How long does it take to charge an electric car?
At Ratio Electric, we often get the question: ‘How long does it take to charge my electric car with a charging station?’ The answer to this is not so simple and depends on many different factors. For example, the charging capacity of the charging station, the charging cable, the car, the home connection and circumstances. That's why we'd like to tell you more about what to expect.
Charge post capacity and car capacity
By charging capacity, we mean how much energy (in kW) is transferred to your car per hour. For example, modern home chargers often have a maximum capacity of 11 to 22kW. If you have a charging station with a capacity of 11kW and your car can also charge that fast, you will add an average of 70 kilometres of driving range per hour to your charging station. Do you want to drive 200 kilometres? So then you need to charge for about 3 hours with an 11kW charger.
Important points to consider
What is also important to pay attention to is whether your home has a 1-phase or 3-phase connection. With a 1-phase connection, charging can be much slower than with a 3-phase connection. The charging cable can also be a reason why the maximum charging speed is not achieved. Suppose your car, the charging cable and the charging station are all suitable for 22kW (3x32 ampere) charging, that charging speed may not be achieved because of the house connection. A typical Dutch house has a connection of 3x25 amps or 1x40 amps and the charging station is placed behind a group/automat of, say, 20 or 16 amps. In a 3-phase installation with a 16-amp group, the maximum charging rate is 11kW. The calculation for this is 3 (phase) x 16 (amps) x 230 (volts) = 11kW.
Simple calculation for a full battery
To calculate charging time to fully charge your car, we have a simple formula:
Maximum battery capacity / charging power charging station = charging time.
For example, do you have a Kia EV3 Standard Range and want to fully charge it with an 11kW charging station? The maximum usable battery capacity of this EV3 is 55 kWh and the car can charge a maximum of 11kW. Do a simple calculation of 55/11 = 5 hours to fully charge the car from 0 to 100%. In practice, a car is almost never charged from 0 to 100%; an EV is often charged from 10-15% to around 80%. This is also best for the car's battery.
Car charging efficiency
Charging a battery is usually not linear and so the above calculation does not hold true in practice. Generally, the charging rate is calculated for charging from 0 to 80 per cent, as the last 20 per cent is slower. This is because the battery is protected against overheating and overcharging to prolong battery life and ensure safety.
Dynamic Load Balancing with EV Chargers
If you have a charging station with Dynamic Load Balancing, the charging capacity is matched to the rest of the household's use to prevent overcharging. This ensures safe and maximum charging. This is on the basis of the available power, which ensures much greater convenience.
Charging with Ratio
When you charge the car at home after work, it might not be so bad if the battery is not yet fully full at 11pm. As long as it is full, or 80% full, when you want to leave again the next morning. Often, energy is more expensive around peak times, including around 6am. With the Ratio App, you can set what time you want to start charging based on a weekly schedule. At business premises or car parks, of course, you would like to leave relatively quickly.
Charging with solar power
Even if you only want to charge using solar energy, which is possible with the Ratio Solar, for example, charging will usually take longer. However, you will then be cheaper and also be doing something sustainable! Keep in mind that an electric car always needs 6A to start charging. So at least 6A x 230V = 1.4kW of surplus from the solar panels is needed to start charging. Not all charging posts support this; some charging posts need this 6 amps per phase. In that case, you need 3 x 6 x 230V = 4.2kW of surplus to start charging on solar power only. Fortunately, with Ratio chargers, you can do that from as little as 1.4kW! So charging on PureSolar starts earlier in the day and you charge for longer.
Interested in a charging station at home or office?
Now you know how long it takes to charge your electric car. Are you interested in a charging station? At Ratio Electric, we strive to make your charging experience as efficient and user-friendly as possible. We therefore offer a suitable charging station for every driver and situation. Moreover, our charging posts are easy to install.
