Charging an electric vehicle (EV) depends on several factors, including the type of charger, the capacity of the vehicle’s battery, and the state of charge of the battery when charging begins. Here is an overview of the main aspects that affect the charging time of an electric car.

Types of chargers

AC charging

Level 1 (Household Outlet, 120V): Uses a standard household outlet. Charging is very slow, usually adding about 4-5 km of range per hour of charging. A full charge can last from 20 to 40 hours, depending on the battery capacity.

Level 2 (240V): Uses a special charger that is usually installed at home or at public charging stations. Charging is faster, adding about 20-30 km of mileage per hour of charging. A full charge takes 4 to 8 hours.

Direct current (DC) charging

DC Fast Charging (CHAdeMO, CCS2, Tesla Supercharger): Uses high-voltage charging stations found on highways and other public areas. Charging is much faster, can add 80-100 km of mileage in 20-30 minutes. Full charging takes from 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Effect of battery capacity

Battery capacity determines how much energy it can store. Electric vehicles with larger batteries take longer to fully charge. Example:

An electric car with a 40 kWh battery charges faster than a car with a 100 kWh battery using the same charger.

Battery status

The charging time also depends on how discharged the battery is at the time of charging. Charging from 0% to 80% is usually faster than from 80% to 100%, as the charging speed is usually reduced in the latter stages to protect the battery.

An example of charging time calculation

To calculate the charging time of an electric car, you can use the formula:

Charging time (hours)

=Battery capacity (kW\cdotph)

Power of the charger (kW)

Charging Time (hours)=

Power of the charger (kW)

Battery capacity (kW\cdotph)

For example, for a car with a 60kWh battery charged on a 7.2kW charger (level 2):

Charging time=60kW\cdotp hours 7,2kW≈8,3 hours

Charging Time=7.2 kW

60 kW/cdotph≈8.3 hours

The charging time of an electric car can vary from a few hours to several tens of hours, depending on the type of charger, battery capacity and state of charge. With the development of charging technologies and the increasing availability of fast charging stations, charging time is becoming less of a critical factor for EV owners.