Vehicle charging

Historically, the Electric vehicle industry adopted different types of connectors in different countries. Japan, China, and Asian manufacturers generally used Type 1 (J1772), with Europe and America favoring Type 2(62196-2). So a European car using a Charge point in a European country will need a Type 2 to Type 2 lead and a Japanese car using a charge point in Europe will need a Type 1 to Type 2 Connector.

However, we are seeing more and more manufacturers use Type 2 like the new Nissan Leaf and Kia Soul. 

If you have further questions about the types of cables and compatibility, our Customer Experience Advisors would be happy to help. 

Please complete our Contact us form or call on 01628 899 727.

More than 90% of vehicle charging is carried out at home, usually overnight, when the vehicle isn't in use.

We recommend, where possible, having a professionally installed home charger, this is the most practical and effective way to charge your electric vehicle. These home charger units typically charge at 7 kW which means that your EV can be fully charged overnight, ready for the day ahead.

All electric cars can be plugged in with a regular 3-pin socket subject to having a correct charging cable. We do not recommend this as a long-term charging solution. Charging an EV by this method usually adds approx. 3 kW per hour which means charging an average-sized vehicle battery can take 15 to 20 hours.

Your electric vehicle can also make use of the increasing number of public charging points and hubs in the UK. These can be found all over the UK, typically streetside in cities, in car parks, at supermarkets, at petrol stations, at hotels and dedicated EV charging hubs. There are now over 53,000 public charge points in the UK (as of November 2023), a figure increasing each month.

A searchable map of the UK’s ever-growing network of public charging points can be found at www.zap-map.com.

For more information on charging your EV, take a look at our Charging guide.

It means how fast the charger can add energy and therefore vehicle range to your electric vehicle.

A rapid charger powers at up to 50 kW DC and/or 43 kW AC.

Ultra-rapid chargers usually come in two power outputs - either 150kW or 350kW. The Tesla supercharger network offers charging up to 250 kW depending on location.

All public rapid and ultra-rapid charging units will clearly display a maximum power output.

Important note; there are a variety of reasons why you might experience different charge speeds when using a public charger. These include;

• the fastcharge limit of your electric vehicle (how much power your EV can accept which is different its battery capacity),
• the number of vehicles using the charging hub at any one time, and the site's overall connection capacity.
• the battery capacity and temperature.

For optimal battery management only charge your EV up to 80% battery capacity when using a rapid or ultra-rapid charger. We do not recommend trying to charge to 100% using one of these high-powered devices.

This will depend on the size of the battery in your electric vehicle and the starting amount of charge in it. Using a 3-point power socket is the slowest way to charge an EV. It is often referred to as 'trickle charging'.

We do not recommend using a regular 3-pin power socket and cable as your primary charging method.

A domestic 3-point (UK), 2-pin (EU), will only ever provide 3.7 kw of power (10 amps). Even if you have a vehicle that will take a much higher rate of charge, it will only ever draw this amount of power, as that’s all that is being offered to the vehicle. For this type of charging, you’ll need a portable domestic charging lead (EVSE).

Despite the slow speed, the advantage is the convenience of being able to charge your vehicle anywhere you can find a standard plug socket.

For more information on charging times, please take a look at your vehicle’s features on our website.