Electricity is undoubtedly the future of motoring. Only a few months ago, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that a ban on selling new petrol and diesel vehicles is to be brought forward from 2040 to 2030. Today, almost every vehicle manufacturer including the likes Tesla, Mercedes, Nissan, Renault, BMW, Volkswagen and so on offers some variant of electrically power cars, weather that be full EVs, self-charging hybrids or plug-in hybrids.
For those who are looking into potentially buying an electric vehicle, a major consideration is how to charge them. This blog gives you a detailed guide into your charging options.
Home Charging
To charge your vehicle at home, there are two options to choose from. The first being using a standard UK three-pin socket, and the second being a home fast-charging unit. The standard plug socket is the most convenient option, but as the maximum output is only 3kW, it can take anywhere from 8 hours to charge your car from empty.
If you want to be able to charge your vehicle quickly, it’s worth considering having a home charging point installed. Output can range anywhere from 7-22kW, meaning charging can be done in as little as 3-4 hours. The RAC states that prices for home-charging points are typically around £800. However, the Government are currently offering a grant which can cover up to £350 or 75% of the cost. This therefore makes installation an attractive proposition. Click here for further details of the OLEV grant.
Public Charging Points
There are currently around 7,500 electric charging points dotted around approximately 5,000 locations across the country’s public road network. Taking into consideration there are currently only 8,500 petrol and diesel stations, this shows the rate at which electricity is growing. These chargers are operated by a range of providers who may require you to register a swipe card before you can take advantage of them. The UK’s largest provider is Polar, who issue an £8 monthly subscription fee, but charging is then free on around 80% of their public units. Tesla owners can also take advantage of their ‘Supercharger’ network.
Apps such as Zap-Map can point out the closest charging point to you.
Motorway Charging
Electric charge points can be found across the majority of the UK’s motorway network. Today, they are over 300 individual units across 50+ sites. It costs only 30p per kWh to charge your car. It’s important to remember that each vehicle is limited to 45 minutes per charge; so, the available range will depend entirely on the individual charging capacity and maximum range of the car. Electric vehicles can however take as little as 30 minutes to charge using a rapid charging point.
We hope that this blog post has answered any questions you might have about charging an electric car. Take a look at our fantastic range electric cars from the likes of Tesla, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes and more by following the link below. All cars are available to Click & Collect and for Home Delivery.
