EV Charging & Infrastructure

When it comes to electric vehicles, for most of us the concept of charging rather than filling up with fuel in the way we have traditionally done is what concerns us the most. But actually, when you think about it, being able to charge our vehicle while we are sat at home eating dinner in the evening, or while we do our 9-5 in the office or in the service station car park while we pop in for a quick comfort break is actually rather convenient! The concept is different to what we have always been used to doing, and of course it’s going to take a bit of time adjusting to a new way.

Here we want to help you understand EV charging, from the types of charging to the cost of charging, as well as helping you find a charging point near you and the charging funding that’s available to help, here you can learn about it all.

  • Zap Map

    Did you know there are more than 35,778 charge points across the UK at over 21,378 charging locations? Use the ZAP MAP tool to find one nearest to you

  • Home charging by Pod Point

    We’ve teamed up with Pod Point for home charging. Find out how they could help you today.

How long it takes to charge an EV depends on the type of charger you are using. There are 3 types of charging (more on that below). If you are charging your vehicle overnight at home for example, this can take around 6 hours or so, but if you visit a rapid charge point at a service station your EV can be topped up in around 20-30 minutes.

How long it takes to charge an ev depends on the following:

  • your car’s battery size
  • how many miles you have done since the last charge
  • your charging style- are you topping up after each use, or only charging once low
  • your charger type

There are 3 different types of EV charging:

 

Three pin plug: Think of any three-pin plug that you connect to a plug socket at home. Whilst it is not the recommended way to charge an EV, and it will be considerably slower than the other methods, it can be done.

 

Socketed: A charge point where you can connect either a Type 1 or Type 2 EV cable.

 

Tethered: A charge point with a cable permanently attached to it. The cable will have a Type 1 or Type 2 connector on it, some have both.

There are 3 different charging speeds:

 

Slow- up to 3kW, you’ll generally see these at home or at workplaces and will be used to charge vehicles overnight or whilst working standard shift. Charging time: 8-10 hours

 

Fast- These are generally 7Kw or 22kW, and you’ll likely find these installed in car parks, supermarkets, leisure centres or at your home if you have off-street parking and have had a fast home charger installed. Charging time: 3-4 hours

 

Rapid – 43 kW upwards. You’ll generally find these at service stations or shopping centres, and they are capable of charging cars to around 80% quickly and conveniently. Charging time: 30-60 minutes

Charging cables have connectors you plug into the vehicle and/or the charge point. The type of charging connector depends on the vehicle and the power rating of the charge point.

Essentially there are 4 types of plug that exist, two for AC (type 1 and 2) and two for DC (CHAdeMo and CCS).

The power that comes from the electricity grid is always AC. However, batteries in EVs can only store power as DC, so your EV has an onboard charger to convert it.

The difference between AC charging and DC charging is whether the AC power gets converted inside or outside the vehicle. Unlike AC chargers, a DC charger has the converter inside the charger itself meaning it can feed power directly to the car’s battery and doesn’t need the onboard charger to convert it. DC chargers are bigger, faster and what you will find at rapid charge points at service stations where people do not have much time to recharge.

There are more than 35,778 charge points across the UK at over 21,378 charging locations, and using ZAP Maps handy interactive tool you can search for a charge point near you. You’ll find them at shopping centres, service stations, supermarket car parks, and in some cities you can even find them at the side of the road.  Take a look here.

Many people also opt for home charge points if they have off street parking. We’ve partnered with Pod Point – find out more about Pod Point and their home charging solutions here.

And finally, more and more workplaces are also encouraging the uptake of EVs for their staff and provide free workplace charging in their car parks.

As the government looks to increase the uptake of EVs, they have introduced different incentives to support you. Find out more here.

  • EV Benefits

    Fuel savings. Funding. That’s just naming a few, there are lots of benefits to going green, we’ve pulled them all together for you here. Take a look.

  • EV FAQs

    We are often asked questions about Electric Vehicles or going green, so we thought we would share the most frequently asked questions and answers with you here.

  • Worried about EV range?

    EVs can go further than you think. Watch our short video to find out more about EV ranges.