A Guide to Electric Vehicle Charging

Electric vehicles are more popular than ever before, and they’re set to become more popular still. The government’s widely publicised aspiration to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars, combined with the availability of more affordable used electric cars, looks set to push the industry beyond a tipping point. In just a year between 2020 and 2021, sales of electric vehicles have almost doubled, from 108,000 to 190,000. It’s entirely possible that internal-combustion vehicles will be a minority on British roads within a few years.

Among the biggest obstacles to this revolution is the availability of charging infrastructure. So-called ‘range anxiety’ still proves a barrier to adoption. Many motorists are understandably concerned about getting stranded, especially if they spend a lot of time away from home, in unfamiliar surroundings.

According to the Managing Director of Volkswagen Group UK, Alex Smith, the answer to this problem is more charging facilities. “The key thing now is to ensure that the charging infrastructure not just increases to meet the current demand, but accelerates to overtake the current demand,” he told the Guardian. 

Where can you charge?

Charging can be done at home, at your place of work, or at a public charging point. Which you prefer will depend on your circumstances.

Getting charging facilities installed at home can impose a significant one-off cost, but you can apply for financial help from the state to get it done. There’s the cost of the charger itself to think about, as well as the cost of getting it safely installed.

Your employer might provide charging facilities as a bonus perk, but only if there’s sufficient demand for it there. If your workplace allows you to have a say in these sorts of things, then you might voice your intention to get an electric car one day.

Finally, there are public charge points. These are basically car-parking spaces with electric chargers attached. You pay a fee and leave your car to charge for as long as required. If you’re not sure where your nearest charging facilities are, then you can use online tools to help you locate them.

Electric car Adapters and Connectors

The speed of the charging point will typically affect the type of connector you use. 

Electric vehicles tend to come with either ‘type 1’ or ‘type 2’ sockets. You can’t plug one kind into another. If you’re looking for high-speed charging, you might prefer CHAdeMO or CCS, which comes with two additional chunky DC contacts.The maximum you can get from a Type 2 connector is 22kw, which will allow you to travel around 75 miles after an hour of charging. If you’d like a more thorough overview of the options, you can check out the tables here.