How Long Does It Have to Charge an Electric Machine?

A consummate guide on how long information technology takes to charge an electric machine, the factors that influence charging time and the concept of superlative-up charging.

Terminal updated: November xi, 2022 • 6 min read

  • Jump to Section:
  • How long information technology takes to fully accuse an electric car
  • What is superlative up charging?
  • How much range you get per hour of charging
  • Factors that bear on charging speed

Summary

The time it takes to accuse an electric motorcar tin can exist equally little as xxx minutes or more than 12 hours. This depends on the size of the bombardment and the speed of the charging point.

  • A typical electric auto (60kWh battery) takes merely under viii hours to charge from empty-to-total with a 7kW charging point.
  • Most drivers top upwardly accuse rather than waiting for their battery to recharge from empty-to-full.
  • For many electric cars, y'all can add up to 100 miles of range in ~35 minutes with a 50kW rapid charger.
  • The bigger your automobile'south bombardment and the slower the charging signal, the longer it takes to charge from empty to full.

Tip: Charging an electrical car is similar to charging a mobile telephone; yous top it up during the day if you need to and give it a full charge at home overnight.

How long it takes to fully charge an electrical car

Empty-to-full time to charge with different chargepoint speeds:

Vehicle

Empty to full charging time***
Model Battery Pod Signal
Confidence Range* 		three.7kW ho-hum 7kW fast 22kW fast 43-50kW rapid 150kW rapid
Nissan Foliage (2018) 40kWh 143 miles 11 hrs 6 hrs 6 hrs i hr Can't charge on this kind of charger
Tesla Model Southward (2019)** 75kWh 238 miles
 21 hrs 11 hrs five hrs 2 hrs <ane hr
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (2018) thirteen.8kWh 24 miles
 iv hrs four hrs 4 hrs 40 mins Can't charge on this kind of charger


Don't encounter the model you were looking for in this table? Browse other EVs here.

* Pod Point Confidence Range is the maximum distance we'd be confident driving on electric power between charges. Real range will depend on diverse factors including driving weather condition, personal driving style, outside temperature, heating / air conditioning, etc.
** Numbers shown are for the entry level Tesla Model S Standard Range.
*** Charging time may be limited by the maximum charging charge per unit of the electric vehicle.

Analysis:

  • Rapid chargers are the fastest fashion to charge your electric vehicle, providing between lx-200 miles of range inxx-30 mins.
  • Dwelling house charging points typically have a power rating of 3.7kW or 7kW (22kW chargepoints require 3 stage power, which is very rare and expensive to install).
  • All electric cars can charge on uniform chargepoints with a higher maximum charge rate than they can handle; they just charge at the maximum rate that they can accept.

Tip: Almost all full bombardment electric cars can rapid charge, about plug-in hybrid electric cars can not.

What is superlative upwards charging?

Near electrical car drivers plug-in to charge whenever they park, be information technology at habitation overnight or during the day at the supermarket, gym or their workplace. This is called superlative up charging.

  • Instead of letting the battery run empty and waiting while it fully recharges, drivers make utilise of the time their car is parked (which is virtually 95% of the time) to keep the battery topped up.
  • Public and workplace charging points typically range from 7kW to 22kW, making them platonic for meridian upwardly charging. Find out how to access public charging in our guide.
  • Combining daytime elevation-upwards charging with overnight charging at home is an effective way to keep your electric car charged and set to go.

Tip: Electric car drivers don't worry much about how long it takes to accuse from empty-to-full. Information technology'due south more useful for them to know how many miles of range they'll get when they plug-in to peak up.

How much range you get per hr of charging

Every bit an electric vehicle driver, it's useful to know how many miles of range you are getting during the time your vehicle is charging so yous know you tin get to your adjacent destination.

Miles of range added per hour of charging
3.7kW slow 7kW fast 22kW fast 43-50kW rapid 150kW rapid
Up to 15 miles Up to 30 miles Up to 90 miles Up to xc miles in 30 mins Upwards to 200 miles in 30 mins


Assay:

  • Range per hour varies depending on how efficient your car is. Small full bombardment electrical cars (east.thou. Renault Zoe) are the most efficient and go xxx miles of range per hour charging at 7kW.
  • The biggest full battery electric cars (eastward.g. Audi e-tron Quattro) are heavier and get ~20 miles of range per hour at 7kW. (Plug-in hybrids are usually less efficient than full battery electric vehicles).
  • How efficient a car is also depends on environmental factors similar temperature. This means electrical cars are more efficient and get slightly better range per hr in summer than they do in wintertime.

Factors that affect charging speed

In that location are 5 main factors that impact the time it takes to charge an electric vehicle.

  • Size of bombardment: The bigger your vehicle's bombardment capacity (measured in kWh), the longer it will take to accuse.
  • State of bombardment (empty vs. full): If you lot are charging from empty, it volition take longer to charge than if you are topping upwards from l%.
  • Max charging charge per unit of vehicle: Y'all can only charge a vehicle'due south battery at the maximum accuse rate the vehicle can take. For example; if your vehicle's max charge rate is 7kW, you won't charge whatsoever faster by using a 22kW chargepoint.
  • Max charging rate of chargepoint: The time it takes to charge will also be express past the max charging charge per unit of the chargepoint yous are using. For example; even if your vehicle can charge at 11kW, it will only charge at 7kW on a 7kW chargepoint.
  • Environmental factors: A colder ambient temperature can get in have slightly longer to charge, specially when using a rapid charger. Colder temperatures also mean vehicles are less efficient, so less miles are added per time charging.

Tip: In cold weather, bringing the motel space (and battery) up to temperature takes free energy non used to drive the car. If the machine regularly heats and then cools down after short journeys, you apply much more free energy and your range significantly reduces. This means it's a practiced thought to use regular height up charges. On longer trips the effects of cold atmospheric condition are less pronounced, though still noticeable.

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