How Long Does It Take to Charge an Electric Vehicle?
The battery capacity of your electric vehicle (EV) will determine how much energy can be stored and, therefore, how long it will take to charge. The battery capacity differs for each car. The Nissan LEAF, for example, has a battery capacity of 30 kW, while the Tesla Model S has a capacity of 100 kW. To figure out how long it takes to charge your battery, divide the battery capacity by the charging power.
What is charging power?
Charging power is the amount of energy that can be introduced in the battery per hour and it depends on the connection to the electric grid, the onboard charger of your car and your Wallbox charger. The weakest link determines the charging power. Let’s look at each of these factors.
The charging grid
Let's begin with the grid. There's a maximum deliverable power in all electrical installations. It's the power that your facility can deliver to all electrical devices connected to it. For example, if you have 4.4 kW maximum deliverable power at your house, all devices that are connected to that network can never consume more than 4.4 kW combined.
The electric car
The maximum charging power of the vehicle is also a limitation. It's determined by a device on your car that feeds the electricity to the battery of your car. This device is called the onboard charger. Its power can range from 3.7 kW to 22 kW.
The EV charger
Every charger has a maximum of power that can be transferred from the installation to the vehicle. Wallbox chargers can charge between 7.4 kW and 22 kW. A direct current (DC) charger can charge up to 350 kW.
Calculating your EV charging time
Now, let's put all the pieces together! Let's use the example below.
In this case, the charging power is 4.4 kW, because that's the lowest maximum deliverable power between home, charger and car. Meanwhile, the battery of the car is able to store 30 kW. Now, we do the equation from above.
So 7 hours is the amount of time your car needs in order to be fully charged.
To summarize:
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