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Charging FAQs
Chargepoint installations are heavily dependant on the current electrical demand of your home. As no two homes have the same electrical equipment, the suitability of your home for a charge point installation will be assessed on a case by case basis. Customers who have high existing electrical demand (significantly exceeding 100 amps) will likely require upgrading the electrical supply to 3 phase. Unfortunately, upgrading to three phase supply can be very expensive and is often the last resort for most customers as a result.
This will depend on the current electrical demand of your home as well as if your garage is detached. Garages attached to a home will draw power directly from the home and so traditionally are able to have chargepoints installed. Detached garages often require require significant groundworks to enable a chargepoint installation, as a high power cable will need to be laid to effectively to power the chargepoint . This groundworks often cost in excess of £1500, and as a result significantly increase the cost of a chargepoint installation.
Chargepoints can be installed with a cable run of up to 40m from the consumer unit. Chargepoint installations which significantly exceed this 40m cable run, will often suffer from voltage drop offs between the start and end of the cable. These voltage differences can mean that your chargepoint will not receive enough energy to effectively power the unit. It should be noted that long cable runs (>15m) will likely result in additional costs. Chargepoints should be installed to a secure structure (a brick wall). It is also strongly recommended they are installed a minimum of 75cm from the ground
Manufacturers have already built in precautions so you cannot overcharge, over-discharge, or over heat your electric vehicle.
To be eligible for a home chargepoint, homes are required to have designated, private off street parking that is directly linked to the home. Charger installations that entail running cables across thresholds or frequently used pathways would be a safety concerns and would not be installed by our preferred supplier. During the survey process our partner will discuss if your property has any complications related to the installation.
There are a four main types of EV charge point (slow, fast, rapid & Ultra rapid) as well as a number of charging connectors, some of which are suitable for a particular EV. Check out the Ayvens EV Charging page for a comprehensive ‘how to’ guide for all the main EV models.
Usually around 8 hours for an EV with a 30kWh battery. This is often referred to as ‘trickle charge’. A domestic three pin (UK), 2 pin (EU) will only ever provide 3.7kw of power (10amps). Even if you have a vehicle that will take a much higher rate of charge, it will only ever draw this amount of power, as that’s all that is being offered to the vehicle. For this type of charging you’ll need a portable domestic charging lead (EVSE). Despite the slow speed, the advantage is the convenience of being able to charge your vehicle anywhere you can find a standard plug socket. Some public electric vehicle charging stations only have three pin domestic plug sockets to plug into. Keeping a portable domestic charger in your vehicle, at all times is a very good idea.
The average cost of charging an electric car at home will vary on your home energy tarfiff and your electric vehicle. To find out the cost per mile please use our EV cost per mile calculator.
This will depend on the vehicle manufacturer. As standard, most vehicles come with a 3-pin charging cable that you plug into a regular domestic plug socket. The majority of new electric cars also come with a Type 2 charging cable that you would use with a 7kW home charge unit or out and about in public car parks or supermarkets for example. The 3-pin cable can provide a short term solution to charging if you visit friends or family or if you need to wait a few days or weeks to have your home charger installed, but we do not recommend a 3-pin charging cable as a long term solution for EV charging. It is more efficient to charge on a dedicated electric vehicle wallbox charger.
To avoid running cables across thresholds or frequently used pathways, groundworks will need to be undertaken to run the electrical cabling required for your chargepoint underground. As chargepoints demand. a lot of electricity, certain specifications need to be met to ensure the cable is safely installed. Owing to this, quotes for this kind of work will often exceed £1,500. Rest assured however, that our partners excel in ensuring that any ground disturbed by groundworks is properly restored to the state prior to the groundworks proceeding.
DNO stands for Distribution Network Operator. These are the organisations who are licensed to distribute electricity in the UK. The DNO companies own and operate the system of cables, towers and substations that bring electricity from the national transmission network to our homes and businesses. All electric vehicle chargepoint installers must obtain consent from the District Network Operator. As such British Gas must report planned electrical work to gain permission to add more electrical load to the area. When we submit an application to the DNO, they have 10 business days to respond to the application, but this does not always mean they will approve the application. Sometimes they will need to undertake some extra work before the application can be approved this can take up 180 days to complete. Don’t worry, we’ll chase the DNO on a weekly basis if they haven’t approved the application”.
The Electric vehicle industry has adopted different types of connectors in different countries. Japan, China and Asian manufacturers generally use Type 1 (J1772), with Europe and America favouring Type 2 (62196 So a European car using a Charge point in a European country will need a Type 2 to Type 2 lead. A Japanese car using a charge point in Europe will need a Type 1 to Type 2 Connector.
Rapid chargers are available at most motorway service stations and increasingly in hotel, shopping centre and supermarket car parks. These are designed to charge compatible electric vehicles from 0-80% full in around 30 minutes, depending on the size of your vehicle battery.
Only one vehicle can charge at a time. Where there is more than one connector available on the charging unit, this can slow down the charging time for both drivers.
Rapid chargers can vary in costs, the average according to Zap Maps is 73p/kWh depending on where and who you charge with. Charging at home is typically cheaper and costs an average of 30p/kWh according to Mina. (Reports for January 2023).
Electric FAQs
According to the results of crash testing conducted for all cars and vans, yes. EV's have to adhere to the same safety regulations as conventional vehicles – note however that quadricycles like the Renault Twizy are not covered by the same testing regimes. Many of the UK’s best-selling EVs have been awarded five stars by independent safety body EuroNCAP. However, it should be said that there have been a small number of fires from lithium batteries, most notably involving the Tesla Model S in the United States. However, Tesla has published in-depth data to show that the incidences of fires is no greater than for conventional cars (which may be reported less frequently).
EVs have far lower carbon emissions than traditional petrol and diesel engines, which means they’re better for the environment. But they can even be zero emission if they’re powered by 100% green electricity. Certain energy providers offer this. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEVs) have lower carbon emissions than traditional combustion engines, but they’re not as green as EV's.
Driving an electric car certainly feels different the first time round. Most notably an electric car is almost silent, with noise from the motor only noticeable at speed, and traditional wind and tyre noise created. Other than that, EVs drive in a similar way to conventional car with an automatic transmission, and are very easy to drive. But better than an automatic, they have lots of ‘torque’ from a standing start, which means that they are very responsive with even standard EV models having quick acceleration.
Range can be affected by a number of factors. These include internal factors like the use of air conditioning and/or heating. Driving style can have a great impact too, with higher speeds and aggressive acceleration significantly decreasing the range available. Making good use of regenerative braking can reduce the rate at which your battery’s charge will drop too, and the outside temperature has an impact too – with batteries preferring warm to cold conditions.
If you are thinking of leasing a pure-EV, there are three issues that need to be considered that will determine whether this type of EV is the right vehicle for you: your access to a private off-street charging point, your daily mileage and your overall budget. Use our suitability tool to assess whether EV is practical for you Use our suitability tool to assess whether EV is practical for you.
Most new EV's have a real-world range of somewhere between 80-250 miles, depending on the model. Small, city-focused cars sit at the lower end of the range spectrum, with many family models easily able to cover 110-180 miles on a single charge, though there are an increasing number that can cover 200-250 miles. Premium models, like the Tesla range or Jaguar I-Pace, can cover 250-300+ miles on a full battery. Depending on the model, PHEVs are able to drive 15-40 miles in electric only mode. However, when the conventional petrol or diesel engine is used, PHEVs have a range that can easily exceed 500 miles when using both fuels.
An electric vehicle runs on completely electricity. EV’s have a electric motor so there is no engine, which means it does not require petrol or diesel. With them running on electric you are able to charge at home or at an electric car charging point.
A plug-in hybrid vehicle, or PHEV, works by combining a traditional petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor. This means that PHEVs can be plugged in and charged from mains power, just like EVs – but they’ll need petrol or diesel to run for long distances.
The battery life of an EV will vary depending on the make and model of the vehicle. Most manufacturers offer an eight year or 100,000 mile warranty for their EV batteries.
To avoid running cables across thresholds or frequently used pathways, groundworks will need to be undertaken to run the electrical cabling required for your chargepoint underground. As chargepoints demand. a lot of electricity, certain specifications need to be met to ensure the cable is safely installed. Owing to this, quotes for this kind of work will often exceed £1,500. Rest assured however, that our partners excel in ensuring that any ground disturbed by groundworks is properly restored to the state prior to the groundworks proceeding.
Electric Costs FAQs
Yes, although electric cars are more expensive to buy than traditional cars, they can help you save money in the long term for the following reasons:
- Lower fuel costs
- Much lower BIK then a Diesel/Petrol Cheaper
- free parking in certain cities
- No congestion charges
If you drive an electric car in London, you don’t have to worry about paying congestion charges because electric vehicles are exempt. You do however have to register the vehicle first to ensure you don’t receive a fine.
The answer is typically ‘less than in a petrol or diesel car’ as fuel costs for a petrol or diesel car are usually in the range 10-15 p/mile, and only 3-4 p/mile for a home-charged pure-EV. Because of the variety of models available, each will have different costs per trip, depending on where it is charged, and how efficient the EV is compared to other electric models.
The average cost of charging an electric car at home will vary on your home energy tariff and your electric vehicle. To find out the cost per mile please use our EV cost per mile calculator.
