A Beginner’s Guide To Charging

How many EV charging points are there around the UK and where are they?

The leading charging mapping service, Zapmap, reports that there are over 118,000 chargers across over 45,500 locations in the UK.  They vary in charge speed, but most newer installations are fast charging.  Finding your nearest charge point when you are out and about is made easier by either a commercial mapping service like Zapmap, or the app within your vehicle’s infotainment system.  Google maps is also now listing nearby charge points, as does Octopus Electroverse, ABRP (A Better Route Planner) and PlugShare.  Some apps even note whether the charge point is in use already.

For example, Zapmap shows you the number and type of chargers at the location, whether they are available, the kW rate and assigns an ID number to each charger, a bit like parking apps assign a number to the car park.

Why are there different charging speeds?

Different chargers are rated to deliver different speeds. Faster speeds deliver quicker charge times.  In the UK, the faster chargers give over 350kW.  Not all cars can accept this rate, but the ones that can could charge from 10% to 80% in under 20 minutes.  To compare, the average home charger delivers 3 to 8 kW – meaning they are only suitable for overnight charges.  You will need to be clear on the maximum charge speed rating for your EV.  If its maximum charge speed is 100kW, then even if you plug it into a 350kW unit, it will still only charge at 100kW rate.  It is not dangerous to plug it into the higher rated charger, but your car will only accept what it is capable of.

In summary, the charging speeds can be grouped as follows:

• Slow : 2.3 – 3 kW AC
• Fast: 7kW AC single-phase or 22kW AC three-phase
• Rapid: 50 kW DC rapid
• Ultra Rapid:  150 – 350 kW DC

How can I find the best price for charging?

As with petrol and diesel, electric charging varies dependent on location and supplier.  Apps can often show you the current advertised price at different locations, for example Zapmap, ChargePrice and PlugShare.  Live pricing and payment details are available by downloading the free apps on the App Store or Google Play.  Pricing is displayed as p/kWh which means price per kilowatt hour.  It is often cheaper to download the app as they can offer discounts to the advertised rate, or you can subscribe to the provider’s service.  Ionity, for example, have a yearly upfront subscription which can save you money in the long run.  Slower chargers are usually cheaper, you will always pay more for faster charging speeds.  All chargers have a contactless card reader installed, but the lower pricing may only be accessible via an app.  Prices can vary during the day and night too, with off-peak charging at night time.

Charging at home with a cheap overnight tariff from your energy supplier is the cheapest option of all.