How to use public electric car charging points

The electric car charging infrastructure is growing in the UK, and this will need to continue at a fast rate as new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars are phased out.

Whether or not you drive an electric car today, many of us could soon be reliant on charging infrastructure. Here's what you need to know about the public electric car charging network.

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Public charging networks

There are many different charging networks across the UK, with BP Pulse, Pod Point and Shell Recharge among the biggest.

Having such a large number of separate networks creates some of the biggest drawbacks to electric car charging:

• In the majority of cases, you can’t just park up and charge. 
• Not all charging points in the UK allow you to pay directly by credit or debit card.
• Charging points don't accept cash payment.
• Depending on the network, you'll either need to download an app, go to a website or use a pre-registered contactless charge card.

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Some networks also allow you to register a contactless card. This lets you start a charge by tapping the card against a card reader, but you'll still need to manage an account online in connection with your card.

In most cases you'll need a different app, website or contactless charge card for each network. 

Beginner’s guide to using public charging points

The process of charging your car is generally similar across the various different charging networks, but the precise steps will vary depending on where you charge. And if it's your first time charging an EV, it can be a daunting experience.

Over time it will be become second nature, but below we've listed the main steps.

1. Find a charging point

If you’ll need to use a charging point on your journey, it’s worth planning your route so you’ll be near a working charger to re-charge your car. Services such as Zap-Map and Electroverse map out the UK’s public chargers, or you can use the websites of each charging operator to find the locations of their chargers.

2. Check for parking regulations

Before you park up, look for any parking restrictions that apply at the site of the charger. Some chargers may have a time restriction that only allows you to park for a certain amount of time, while others restrict users to customers of the host site. If you charge in a car park, you’ll likely have to pay to park on top of charging.

3. Park up

Before you charge, it’s worth checking where the location of your charging port is in relation to the charger. You can then work out how best to park your car to use the charger – without finding that the cable is too short.

4. Check whether the charger has a cable

All rapid and ultra-rapid chargers will have a cable permanently attached to the charger. However, most slow and fast chargers are untethered. This means you’ll need to have your own cable – typically an optional extra with a new car or available to buy separately – to use them.

5. Open your car’s charging flap

It’s worth opening your car’s flap before using the charger. Some cars have manual pop-out flaps while others will have a button or touch control in the cabin that releases the flap from its holder. If the charger is untethered, locate your car’s charging cable (usually in the boot) and connect the cable to the charging socket on your car.

6. Select your payment option on the charger

Follow the payment instructions on the charger and enter your details when necessary. You may also be able to pay via the operator’s app or website.

7. Take the cable from the charger and plug it in to your car

When prompted, take the cable from the charger and connect it to your car. Take care while doing this as the cables can be heavy and unwieldy. Hold it in position until you can hear the charger working or see that the charger has successfully connected to your car.

8. Leave it charging

You can turn your car's ignition on while charging (such as to use the infotainment system). Alternatively, you can lock the car and leave it charging. You'll be able to monitor the charging progress on your car’s display, the charger's app (if you've installed it) and on the charger itself.

9. Disconnect the charger when finished

You can use the charger controls or your phone app to stop the car charging if you don’t want to charge fully. Once you’ve finished charging, make sure your car is unlocked. You can then disconnect the cable from your car and either replace it in the charger or put it back in your car.

kW and kWh explained

Before you charge your car, it's important to understand the difference between kW and kWh, AC and DC and why that matters when charging electric cars.

kW (kilowatts) and kWh (kilowatt hours) are arguably the most common terms, and you'll come across them every time you charge.

• The power of an electric car charger is given in kW (kilowatts)
• Your electric car's battery will have a capacity given in kWh. Think of this as like the capacity of a fuel tank.

So if you had a 21kWh capacity battery it should – in theory – take three hours to charge when connected to a 7kW charger.

In reality, this won't actually be the case as a battery always requires more power to charge than it can actually hold, but this provides a general idea of the concepts involved.

Slow, fast or rapid charger?

Before you visit a public charger, you need to know two things about your electric car: 

1. Its maximum charge rate (there will be one for AC and one for DC) 
2. What type of AC and DC plugs you can connect it to

Electric car charge points offer different power outputs. The higher the power output, the quicker your car charges (provided the power output is within your car's maximum charge rate). 

You'll see terms like 'slow chargers' and 'rapid chargers' used a lot – here's what they relate to:

• Slow chargers: up to 3kW (AC)
• Fast chargers: have power outputs between 7kW-22kW (AC)
• Rapid chargers: between 25kW and 99kW (typically 50kW and DC)
• Ultra rapid chargers: 100kW and more (DC). 

Slow and fast chargers (AC charging)

Slow and fast chargers are the most common public chargers. They account for around 80% of all UK chargers, according to Zap-Map. 

These chargers use one of two plugs to connect to your car:

• Type 1 plug – which is largely outdated. You'll find it on a few used plug-in hybrid cars, such as the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

• Type 2 plug – is far more common. The EU decreed in 2014 that all new plug-in cars should have a Type 2 socket, making it the preferred standard.

All slow and fast chargers supply AC from the electricity grid to your car. The battery in your electric car, like any battery, cannot use AC to charge. So when you connect an AC (3-22kW) charger to your car, the current goes to the vehicle's onboard charger – this converts it from AC to DC.

Rapid and ultra-rapid chargers (DC charging)

Rapid and ultra-rapid chargers directly provide DC to your car. The DC connection bypasses your car's onboard charger to supply current directly to the car's battery. It's a much faster way to charge your car, but can be very costly. 

Most cars have one of two different rapid charging DC plugs, both of which require their own socket:

• CCS (Combined Charging System) socket is the most common. The 'combined' bit in the name means that the shape of the plug will incorporate the shape of the Type 1 or, more commonly, the Type 2 AC plug. So your car may look like it only has one socket, but it connects with two plugs. If you see a 'Combo 2' plug – that's a CCS plug that fits over a Type 2 plug. 

• Chademo is the second and, now, much rarer type. Most cars in Europe don't have this, the outliers being both generations of the Nissan Leaf and the Lexus UX300e.

Note that Tesla cars have a modified Type 2 plug that can deliver DC current. This is unique to the company's 'Supercharger' network (see below).

Tesla charging networks

Tesla has two of its own networks: the Tesla Supercharger network and the Destination charger network.

• Superchargers are ultra-rapid chargers with power levels ranging from 120kW to 250kW (DC).
• Destination chargers are type 2 AC chargers with rated power outputs from 3kW to 22kW.

Previously available only to Tesla cars, some chargers are now open to other brands of electric car. See the Tesla website for details of which ones are available to all.

How long does it take to charge an electric car?

Electric cars actually have two charging rates:

1. A maximum AC charging rate (applies to slow and fast chargers, and includes home charging)
2. A maximum DC charging rate (applies to rapid and ultra rapid charge points).

While fast (AC) charging points go up to a maximum 22kW, most electric cars are limited to a 7.2-11kW maximum AC charge rate.

One of the few exceptions is the Renault Scenic E-Tech, which can make full use of a 22kW charger. This makes a big difference to its charge times – as you can see in our table, below.

Ultra-rapid chargers, which typically have a charge rate of between 100kW and 350kW DC, will charge even faster. They'll potentially take less than half an hour for a full charge from zero – provided your vehicle is compatible.

If you tried to charge the same battery from a three-pin plug at home, it would take around 30 hours to charge the battery by 80%. This is why it's worth getting a home charger (see our guide on electric car charging at home to find out more).

While most cars are limited to an 11kW AC charge rate or less, you can still connect it to a 22kW charger to your car. It won't damage it; the car and onboard charger will simply manage the rate of charge and take what it can.

The real problem is that if you don’t know the maximum AC rate of charge your electric car can take, you might end up choosing a charger with a higher rate of power when it’s of no use to you (and could end up costing you more).

Community charging: charge at someone else's home

If you don't have off-street parking or otherwise can't charge at home (which is the cheapest way to charge your car), you could look at using someone else's home charger. It's called community charging and you can search your local area for those with a driveway and a home charger (known as ‘hosts’). You can then book to use the host’s charger at a set time.

Examples of providers include Co Charger, Joosup and Just Park.

On and off-peak public charging

Some major electric car charging networks (including Ubitricity, char.gy and Shell Recharge) have introduced on and off-peak rates (sometimes referred to as day and night rates).

This means it will cost more to charge at peak hours, but the definition of 'peak' varies from one network to the other, so you may be caught out if you're not familiar with the network.

If you do end up paying on-peak rates, your bank account will feel it. The on-peak rates rival the fastest ultra-rapid chargers in terms of cost, but in the case of Ubitricity chargers, which convert lampposts, are limited to 5.5kW. This means you can end up getting a slow charge while paying ultra-rapid costs – the worst of both worlds.

Some off-peak rates are comparable to what people are paying from home, but still tend to be a bit more expensive.

EV charge cards

One of the easiest ways to charge is to apply for an EV charge card. These can be used with multiple networks and let you manage your payments in one account, including getting receipts. Some also offer time-limited discounts on charging, so you might be able to top-up for less.

Popular providers include Octopus Electroverse and Shell Recharge.

Some car manufacturers (such as Audi and Kia) also offer EV charge cards to customers that buy one of their EV models.

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