A gasoline vehicle is refueled within a few minutes. With an electric vehicle, on the other hand, this can take hours. We explain what the charging time depends on and why there are big differences.
Anyone who buys a car with an electric drive must be able to plan well. On the one hand, you usually don't get as far with a full battery than with a full tank of gasoline. On the other hand, you can't fill up the tank at all petrol stations, but need special charging stations. Anyone interested in an electric vehicle should therefore not only know about the consumption of these vehicles, but also about the corresponding charging times. This is the only way you can find out whether an e-mobile meets your requirements and meets your daily routine.
How can the charging times for electric cars be calculated?
To calculate the charging time, you first need to know the size of the battery. In most cases, this is between 20 and 100 kilowatt hours. You can find the corresponding information in the description of your vehicle model. You have to keep in mind that the battery size is always a compromise: With a large battery, you can drive further, but you also have to wait longer when fully charging.
To calculate the charging time, you should also know about the charging power. This depends on the current and voltage. So it depends on whether you plug your car into the normal household socket at home, have installed a wallbox or charge your electric car at a special charging station with alternating or direct current. Here, too, the differences are huge: While you get about 2.3 kilowatts of power from a household socket in Switzerland, it is more than 120 kilowatts with a Tesla Supercharger. You can find information about the charging power in the details of a station. Some charging stations in Europe even offer 350 kW charging power. However, there are hardly any vehicles that are able to recharge electricity so quickly.
You can now calculate the charging time with this simple formula:
Charging time (hours) = battery capacity (kWh) / charging power (kW)
In concrete terms, this means that a Tesla with a 100 kWh battery charges around 50 times faster at a Supercharger than at a household socket (50 minutes instead of 43 hours). In comparison, the 10 kWh battery of a city runabout is recharged ten times faster than the 100 kWh battery of a Tesla. But be careful: With this simple calculation, various other factors must be considered. You can find out more about this in the next section.
In a nutshell:
- Charging time (hours) = battery capacity (kWh) / charging power (kW)
- With a large battery, you drive further, but have to wait longer to fully charge
- The power of your charging station can vary greatly and is crucial for the charging time
The different charging options at a glance
Charging times at home
In principle, it is possible to charge an electric car at home at a household socket. This is convenient and possible without special purchases. However, we have already found in our calculation example in the upper section that the charging time takes quite a long time at only 2.3 kilowatts. In addition, normal cables are not made to transport so much electricity for several hours. This can lead to defects and even cable fires. Many owners of electric cars therefore install a "wallbox" in their home. This is sometimes also called a "wall charging station" or "wall connector". It is connected directly to the 400-volt high-voltage grid. This allows you to charge your vehicle with a higher power (10-20 kilowatts) and minimize the charging time accordingly. The charging capacity of your wallbox depends on the power lines on site.
Charging times at public charging stations
Electric cars are becoming more and more widespread in Switzerland. As a result, there are also more and more public charging stations where e-vehicles can be charged. For example, you can fill up your vehicle while you are shopping or at an appointment at the same time. How quickly the car is charged at these charging stations again depends on the performance of the charging stations. In Switzerland, most public charging stations offer between 11 and 50 kilowatts of power. In addition, the type of current plays a role in the duration of the charging process. In Europe, the electricity grid usually emits alternating current. However, your car battery needs direct current to be able to charge. This is then converted either by the technology in the electric car or by the charging system itself supplying direct current. This is the case, for example, with Tesla's Superchargers, which can deliver up to 150 kilowatts.
But be careful: If you plug your car in at fast charging stations very often, this can put a strain on the car battery. In extreme cases, it can even lead to battery damage. In addition, the battery is usually not charged to 100 percent at fast charging stations, but only to about 80 percent. Otherwise, the tension would be too high. Keep this in mind when planning your next trip with your electric vehicle.
Attention: These factors also influence the charging time
We can now calculate in theory how long the loading time should be. In practice, however, this duration varies greatly. For example, the charging power is not always constant and the charging time is correspondingly longer. The following factors also influence the charging time of your electric car.
Requirements of your vehicle model
Not every car can get the full power from fast charging stations. This also has an influence on the charging time. The charging technology installed in the vehicle ultimately determines how the power provided by the charging station is used. For example, there are different on-board chargers with different charging capacities. You can find the exact information in the vehicle description or in the instruction manual.
Weather or the outside temperature
The batteries of electric cars work best at an outside temperature of 15 – 25 °C. If it's much warmer or much colder, the electrochemical processes within the battery run less efficiently and you have to be prepared for longer waiting times. Here, internal cooling and heating systems can help the battery stay in its comfort zone. However, not all manufacturers offer these or they are sometimes subject to an extra charge.
The battery charge level
The often advertised maximum charging speed applies to the ideal charge level between 20 and 80 percent of the total battery capacity. For batteries that have less than 20 or more than 80 percent energy during the charging process, the on-board electronics throttle the charging speed to prevent possible damage.
AutoScout24 Charging Time Calculator
Select the car brand first and then the model. Then you can see how long the respective electric car has to be charged at a conventional socket, a wallbox and a fast charging station.
Conclusion on the charging time of electric cars: Faster is not always better
In summary, a variety of factors such as charging power, temperature and battery level influence the real charging time of your electric car. In general, "slow" charging is preferable to faster charging in terms of battery health. So it's better to connect your electric vehicle to the power supply at home overnight more often and only use fast-charging technologies for longer trips.
Now you know the most important things about the charging times of e-cars. If you want to get one, you will find a wide range of great e-mobiles on AutoScout24. In each case, the vehicle description also notes how much power the vehicle can be charged with.