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Charging your Electric Vehicle

We know that ‘range anxiety’ or worrying how far you can take your EV is on the minds of those considering an EV, especially in our regions. The good news is that there are already hundreds of places to charge your EV across regional WA, and that number is steadily increasing.

Getting from A to B with Plugshare

PlugShare is a great tool that is free to use and lets EV drivers see up-to-date information on all the EV charging stations, along with details about how fast they are and what type of plug they use. Plugshare even has a useful trip planning function that will show you the EV chargers on specific routes.

  

How long does it take to charge ?

Charging an electric vehicle is easy -  depending on the level of the charger and model of EV the time to charge can vary.

Slow
Level 1 charging

Level 1 chargers are your basic power outlet in the wall. They are the slowest type of charging and best used when you only need to top your EV up. 

If you’re not driving much, or don’t plan to drive every day - then the slow charger should be enough to get you where you need to go. 

Fast
Level 2 charging

The most common type for homes or public chargers. They use a dedicated electrical circuit to charge an EV much faster than a standard power outlet. 

Level 2 chargers use the EV’s on-board charger speed which can range from 3.6kW – 22kW. Perfect for coming home and plugging in to fully charge overnight.

Rapid
Level 3 charging

The fastest category also known as ‘rapid chargers. They bypass an EVs on-board charger, using direct current (DC) to directly charge an EV.

That means the higher the capacity of the level 3 charger - the faster an EV will charge. 

Regular charging at home or work

You are likely to consider charging your EV at home and to do so is easy, you will just need an EV charging point installed.

Before installing a charger, you may need to adhere to certain technical standards, which a licensed contractor will be able to advise you about.

The time to charge will depend on the type of charger you choose, however overnight is usually a safe bet to have your car fully charged.  

For those with a work supplied EV, your workplace may offer charging stations for you charge at while you’re parked at work. Alternatively, you may be able to plug in at an available charging station nearby. 

Pick your plug: charger types

Electric vehicles need to plug in to charge. But like mobile phones, not every plug is the same. Knowing the basic types of plugs means that when you need to use an EV charging station, you’ll be confident it will have the right type of plug for your electric car. 

  • Type 1: ‘J1772’ AC charging plug

     

    Electric car chargerThis type of plug is the standard used in North America and Japan. It is found on many of the EV charging stations in Australia, as many of the EVs sold in Australia before 2018 used this plug type. If an electric car doesn’t have a Type 1 plug built in, many times they can still charge at a Type 1 charging station if using an adaptor. 

  • Type 2: 'Mennekes' AC charging plug

    Electric car charger

    The Type 2 or ‘Mennekes’ plug is the standard plug type in Australia for electric vehicles from 2018 onwards. Type 2 plugs have 7 pins and are compatible with charging from AC chargers. If an EV has a Type 2 plug but needs to charge using a Type 1 charging station (or vice versa) then a Type 2 to Type 1 adaptor can be used.

  • CCS1 Rapid DC charging plug

    Electric car charger

    CCS plugs are also called ‘combo’ plugs – that’s because they have a combination shaped plug – with the top portion of CCS Type 1 plugging into the ‘Type 1’ AC port, and the bottom portion having two additional ‘DC’ connectors. If an electric vehicle was sold in Australia before 2018, it may have a CCS Type 1 plug for rapid charging.

  • CCS2 Rapid DC charging Plug

    Electric car charger

    This is a newer type ‘combo’ plug. Similar to its CCS Type 1 cousin, the CCS Type 2 has a top portion of the plug that fits into the ‘Type 2’ AC port, with an additional two connectors on the bottom portion that enable the DC charging.

  • Chademo Rapid DC charging plug

    Electric car chargerThis plug standard is also common across Australian fast chargers – with many electric car owners having a CHAdeMO to CCS Type 1/Type 2 adaptor to allow them to charge at rapid chargers using this standard.

    This plug type is the standard used by many Japanese vehicle brands.

    The abbreviation is actually short for ‘ChArge de Move’.

Tips on charging etiquette

As electric vehicles become more popular, there’s going to be more demand on charging stations. So it’s important for drivers to be considerate when using public chargers. Here are a few key things to remember. 

If you’re not driving a plug-in EV don’t park in the charging bay

This is one of the most common complaints amongst electric vehicle drivers, and can also be referred to as ‘iceing’ a charger – a reference to internal combustion engine vehicles taking up a precious EV bay.  

Consider how long you’re using a rapid charger

Rapid DC chargers have the ability to quickly recharge an EV‘s battery, but is still relatively rare. That means there is even higher demand for vehicles using this type of charger. If you plug your car into a rapid charger, make sure that it’s plugged in for only the time that is needed, so other drivers can use it.  

Don’t unplug someone else’s vehicle

Most electric vehicles will automatically lock the charging cable preventing someone else from unplugging the vehicle while it’s charging. But if this isn't the case, you shouldn’t remove the cable from someone else’s vehicle. 

If the charger isn’t working as it should be, report it

If you find that a particular public charger doesn’t seem to be operating properly or is broken, it’s a good idea to report it on plugshare.com as well as to the charger operator. This means that other EV drivers will be able to safely plan trips and not be caught out by a faulty charger.

Want to know more?

The WA EV Network

We’re working with Synergy and the WA State Government to build Australia’s longest connected electric vehicle fast-charging network, from Kununurra in the north, to Esperance in the south and across to Eucla in the east.

Find out more

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