efficiency? I thought range was the big concern
It’s true that many people’s range is the number one concern with an electric car, but don’t forget efficiency. Considering the former without thinking about the latter is like worrying about the size of your car’s gas tank without thinking about fuel economy.
The problem is that it is easy for a manufacturer to upgrade a car with a larger battery. But a bigger battery adds weight, and that extra weight could mean these longer-range electric cars are less efficient, and therefore cost more to drive, especially if you use public chargers all the time.
How do I find out how efficient an electric car is?
Most manufacturers now list efficiency figures in their brochures; if you can’t find the number, ask the dealer.
Different manufacturers use different units to measure energy efficiency, but here’s The Telegraph we’ve decided it’s easiest to use thousands per kilowatt-hour (mpkWh). This makes it easy to calculate how much a trip will cost in an electric car: divide the travel distance in miles by the efficiency figure in mpkWh, then multiply it by your electricity rate in kWh.
What is a kilowatt hour?
A kilowatt hour, or kWh, is a unit of energy: 1 kWh is enough energy to run an electrical appliance (in this case, a car) rated at 1,000 watts or 1 kilowatt (kW) for an hour.
It can help to think of a kilowatt hour as a bit like a gallon of fuel. Your battery (or fuel tank) can only hold a limited number of them; as soon as they are up, the car stops.
If you have a larger battery (ie one with a higher kWh rating), it can hold more charge (or fuel) and your car will go further.
Still, if your EV is more efficient, it’ll travel farther on fewer kilowatt-hours, so it’ll cost you less, and you won’t need such a big battery.
Is charging an EV as complicated as it sounds?
You can, but it’s getting easier. Today, many public chargers offer instant payment through an app, so you don’t need a subscription like you used to, while many are now starting to offer contactless credit card and debit card payments as well.
However, the network is still not as reliable as it should be, with users complaining about a high number of chargers not working, but again this state of affairs is improving and reliability should improve as newer chargers are launched across the country. be rolled out.
In the past you also had to worry about the type of charging socket your car was using – at one point there were several – but now most manufacturers have standardized around one particular type, the Type 2/CCS charger. Virtually every charging point will now be compatible with this type of charger.
How easy is it to have a charger installed at home?
To look. Again, the government has withdrawn a grant designed to help EV buyers install a home charger, but one of those will cost you between £800 and £1,000. Most chargers come with mounting included in the price and a mechanic will install it for you, while most automakers will help you arrange the installation.
You said it takes a long time to charge an electric car, but how long?
You won’t get in and out as fast as you would stop for fuel, that’s for sure. But you also don’t “refuel” in the same way. Think of an electric car as a bit like your smartphone: it’s best to plug it in at night so that when you want to use it in the morning, the battery is full.
If your car needs more juice during the day, a quick jab at a fast charger should be enough to get you to your destination. Some of the fastest chargers installed now can charge at tremendous speeds, extending the range of your EV by some 100 miles in just 10 minutes.
Sounds great – can any electric car use these faster chargers?
No. An electric car can only be charged at a certain rate and that is limited by the charging equipment on board. Today, the fastest public chargers in the UK can charge at 150 kW.
Charging rates are measured in kilowatts (kW) – think of this as the number of kilowatt hours you can add to your car’s battery in one hour. So in that time a 50kW fast charger adds 50kWh to the battery.
But if your EV can only be charged with 50 kW, that’s the fastest way to charge, even if you’re plugged into a 150 kW charger. So if you want to charge your car twice as fast, you need one that can charge quickly.