How long does it take to fully charge the car?
We know, you never answer a question with another question but in this case let’s see it as a starting point from which to move to accompany those who want to learn more about electric charging. How long for a refill?
First of all: is it really possible to answer? Does the question “how long does it take an electric car to recharge” make sense to be asked?
Compounded by the unfamiliarity or lack of familiarity with a habit that has yet to settle in our lives, it is normal to have doubts or need clarification about charging an electric car. In this article we will delve together into some indispensable concepts for understanding how charging works:
- The charging level: units of measurement and battery capacity
- Why is the question itself not entirely correct?
- How long for a refill? How to get a better idea
The charging level: units of measurement and battery capacity
The kWh measures the capacity of a car battery which ranges from 22 in a city car to over 100 kWh in a hyper performance vehicle. Of course, achieving an optimal charge level in a car of basic performance and battery capacity and a top-of-the-line one are two different things, even in terms of time. A greater battery capacity corresponds to a greater amount of time needed for charging. The first step in answering the question “how long does an electric take to recharge” then is to know the battery and its capacity well.
Why is the question itself not entirely correct?
No one would easily get home with an empty tank-so why should this happen with the electric car? In thinking about recharging we often end up picturing unrealistic situations in which we find ourselves with a dead battery every night and are forced to initiate daily 0 to 100% recharging, which, in the case of a powerful car, can take up to 13/14 hours. The same 100% charging then is not recommended every day, it would ruin the car and the integrity of the battery in the long run.
Wanting to draw another parallel with the world of heat-powered cars, “a full tank” is not done every day, except in preparation for a long trip. Having made these considerations here is where it becomes more realistic to say that we will normally charge the car from a minimum tolerance of 20% to a maximum of 80% and maybe not even every day!
How long for a refill? How to get a better idea:
So how do we get a better idea of how long it takes, on average, to get an acceptable recharge? As we said, the charging rate we will most realistically go for an average car is 60% (from a minimum of 20% to a maximum of 80%). Let’s assume home charging, overnight, with the most basic possible meter (3 kW) of a 40 kWh capacity car. We also consider a nighttime household consumption of about 0.5kW (appliances, cell phone charging, etc… ), which then leaves us with about 2.5 kW available for car charging. 60% of 40 kWh is about 24 kWh. The calculation 24 kWh : 2.5 KW gives us 9.6 hours of charging time.
9.6 hours, which in the case of joining the ARERA trial would become 4.4 hours. The free trial, in fact, allows the meter power to be increased to 6kW during night and holiday hours, without any increase in fixed costs, thus leaving about 5.5 kW available for recharging the car. The 24 kWh in the previous example, being able to count on about 5.5kW of available power, would then be recharged in 24 kWh: 5.5 kW = 4.4 hours. In both cases a more than acceptable amount of time.
In conclusion
Is it possible to answer the question: how long does it take an electric car to recharge? Yes, but in doing so we must try not to reason in absolutes or be misled by an unrealistic view of our habits, as much as rely on a rationalization of what is often a false problem.
