How long does it take to charge an electric car?

Charging your vehicle at home is the most convenient but also the slowest solution compared to other public infrastructure.

The charge time for an electric car depends on: the kW power of the charging point socket; the maximum power accepted by the vehicle's on-board charger; the type of cable used, and, of course, the capacity of the on-board storage system and the charge level.

So how long does it take to recharge an electric car? Typically, an average car with a 25 kWh battery requires:

• 8 hours to charge fully at home (with an average power of 3 kW);

• 2 hours to charge fully at faster charging stations (between 7.4 and 22 kW);

• 30 minutes to charge fully at charging stations with power between 43 kW and 50 kW.

As a rule, electric car batteries operate at a nominal voltage of 400 volts. In recent years, models with a voltage of 800 volts have been launched, which is an advantage for higher charge power and thus shorter refuelling times.
The most sophisticated electric cars are capable of accepting DC charges from ultra-fast charging points, i.e. with power of up to 350 kW, which allows a charge of up to 80% in just a few minutes.

How long does it take to charge an electric car at home?

Any electric car can be charged at home using a normal Schuko socket, the same as for many household appliances, thanks to a cable connected to a Control Box that guarantees the safety of the operation. In this case, charging is normally limited to 10 A and 2.3 kW power, which results in rather long, but still acceptable, charge times if charging takes place overnight.
Installation of a home charging point, or Home Charging Box, can help reduce home charging times. Since the single-phase domestic system operates at 230 volts, the choice of 3.7 kW and 7.4 kW domestic charging boxes is almost natural. Since many domestic contracts are limited to 3 kW, it is possible to opt for the first type and take advantage of the free increase to 6 kW at night and on public holidays, envisaged on an experimental basis by ARERA.
To give a practical example: a Dacia Spring with a 27.4 kWh battery recovers 15 to 80% of its charge in 5 hours and 25 minutes with a 3.7 kW home charging box.
Alternatively, you can switch to a three-phase system with 400-volts for power ratings up to 22 kW. In this case, the charging time for an electric car at home is similar to that which would be achieved with public AC charging stations.

How long does it take to charge an electric car at a public charging station?

Public charging stations generally operate at 400 volts (the fastest ones, even at 800 volts) and with a maximum power of 22 kW and higher. Charging times are variable.
AC points with a Type 2 socket generally operate at up to 22 kW, but power outputs of up to 43 kW can be reached when the cable is connected to the charging station.
With an AC charging station, the remaining range of an electric Fiat 500 (42 kWh battery), capable of accepting up to 11 kW with MODO 3 cable, increases from 15 to 80% in less than three hours.
DC infrastructures, on the other hand, deliver higher power and shorten charging times. Cars capable of accepting very high power require as little as 20 or 30 minutes to bring the vehicle charge to 80%.
Ultrafast or HPC (High Power Charging) points are capable of delivering charges of up to 350 kW.
A few examples of charging times for an electric car in an ultrafast charging station:

• 18 minutes to charge the batteries of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (77.4 kWh) and Kia EV6 (77 kWh) from 10 to 80%.

• 22 minutes and 30 seconds to charge the batteries of the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo (93.4 kWh) and Audi e-tron GT quattro (93.4 kWh) from 5 to 80%.

What elements affect the charging time of an electric car?

Electric car charging times are affected by the following factors:

• The maximum charging power of the charging point: the higher it is, the faster the car can charge all or part of the battery. Not all cars are able to accept high power charges.

• The maximum DC charging power acceptable to the vehicle: modern DC ultrafast stations are capable of charging even at power ratings of 300/350 kWh, but only some cars with an 800 volt battery are able to make full use of them.

• The presence or absence of several vehicles connected to the charging station. If more than one car is connected to the same charging station, the power available for each may be reduced, which means increased charging times.

• The maximum AC charging power acceptable by the internal charger: in many cases the internal charger cannot receive more than 11 kW.

• The charging cable: this is an aspect of Mode 3 charging, which in most cases takes place via a cable that is not integrated into the charging infrastructure.

• Energy dissipation: although almost insignificant, it can also affect charging time.

• The grid power available at the time: if the grid is under stress, the charge may be delivered at a lower power than the maximum power that can be delivered by the charging station.