been concluded that EV batteries can last between 12 and 15 years in moderate climates, and between 8 and 12 years in more severe climates.
How Long Does an EV Battery Last?
As with anything, how you treat it and how you maintain it will have an impact on how long an EV battery can expect to last. Most EV batteries are lithium-based. Over time they will start to degrade, just as with batteries in mobile phones. So it is normal that with the passing of time, the battery will not be able to hold its charge for as long as it used to. Also, the range will be reduced over time. Moreover, if you overcharge the battery or charge it at the wrong power input, you could cause damage which will degrade it more quickly. Typically, most EV batteries last between 8 to 10 years. Some manufacturers also offer a warranty on the battery, so you may wish to take that into consideration.

Second question: How long will my battery last or what is its range so we can calculate the route to plan in a Charge Point?

The majority of electric car charging will be done as a ‘top-up’, when you’re at home, work, the gym or around town. With recent technology, these quick charges could get your car to full within an hour. You might even find that on a regular week you never charge your car from 0% to 100% as whenever there’s a plug available you utilize it. On long journeys though, you might be required to charge from empty to full before you can get going again. But with so many different batteries and charging speeds, how long does it actually take to charge an electric car?

Depending on the charging point, an electric car can go from empty to full in anywhere from an hour to 31 hours. The charging points installed at homes will typically be either 3.7kW or 7kW (as 22kW+ charging requires expensive additional work).
It’s worth noting too that all-electric cars can charge with a higher power charger, as long as it’s a compatible plug. The vehicle will simply limit the power to the maximum amount it can handle.
For most vehicles, 50kW rapid chargers are the quickest way to get to 100%, providing a full battery (150-300 miles of range) after about an hour of charging.