These days’ electric cars and hybrids are becoming more and
more popular. This is being fuelled (get it?) by the increasing network of
charging stations being installed over the UK & Ireland. A recent study found
that over 700 stations have been added in the last year alone and total numbers
quickly approaching the amount of traditional fuel stations.
This post aims to help pass on some knowledge about these and
should hopefully be useful if you are interested in making the plunge and
getting yourself a hybrid or Electric Car.
Electric Charging points can now be found everywhere. From
the most common being service stations to now being found alongside amenities in
places such as IKEA and other businesses. Your experience won’t be the same as
the normal forecourt experience however, electric cars take anywhere from 8 hours
on a slow charge station to a rapid 30 minutes on Tesla’s new supercharger
station network.
Short answer is yes. It is fairly simple to get a charging
station installed in your home. These will enable Fast charging which is
normally around 4 hours for a full charge and is a sensible idea as over 70% of
all charging is normally done at home. This is also helped out by the fact the government
can also help by offering a grant towards the cost of installing the charging
point. This is however normally capped at 75% of the cost.
Unfortunately, this is the case, although there are not many
varieties out there. You will most of the time use the lead that allows you to
charge at home and has a standard plug to be compatible with your normal outlet.
Charging points having one end always connected to the station meaning the only
issue comes from the connection to your car. There are 3 main types of
connector (slow charge, fast charge and rapid charge variants). In practice you
will just need to make sure your using a compatible station with the connection
that fits your car.
You wouldn’t go round pulling the fuel pump out of others
cars at a normal fuel station so don’t think you can do this here.
Generally,
80% is considered a good charge and you shouldn't need to hog the station
till you get that 100% especially if someone is waiting to use the station.
It is also considered good practice to give priority to
fully electric cars over a hybrid. This due to the fact the hybrid has a petrol
engine to fall back on.
If you come across any charging points that are damaged, you
should also find a contact number or suppliers phone number somewhere on the
charging point itself to report the issue to be fixed.
