Public charging. Firstly, the chargers
There are 3 different types, I’ll use the common terms;
Destination chargers. Usually AC (alternating current – the stuff used in a domestic supply) and either 7kw, 11kw or 22kw. The maximum speed will be governed by your car, your cable and the charger. To run at 22kw you need a three phase charging cable, and a 3 phase 22kw charger and your car needs to accept that rate as well. Most charging cables supplied by the manufacturer will be a 7kw capable lead. This is a single phase and will work with most chargers of this type. It will charge your car fairly slowly, it’s the same speed as your box at home. However if you’re somewhere where you don’t want to return to the car quickly, like a shopping centre, attraction or even a cinema, then these are perfect. You’ll get a good few miles in a few hours.
Rapid chargers. These have a cable built in and will charge at up to 150kw. They’ll reduce charging time down to an hour or so (depending on your car). Prices for these chargers are higher, they draw more power and that’s expensive.
Ultra Rapids. These can charge at (currently) up to 350kw. That means that even the largest batteries will charge in less than an hour, if the car has been built to charge at that speed, which is a few.
As with everything, advertised speeds are a maximum, dependant on ideal circumstances, can be restricted by your car, so don’t complain to me if your 350kw charger charges your car at 45kw.
Also, your car speaks with the charger and has a lot of protections built in. You will get the fastest speeds at a low state of charge. Once you hit 80% capacity, the software will tell the charger to slow down, once you’re above 90% you’d be better off on a destination charger or just giving up. I’ve seen the fastest cars reduced to 4kw at 98% and the whole queue behind them livid. The ideal is to plan to arrive at a charger with around 10% battery remaining, that gives you a buffer should you need to go elsewhere and means you’ll get a lot of charge quickly. Then plan to leave around 80-90%. Anything after that you’d be better off and quicker unplugging and stopping again later, even with the detour to charge.
Planning your journey. With an EV, you need to plan ahead. Know where you want to stop and how many chargers will be there plus where the nearest backup is. There are some great apps that combine route planning with finding chargers, just in case the sat nav in the car isn’t helpful. The popular apps are : Zap Map and A Better Route Planner. Both will enable you to plan your journey, with the range of your car in mind and your planned arrival and departure state of charge. This means that when you leave for your long trip, you follow that just as you would your sat nav. Most will stay updated with the chargers and could tell you how many are unserviceable or in use as you’re arriving. That means you might be able to detour before getting there.
All in all, driving a long distance is different in an ICE than a BEV. However, for most of us, those differences aren’t as obtrusive as you’d think. Ask yourself a few questions about your last long trip, how many times did you stop, even for the toilet? How long before you feel tired? When do you need to rest? Who else will be in the car, when do they need to stop? How does all that fit in with your range?
Personally, I can’t be in the car for more than 2 hours, by which time I need to walk around, my wife needs to walk around and one or both of us need to use the facilities. That’ll be a good 20-30 minute stop for us (I walk slowly). So charging then is ideal.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.
Mark