It’s no secret that the number of Electric Vehicles (EVs) on the road is rising as we continue to move closer to the ban of manufacturing petrol and diesel vehicles. According to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Trading there are 13% more fleet cars on the road today than the same time last year. EV registrations have increased in the year to date with Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) seeing a 28% uplift, Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) up 17% and fully electric cars up 10%, collectively accounting for almost 46% of new car registrations in July.
Want to learn more about the different types of EVs? Read our blog Understanding the Different Types of Electric Vehicles.
Before opting to introduce EVs to your company car fleet, it’s important both you and your employees understand the basics of electric car charging to ensure you’re prepared. This includes the options you have for charging electric cars – home charging, public charging, or onsite at the workplace, as well as how cars are charged differently depending on whether they’re a PHEV, HEV or BEV.
In this guide you’ll learn about types of EV charging points, home charging, public chargers, how long it takes to charge and the costs.
If you’re a UK-based business looking for assistance with your electric fleet, get in touch with us today.
Types of EV Charging Points
Depending on the type of charging application, which could include residential, multifamily, workplace, fleet or public, there are different types of charging points available.
Let’s take a look at the most common charging points.
Level 1
Level 1 EV chargers don’t require network connectivity, as they’re simply plugged into a 120V household plug socket. Usually, this type of charger is supplied by the manufacturer when the EV becomes part of your fleet. They do provide the slowest charge, with an output between 1.3 kW and 2.4 kW, which is approximately 5km of range per hour of charging. Therefore, an eight-hour overnight charge offers about 30-40 miles of range. For Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) or Plug-in Hybrids Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) with smaller batteries, charging can be quicker. This type of charging is suitable and accessible for your employees at their residential home with minimal set-up needed.
Level 2
Level 2 chargers are dedicated EV charging units that may or may not be hardwired. These chargers use a 208V-240V power source and deliver an output range from 6.2kW to 19.2kW. A Level 2 charger provides an average of 32 miles of driving range per hour of charge, so typical charging time is around 4-8 hours from empty to full. However, exact charging time varies dependent on battery size. This type of charger is suitable for employees who could charge at home, if you or they are willing to pay for the installation costs, or for drivers out on the road, who might be making planned stops in their journeys to charge.
DC Fast Charging
DC Fast Charging is the quickest way to charge an EV, these chargers are generally available at public locations. They can range in output from 50kW to 350kW and can recharge an EV battery to 80% in as little as 15 minutes, up to 45 minutes, the speed depends on the vehicle’s voltage capacity. These types of chargers are not in high volume publicly (there are more Level 2s), costs for fast charging are higher, and different connectors are needed – CCS, CHAdeMO, and Tesla Supercharger. It’s recommended fast chargers are only used when necessary, so it’s important that your drivers have access to other charging methods. Fast chargers are most typically found in the public charging network but can be suitable for workplace or home charging if upfront costs for installation can be met.
EV Charging at Home
There are many benefits of a home EV charger instead of relying on the current EV charging station infrastructure, these include:
– Reducing range anxiety as the vehicle can be fully charged before starting any journey from home.
– A home EV charger can cost significantly less* than a rapid electric car charging point.
– Flexibility to charge off-peak when energy prices are lower, or charge on demand.
– Lower carbon footprint if charged with renewable energy sources.
*Comparing a like for like charging cost, and not taking into account the initial home charger installation.
Installation and Cost Considerations
Home EV chargers should be installed by a certified electrician specialising in EV charger installations. This will ensure the installation is safe, is in line with local regulations and that the EV chargers meets all the requirements. A qualified engineer should be able to complete the installation in a few hours.
If more work is required, such as upgrading the electrical system to accommodate the EV charger, the process could take a little longer.
The average cost of installing an electric car charger is between £600 – £1,000, which should cover the EV charger itself and the labour costs. There are some Government grants available for home EV chargers though.
Some employees can get 75% off the cost to buy and install a socket, up to a maximum of £350, providing they have an eligible vehicle and have off-street on assigned on-street parking. View a list of vehicles eligible for OZEV residential chargepoint grants.
For your drivers to get the most efficiency from electric car charging at home, they could consider:
– Using solar, wind or hydropower to generate their own electricity.
– Utilising a green energy tariff, which is when the energy supplied is fully or partly renewable, and charging when green energy is more available – and cheaper.
– Driving more efficiently so they use less electricity.
To learn more about home charging, read our guide: EV Home Chargers Guide – All You Need to Know
Public EV Charging
There are a number of charging network brands in the UK, some cover the whole country and others are only available in certain areas. Public chargers can be slow, fast or rapid, and any power output has the ability to charge multiple vehicle battery capacities, but it’s the combination which can impact the charging speed, for example, larger batteries are more likely to require rapid charging to charge at an acceptable speed.
Another aspect to be considered is the onboard charger, as different makes and models are supplied with different charger connectors and vehicle inlet ports, and these must be compatible with the chargepoint.
Rapid EV chargers with a minimum 50kWh output use CHAdeMO, CCS or Type 2 connectors. Whereas fast and slow chargers, typically up to 22kWh, use Type 1 or Type 2 connectors.
For vehicle inlets, European EV models often have Type 2 or CCS inlets, while Asian manufacturers prefer a Type 1 and CHAdeMO inlet combination.
Most EVs are supplied with two cables for slow and fast charging – one with a Type 2 connector charger-side and the other with a three-pin plug, both come with compatible connectors for the inlet ports, which should ensure compatibility with EV charger and plug type.
Using a smartphone app such as ZapMap can help your drivers identify where chargers are located and which types of chargers are available. Or if the business has a preference or account with a particular network, it might have its own dedicated app. To find out more about how to find charging stations, read our blog: The Best Apps for Driving Electric.
When your drivers pull up to a chargepoint, there should be instructions for how to use it, or if they’re using an app, they can check it for details. When charging is complete, advice for what to do next should display on the chargepoint.
The chargepoint will usually ask for payment in advance, and the three main ways to pay are via the app, using a debit or credit card or a charging card, which you would issue to your drivers if you hold a business account with a chargepoint provider.
EV Charging Connectors
Electric car charging sockets plug into your fleet vehicle and can be thought of by your drivers as being similar to a mobile phone. Depending on which phone they have, a different connector fits into the phone socket, but the wall end of the cable will always be a three-pin plug. If we apply this to electric car charging, the charger end can be a three-pin plug or a universal Type 2 charging socket, whereas at the vehicle end it could be a Type 1 or Type 2 connector.
Type 1 connectors have a five-pin design, operate on single phase mains power and provide charging at an output between 3.6kW and 7kW.
Type 2 connectors have a seven-pin design and can accommodate both single and three-phase mains power and provide charging at an output of 3.6kW, 7kW or 22kW. Type 2 are standard in Europe.
Your drivers must ensure the charging cables and connectors are compatible with the chargepoint being used, particularly for public charging. The charging speed could be impacted if the combination isn’t correct, or your drivers could risk damaging the vehicle chargepoint.
Charging Time and Range
The amount of time needed to charge certain battery sizes depends on the charger type and can vary from home to public charger. Below are some examples, calculated by Pod Point:
| Vehicle Model | Battery | Pod Point Confident Range* | Empty to Full Charging Time*** | ||||
| 3.7kW | 7kW | 22kW | 43-50kW | 150kW | |||
| Volkswagen ID.5 | 82kWh | 266 miles | 22 hrs | 12 hrs | 8 hrs | 1 hr | 30 mins |
| Tesla Model S (2022)** | 75kWh | 241 miles | 21 hrs | 11 hrs | 5 hrs | 1 hr | 30 mins |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (2018) | 13.8kWh | 24 miles | 4 hrs | 4 hrs | 4 hrs | 40 mins | N/A |
* Pod Point Confidence Range is the maximum distance we’d be confident driving on electric power between charges. Real range will depend on various factors including driving conditions, personal driving style, outside temperature, heating / air conditioning, etc.
** Numbers shown are for the entry level Tesla Model S Standard Range.
*** Charging time may be limited by the maximum charging rate of the electric vehicle.
With a full charge, depending on the make and model of the vehicle, your drivers have an EV range, which is the distance they can travel on the battery charge. Normally, there’s two numbers, the first is the WLTP range, which is given after it’s been tested after manufacture. The tests are carried out in optimum conditions – an average speed of 30mph and warm temperatures. The second figure is the real world range, which takes into account real world conditions such as road and weather conditions, and different driving styles.
If you have Battery Electric Vehicles that only run on electricity in your fleet, your drivers will need to plan their journeys to know where they’ll stop and charge. However, if you have Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) or Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), there will be a fuel back-up option, but that impacts the efficiency of the car.
Charging Costs
Charging costs vary dramatically from car to car, and depend on the energy supplier and charging location.
Equally, battery efficiency depends on driving style, road and weather conditions, as well as the size of the battery.
According to Allstars’ All Costs Report, a 70kWh battery would typically cost £57.40 to fully charge at the average cost of 82p per kWh at a public charging station. This is based on data collected from January – March 2024. It should be noted there are huge variances in domestic pricing and it’s likely that will be the case for some time.
A lot of electricity providers offer two-rate tariff, which have peak and off-peak pricing. It’s worth checking with the energy provider and informing your employees so they can see if there is a suitable tariff available. If an appropriate tariff is available and your fleet cars were charged overnight when the tariff is lower, you and your drivers could save money on EV charging.
It’s also possible to use renewable energy to charge your EV fleet and this could help to reduce your carbon footprint. Ways to use renewable energy include:
- Using solar, wind or hydropower to generate your own electricity.
- Utilising a green energy tariff, which is when the energy supplied is fully or partly renewable and charging when green energy is more available – and cheaper.
- Driving more efficiently so you use less electricity.
EV Resources From CBS
Before making the transition to an EV fleet, it’s important to consider all aspects of electric cars, and the charging basics are essential for both your business and your employees to know and understand, in order to run the car efficiently.
To learn more about EVs if you’re considering an electric fleet, visit our Insights Centre for more blogs about electric cars.