The Ultimate Guide to Charging your Electric Car

[@ellensamir374]

So many apps, so many providers, payment methods, broken chargers, different types of plugs. This is a practice of planning skills.

[@cyrilunsworth3195]

Perfect illustration of how complicated the system is. All chargers should be like petrol pumps i.e. All payable by credit/debit card. all charges the same (variations between 30p and 90p per unit). At the moment it is hard to calculate the cost of a journey without research. It would be handy if Zap Map had a filter for unit charging more than 50p for example.

[@ickledotco]

Exactly the video I was searching for. Had just the information I needed. So many other videos on this subject miss the detail (like plugging in the charger). Thank you!

[@DriveGreen]

So glad to help, thanks for watching 🙂

[@megane230f1]

i wont give it long before the prices of thee electric match those of diesel and petrol

[@chrishutchinson-mogg4669]

Why isn't there more info this good out there? Massively overwhelmed with facing all this for the first time, thank you for such a great video. Actually bought a car from you guys recently and searching for info brought me back to you! Keep up the good work.

[@tj9382]

Excellent work my friend. Thanks

[@mburgsey14]

Good basic information, thanks. Apologies, but the public EV charging network is a nightmare. Too many charging points out of action and so many different methods of payment. AND too many occupied due to the lack of provision. If intending to use public chargers as part of your trip ALWAYS build in extra time AND contingencies of a second stand by charger nearby the one selected, even a third. This should avoid running out of charge.

[@DriveGreen]

Thank you, and this is why we put this guide together. To help people plan better and also our follow on public charger videos to help people with the different supplier chargers 🙂

[@Paul-if1jq]

I have to agree, Public charging is a nightmare...too many don't work, which adds to planning challenges.... for EV's to fully be embraced you need 1000 fast chargers at the scale Tesla have..... I have seen chargers out for 4 weeks +

[@SilverShieldcollector]

It’s getting better every month

[@chrissy5890]

Great advice ... many thanks from someone who has just ordered a new ev. Fab video for reassuring us newbies that electric is totally possible

[@Flying2ZC]

Thanks that was very timely. Buying our first EV this week ix3. Very useful and I love the route planner functions. Your vid also helped me with the types of charging too, so well done.

[@jeffsmith559]

What a great informative video this is because I've just ordered my first EV and already feel much better understanding the different charging stations and connectors etc. It's always a concern jumping ship from the ICE to an EV, but with a bit more forward planning and ZAP Map - it looks like the stress about range anxiety has been lifted - thank you!

[@philtebble4390]

Hello great vid thank you . Just got an electric van for work so great advice 👍

[@Paulus_Von_Schneider]

Just got my new EV yesterday. Found this very helpful and reassuring. Thank you

[@andcharge]

Informative, unbiased real-world video that takes lots of worries away, thanks a lot!

[@Cobraguy321]

Great vid. Very informative and very helpful for new EV owners. Thanks .

[@pf1133]

I have an XC40 recharge and I'll be travelling from Ireland. Thanks for the informative video. In Ireland our entire electric car network is owned by the government (bar 1 Ionity charging point). So one card works on all charging stations, it doesn't take so much planing.

[@bobadams7654]

Just picked up my first ev - e Berlingo. Loving it. Nice vid. Great tips re Zap Map. Appreciated.

[@offbeatcolouring]

I'm looking at getting my first EV, this video has been really useful, thank you.

[@DriveGreen]

Absolute pleasure, if you need any further advice or assistance, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team and book an appointment.

[@EJAZKHANOFFICIAL]

Buy mg zs long range battery

[@robnicholson4942]

So helpful. I need to look at this all again... and again... Have subscribed. Cheers mate

[@anthonyboland]

This is a very helpful video. Thank you.👍

[@DriveGreen]

Our pleasure, thanks for watching 🙂

[@n1ch0las51]

Thanks this is useful information

[@BadMacs]

Good informative info. Thanks.

[@delboy512]

Thanks for the comprehensive video. Just one thing, there are 4 different types of charging connectors. You didn't include the Type 1, which is used by all Leafs up to 2017 and used by the early Kia Soul, Citroen C-Zero, Renault Fluence etc. I just mentioned this, as these EV's are more affordable, for those people who do not have £40k to spend.

[@OldFliersGroup]

Paint me envious of your charging options. Here in Western Australia, our vast distances are poorly serviced with fast charging stations. Outside of metropolitan Perth, you had better plan ahead and be prepared to bring a book to read.

[@pip52]

As a disabled driver is there any assistance to plug in at the charging station.

[@terryrigden4860]

Thank you that sounds like excellent advice

[@redelevenmedia9500]

Some great tips here 👍

[@DriveGreen]

Thank you, glad they helped!

[@leejohnson7471]

Very informative thanks.

[@dianemendoza3271]

Thank you for this informative video , i just wish i viewed it before i left home as ive just used a ev charger that was not working, and then had to find a different one that was working. i did find the bp pulse quite expensive 89p a kw so the car was at 50% it took 1 hour and 20 mins to charge and cost £33 alot more than petrol for my punto i will use the zap app as i looks really helpful

[@richogborne]

Amazing helpful thank you

[@molepatrol7529]

Excellent and comprehensive video. Are customers updating Zap map chargers that aren’t working and do you find it is updated regularly. Great idea about planning backup as some chargers are developing queues as more people have EVs. EV travel is all about planning and longer journeys compared to ICE vehicles.

[@DriveGreen]

Thank you, and yeah people are reasonable at updating the apps. We think it will only keep getting better as more and more people go EV 🙂

[@tomirwin3758]

Fantastic. Thank you so much

[@briangriffiths114]

Very helpful video, thank you. Here in Scotland, the Chargeplace Scotland RFiD card accesses our entire network of public chargers without needing a smartphone, downloading apps etc. An invoice is sent out each month for you to check then a direct debit is taken from your bank account a few days later. I have yet to use it but I am planning to take your advice to try out one of the AC or CCS chargers located a mile from my home on my Fiat 500e.

[@DriveGreen]

That sounds like a good system, let us know how you get on with it. And congratulations on the 500e, cracking little cars!

[@JamesRattray]

Excellent video as I set out with my new Kia Nero EV2 learning the ropes. Really excellent video al round. I too produce videos and love feedback, so my only comment is I found the close ups of the wheel turning and lights actually distracted me for the narrative (for some reason), resulting in me replaying the video to listen to your narrative. As I said it is an excellent video. Thank you

[@clivestanton9190]

Great send more info on how to use zap map please🎉

[@peternottingham6067]

Hi mate. Great video. Sorry but my 1.6 diesel seat Leon does 60-70 MPG and 600 mile range between fill ups. I fill up once a month. Takes 5 minutes. Contact me when your EV can match this. smiley face.

[@leerogersable]

Excellent video

[@DriveGreen]

Thank you Lee!

[@MichaelWilliams-mo1vv]

I'm thinking of getting a used Nissan leaf. I was curious do many people find it hard to find Chademo charging? Where I live they are still around.

[@ph8077]

I'm thinking of getting a Taycan or RS etron but I regularly do a run from my home in Bucks to Edinburgh & N Berwick....I always do the trip in one sitting even if there are delays - that's 6-8hrs in the car & about 360 miles fast motorway driving in my 2023 RS5 Vorsprung coupe - without stopping, when I'm by myself. EV's are still highly compromised imho. Range needs to be over 500 real-world winter miles iyam & a 10-80% charge should take no longer than 10 mins.

[@woodworks2123]

Do any of these charger stations accommodate charging an electric bicycle with a standard 3 pin socket?

[@grahamcastle8189]

Good advice, we regularly travel 600 mile journeys in our Zoe and have lots of experience of public charging. You could perhaps have mentioned the huge variation in cost between different charging networks some have extortionate charges.

[@DriveGreen]

Thank you Graham, good point for sure.

[@entropy5431]

Could you list the ones to avoid, please?

[@peat11]

Yeah when everybody has an electric car then expect a two or three day wait to charge during peak holiday season it is ok now with few vehicles but summer months best stay at home.

[@stephenp1922]

Given that charging from 0-20% and 80-100% will occur at lower power levels and take longer, isn't it better to arrive at the charger with more than 20% and charge up to 80-85% ?

[@londonwestman1]

This suggests doing more, shorter charging stops. The drawback of this is the faff of finding the charger and getting it to go also takes time. On a longer journey I would normally go for 90-95% each time. In practice these stops are still not long (in my 94Ah, 33kWh i3).

[@oldpopmike]

How do you save your backs ups ? During planning, with Zapmap, can you select your own route, not use the suggested one ? Thanks for the video. My first attempt at charging at Tesco Pod Point failed ! Cheers

[@londonwestman1]

I actually bought one of your cars and it's doing fine (touch wood) at 94,000 miles so far... However, while some of the tips here are helpful, I have to say that this outline of public charging is over-optimistic in a number of areas. To start with, I think it's a tad unrealistic to be expecting people to sit down for 15 minutes or so at a PC to plan your route. There are also a lot of different charging suppliers and most don't seem to be keen on you using a debit card - or they charge a premium. In nine months and twelve thousand miles I've accumulated fourteen apps, two RFID cards and a key fob. I can assure anybody that that represents a lot of time downloading and inputting card details. (I also had to buy a new phone as my old one was already struggling and this lot tipped it over the edge.) In addition, charger breakdowns on unfamiliar rapid chargers are pretty common. There are also sometimes queues at busy times and sometimes you have to phone a control centre to get the charge to start or stop. Maybe 90-95% of the time it does run smooth, but you do have to expect the occasional tricky journey, especially if you do quite a number of long trips. On my worst - during the heatwave - I encountered two chargers running slow, one broken, one set of chargers with a queue and I had to make two phone calls.

[@jac174]

Matt Hanson is a genius

[@PPCmenace]

Thanks!

[@TCLMassey]

I don’t have a smart phone. Can cards be purchased for easy and contactless payments? And how much does it cost for a full charge for an average ev?

[@kayak1969p]

so can you simply pay contactless with your bank card or do always need to register and use a rfid?? and is there an option to pay either with bank card or rfid at the charge point ?

[@stephaniehart4527]

What is an rfid card?

[@nigep]

Very good advice thanks

[@DriveGreen]

Our pleasure and thanks for watching 🙂

[@clareharley3891]

Very helpful video. I was under the impression that some cars would only let you rapid charge once per journey. Is this correct? If so, is this common or only on a few cars? Thanks for these great videos :)

[@DriveGreen]

Thanks for watching. You can rapid charge more than once per journey. This particular day we filmed video of the same car charging at over 5 rapid chargers for eg!

[@Brian-om2hh]

That's nonsense Clare. It's not true at all. You can rapid charge as often as is needed with any electric car.......

[@rmy1003]

Are the prices differ? if yes, can we have this info at the app?

[@DriveGreen]

Prices do differ but they are also subject to fluctuate. Hence not covering them in the video as it will quickly become outdated!

[@rmy1003]

@@DriveGreen Thank you for the reply but still it could be a good review to understand which of the companies are more expensive or\ and the prices on the highway more expensive....

[@DriveGreen]

Maybe we’ll look to cover it in a separate video in the future 👍🏻

[@rmy1003]

@@DriveGreen it will be really great and even to make once in 3 or 4 months....

[@Mmichiduta]

hello, can you help me with some information? do you pay or not for private parking lots where there are fast chargers? if you can't tell me what the law is? I received the second fine for not paying for the parking ... of 60 lire, so 120 lire ... it becomes more expensive than diesel.

[@johnlewis5663]

Another good post, full of information. Watched your post on the MG sz ev, decided to buy one and go down the full electric route, but still a little nervous about range and charging facilities although I have a pod point unit at my home, however going out of the comfort zone is still a little worrying. Keep the posts coming.

[@DriveGreen]

Great to hear John and honestly, your confidence will build so quickly once you start getting about and learning what you can expect from your car. Do take a look at our public charging videos, it should help prepare you and further increase your confidence 🙂

[@ksspqf6016]

Hi I'm new to driving. Can you have a car which can switch between using electricity and petrol to have petrol as an emergency backup plan?

[@Brian-om2hh]

Yes, a Plug In Hybrid. Note, *not* a standard hybrid, which cannot run very long on battery power. A Plug In Hybrid can complete full journeys up to around 30 miles on battery power alone, at speeds up to motorway traffic. A standard hybrid cannot do this.

[@peterwilson3733]

Fantastic thanks

[@DriveGreen]

Thanks for watching l!

[@lyndonwatkins1]

Iv noticed that all charging points are not close to shops no good fore a person in a wheelchair so should be blue badge charging points otherwise they are not disabled user friendly..

[@lharris828]

Sorry but so many 'planned' charges turn out to be at broken chargers. Fortunately my Kon a 64k can do 250 - 340 miles, but I still find many duff chargers shown on Zapmap.

[@rajindernijjer]

My dad's been given a t8 as courtesy car and I swear he just drives to Tesco all day to charge it for free then comes homes and says it's empty he's been Tesco 3 times today defeats the purpose of being eco friendly.

[@robertkirby3158]

In the first two minutes you repeated the word stress as it is obviously a hazard, the need for planning how you charge (fuel) the vehicle as there is a difference depending on the length of the journey and more. The comments below show this is useful to those already in possession of a battery on wheels but to those of us with O level physics it highlights the need for planning before getting a lithium ride.

[@nickyfoulkes8476]

How much have 3-4 charging stops added to your journey time? 2-3 hours. Here in Torbay we have so few rapid charging. (4) We don't even have one in our town. We have 238,000 residents. I would have to drive 5-12 miles to a charger. It is all so complicated, apps, charge cards, contactless & then if I would have to spend 2-3 hours driving to the Lizard & back in one day charging the car. Completely unrealistic for me. I don't want to spend that amount of time sitting in a service station. The cost of electric vehicles new is out of my budget £35,000 upwards & for thousands of others. The bigger battery cars are well over £40,000. With the cost of electric if I spent £800,00 for a box in my garage I would be looking at £10-15.00 PW to charge. That is more than I spend on petrol over a month on a self charging hybrid. When 2/3 of the worlds electric is NOT produced by fossil fuels, the cost of new electric vehicles is realistic to wages, the car insurance is NOT 3 times the cost of petrol, we have the infrastructure to charge the cars here in the South West & charging times are not much greater than filling up with fuel then & only then people might buy an electric car. I just looked at Zap Map for Exmoor where we holiday and it is ridiculous. A one hour journey one way or 40-50 minute journey the other, to charge or, waste days on a 13 amp socket at the holiday cottage. Unless the UK spends millions on charging infrastructure in the next 5 years 2030 is unrealistic. There will still be millions of fossil fuelled cars on the road because us minions who don't earn London & the South East Salaries will never afford one. Oh, as a side note if you regularly tow a caravan well you will be stopping every 80-100 miles to charge the car. Unrealistic or what. That would be at least 6 stops to go to the Lake District making the journey about 14hours. So you wouldn't go in one day. That would be 2 days of a weeks holiday wasted. What about second hand. 8 year warranty on the battery packs. Then what. Batteries become less efficient with age, so driving range will get less over time. Many will only be able to afford a second hand electric car. Wake up and smell the coffee. Electric cars are not going to happen by 2030.

[@philipsims5138]

Why do Directors never include MG EV cars during the Presenter's dialogue ?

[@garyrowe58]

Averaging 35mph must be tedious ;)

[@garfieldisgod]

EV makers need to "adopt the "induction charging" method of charging vehicles ASAP. This technology ihas been around for decades and is a perfect fit for "convenient charging of EV's. Charging vehicles without having to connect anything; get out of the vehicle in snow and rain; would appeal to many Tesla customers. just imagine; pulling over a lighted pad; it dings when you are in position; you just hop out and the charger later texts you when the vehicle is ready. What is not to like???

[@drrd4127]

"30 minute charging stop" 30 Minutes!!! WTF!!!

[@MUFCSINCE90]

11:21 come on you know it’s pronounced Execeter 😅😅

[@David-my3uu]

Here’s why it’s going to be many years before I have confidence in the electric car grid. I often make a drive of 520 miles to my vacation house in a rural state. Currently, it’s a 10 hour trip with one or two 5 minute stops to gas up my car. That equals about 10 hours, 10 minutes. How long a trip do you imagine I’ll suffer with an EV? If the rapid charge gives you 80 miles for an hour’s stop (if you can even find a charger), how many additional hours just charging will my trip be? !!!! See, it’s not about just the chargers, it’s about the waste of time - perhaps days wasted. Sorry but no.

[@owenarnold7611]

To answer your question it depends on your car battery and home access/driveway situation. With my Audi Q4 (329 miles on 100% charge) i would plan my 520 mile journey by charging my vehicle to 100% overnight at home. I have a charging point and my own driveway. I would then locate on my planned journey where RAPID charging stations are around the 230 - 280 mile mark. I would pull over and check availability of these stations probably at the 230 mile point just in case that service station is full (this is called range anxiety) but allows me time to look on my phone to see live availability of the other charging points further ahead. Depending on how much charge my car has I would RAPID charge to 100% which in my Audi Q4 would take probably an hour from 20% but no more than 80 minutes from 0-100% (with Tesla's they can do 0 - 100% in 40 minutes). With all that and depending on how much heating/air conditioning/phone charging I'm using, and assuming there's a GUARANTEED charging point at your destination (you can buy standard home plug to EV cables if not) I could do your 520 miles roughly an hour slower than you - MAXIMUM 90 minutes slower if I needed a second RAPID 30 minute top up.

[@Kirkscrustykippers]

Did he just say u git to wait 30 mins to travel 30 mile

[@loojishtc9899]

Try finding an EV charger in mid Wales. So no, you're lying, an EV CAN'T do "any journey you want".

[@jarrowmarrow]

I you want to not have any charging issues don’t buy an EV. If you’re willing to be flexible and learn new details and be inconvenienced sometimes an EV is the car for you. I use my EV 75 percent of the time with no issues. For long road trips in unnelectrified areas I use my ICE car. The EV is way cheaper to operate 1/3 the cost of the ICE car.

[@JayBonart]

Zap map advert 😢

[@albionlondon7550]

EVs are not exactly cheap are they. I have owned a Porsche and their resale is better than most so the end result is not bad. I owned a Macan for 4 years and lost the equiv of £4000 a year. You could not hire the car for that. My current car a Mach E has dropped in value by £12000 in 18 months so far even though the price has jumped up by over £10k. Work that out!

[@keegan773]

The ultimate guide to charging your car without any pfaff at all. Buy a diesel or petrol car and the road is yours.

[@ArashGhazanfari]

This content is very useful indeed, however the fact that such guides exist, is proof that the EV charging infrastructure is not fit for purpose. EVs are expensive to buy. This is why you would be willing to risk arriving at a station with only 2 CCS chargers (assuming they are working!). If more people could afford EVs, the current infrastructure would not be sufficient. Also, imagine having to download apps or apply for vendor specific RFID cards just to pay for your petrol or diesel, or being told you need “common sense” and “planning” to refuel your vehicle along the journey. That would be unacceptable. Unless there is investment in infrastructure and frictionless means of consumption are available everywhere, EV ownership will never become mainstream.

[@ALIENdrifter66]

The fact that there's people having to make guides and tutorials proves how badly designed the EV charge concept is

[@srspower]

zap map is pointless, it doesn't integrate in to google maps.

[@myvideos9811]

CHARGING YOUR EV. I THINK IT WOULD BE BETTER. LIKE THE BOTTLES OF PROPAINE AND CALOR IF YOU PURCHASH ONE BOTTLE AS A ONE OFF YOU THEN CAN EXCHANGE THAT BOTTLE FOR A FULL BOTTLE. SO IF THEY CAN MAKE ALL BATTERY,S UNIVERSAL YOU THEN CAN GO TO A GARAGE AND HAVE THAT ONE REPLACED WITH A FULLY CHARGE ONE. AT A COST OF COURSE. YES, NO?

[@loojishtc9899]

Wow! That's just so complicated. Life is stressful enough without all that nonsense. No wonder people don't want to by these EV money pits.

[@martymountebank5995]

Porsche will have a non-fossil fuel soon, making all EVs pointless.

[@micro_my_blood]

Good luck on affording one!

[@TommyJones49]

EV's purpose so govt can keep track of you, your where abouts your travel your money. through data info you input each time you charge.

[@mikeswift100]

So boring I’m looking elsewhere

[@yc-tai]

it's all Gobbledygook. Petrol car, see a petrol station, fill up and go.