Whether you’re planning a long trip, reading car reviews or watching glossy ads, rapid charging pops up everywhere. So how does it actually work, where do you find the right chargers, and what should you keep in mind?
You’ll usually spot them on or just off motorways, at service areas, near big shopping centres and retail parks, DIY stores, and at petrol stations. Most EV drivers use rapid chargers for long journeys and slower AC points for everyday top-ups. If you’ve no home wallbox or convenient public AC nearby, one or two rapid sessions a week can be a perfectly workable plan.
Charging mapUnlike filling up with petrol, charging time depends on the battery’s condition. To hit the best speeds, a few pointers help.
Plug in when the battery’s roughly 5%–25%.
The lower the state of charge, the faster it takes on power.
The fuller the battery, the more the charging speed tails off.
From about 75%–80%, speeds drop sharply; it’s often better value to head off and top up later than to trickle in the last 20% at a high price per kWh.
For rapid speeds, let your car precondition the battery. Warm batteries charge quickest. In many cars you can trigger preconditioning by setting a rapid charger as your destination in the sat‑nav; the car will warm the pack on the way.
If your car can’t precondition, it needs a decent run to get the battery up to temperature. Short bursts at higher speed won’t cut it; depending on the weather you may need around 60 miles or more at motorway pace. In winter it can take quite a while, so expect better charging speeds from your second stop onwards.
To make the most of your car’s capability, pick a charger that can at least match its maximum DC rate. For example, if your car can take 150 kW, look for a unit rated at 150 kW or higher. You can use slower posts — it’ll just take longer. The peak power is usually printed on the charger itself.
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