How long will my EV take to charge?
That depends on your car and what’s charging it.
Home charging is done via AC (alternating current) charging, which either uses a regular powerpoint or a wallbox charger. The regular powerpoint puts out a maximum of 2.4kW, which could take upwards of 40 hours if your EV has a large battery (say 100kWh). A wallbox charger can put out up to 22kW, lowering that charge time to a few hours if your EV can accept the full power output.
DC (direct current) charging can be done at much higher power levels, typically between 50kW and 350kW, which can lower the charge time from 15 minutes to an hour for an 80 percent charge. Such charging is typically provided at dedicated charging stations, often on major freeways such as the Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne.
When fast charging, the car’s onboard electronics will often limit the maximum power to protect the batteries; in cold weather, for example, batteries don’t like big hits of power. Fast charging will also be limited as the battery increases its charge level. That’s why you’ll often see quoted charge times for an 80 percent charge; that 80 percent charge can often be done at the maximum power level but beyond that it slows to a trickle.
