T8 (or any EV): Charging Primer and Etiquette

[I-S]

I'll preface this by saying I don't own a T8. I do, however, own an electric vehicle. This is a quick rundown of EV charging levels and terms, as well as a few steps we can all get along better if we use.

Charging Levels

Level 1

Level 1, aka "Slow" charging is a regular wall socket, a 13A 3-pin plug in the UK. Your electric vehicle should come with a lead with a box on it (EVSE - Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) and typically you will be able to charge at approximately 10A, for approx 2.4kW through this equipment. For the 9.2 kWh battery in the T8 you're looking at 4-5 hours for a full charge from empty(top part of battery charges slower, and there will likely be a top-balancing process).

Level 2

Level 2 is sometimes referred to as "Fast" charging. This spans the range from 3kW to 22kW, and typically is using an AC source. The most common Level 2 charging connector is the Type 2, as fitted to the T8:



There are several standard charging rate levels at Level 2 - 3.6kW, 7.2kW, 11kW and 22kW. The important thing to understand with Level 2 charging is that the charger is built into the car. Level 2 charging is typically 230/240V AC fed from the mains to the car, at rates that regular 3 pin plugs can not support. 3.6kW is single-phase 16A, 7.2kW is single-phase 32A, 11kW is three-phase 16A and 22kW is three-phase 32A. Some vehicles have options on the speed of level 2 charging built into the car (eg Leaf was a £1k option to have 7.2kW instead of 3.6kW).

The T8 only supports 3.6kW Level 2 charging, and will take 3-4 hours to charge over this connection (because as mentioned on level 1, the top 10% of the battery charges more slowly, so that bit will still take over an hour. You speed up the middle bit by a bit).

A typical UK domestic property has a single-phase supply with a 60, 80 or 100A master fuse. Without upgrades to three-phase power it is unlikely that home chargers will be offered at greater than 7.2kW.

Level 3

Aka "Rapid charging". Rapid charging is almost universally a DC charge system (one exception - 43kW AC charging on the Renault Zoe. Rare and unlikely to be repeated) and spans from ~40kW (Early Chademo implementations) up to 350kW (top end CCS - no vehicles support this yet). In the DC rapid charging case the big box on the ground is the charger, and it directly interacts with the car's battery, bypassing the on-board charger.

There are 4 main rapid charge standards - Chademo (the first one, japanese developed, found on Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, mitsubishi i-Miev, kia soul and can be used by Teslas through an adapter), CCS (Combined Charge Standard - european standard that is a type 2 connector with an exentsion with 2 extra pins), GB/T (China, government mandated for all EVs in china) and Tesla Supercharging (which helpfully in europe uses the Type 2 connector, but is only compatible with Tesla vehicles).

Rapid charging is key to driving a full EV for a longer distance, and the Ecotricity chargers you've probably seen at MSAs are Rapids.

T8s do not support Rapid Charging.

Etiquette

Also known as Common Sense. We've all grown up with petrol stations and intuitively understand the unwritten etiquette that goes with it - Fill up, pay, move off quickly, don't block other people.

EV charging etiquette is basically the same principle, but there's a combination of lack of understanding, some people who don't like EVs who want to upset EV owners as well as some people who abuse the system. It has lead to its own lingo of "ICEtards" (ICE drivers blocking EV chargers) and "Dimwatts" (EV drivers blocking EV chargers).

CHARGING bays.

First point is that EV Charging bays in public carparks are just that. They are not "parking bays" - they are "charging bays". If you drive an EV or PHEV then park in a normal parking space just like everyone else, UNLESS YOU ARE PLUGGED IN AND CHARGING. If you drive an ICE car - don't park in a charging bay. EV owners don't park at petrol pumps.

Hogging

There are several sides to this, not all of which are applicable to current Volvo PHEVs.

1) Choose an appropriate charging bay. Many Rapid chargers have several Level 2 charging posts next to them. The T8 will gain NO benefit from connecting to the type 2 on the rapid charger as compared to a 7kW post, but you may unnecessarily block an EV that relies upon rapid charging.

2) Need vs want - at times there is only a single charger in a location. Please consider your own need against others. If you're driving a hybrid then a charge is merely a "nice to have" - you can get home either way. An EV might be relying on a charge, otherwise they're waiting for an hour for a flat-bed. Yes, you have as much right to charge - this is a matter of human kindness and empathy.

3) Blocking - Please don't leave your car plugged into the only charging post for miles around for 10 hours when you only need 2 hours of charge. When you've finished charging, move off and make the charger free for others to use.

4) Charge usage - all charging slows down at the top end of the battery. Don't insist on charging to 100% if other people are waiting - 90% will do you almost as much good and take considerably less long.

Rapid chargers will typically not charge a vehicle above 90%, or certainly shouldn't be pushed to do so. If you are driving a rapid-chargeable vehicle (not applicable to T8, but for info) then consider moving from the rapid charger to a 7kW Level 2 post to complete your charge to make the rapid charger available to others. 90-100% will take the same length of time on a Level 2 as on a rapid.

Unplugging

If you arrive and there's a bay free, but the charger is in use by a vehicle in an adjacent bay, do not unplug it.

However, check the dashboard of the vehicle - many owners leave a note to state whether the vehicle may be unplugged or with a phone number to contact them if you need the charger. Generally owners are agreeable if they have enough charge.

Please charge at night

If your vehicle (and most do) supports charge timers, please consider charging your vehicle between 2am and 7am. Most of us get home and plug our vehicles in, around 5-6pm, but that is the peak demand hours for electricity. The CO2 footprint of electricity at that time can easily be double that of 2am-7am. From a user point of view, as long as the vehicle is ready to go again in the morning you don't really care when it charged. Wholesale rates on electricity at peak times are much higher and greater still demand at that time will push prices up further. Charging at night will not as wholesale rates can be very much lower (even negative) at that time.

Obviously if you have E7 then you will save money by charging at night also. Even if you don't have E7, please consider the above benefits (not necessarily to you, but to the planet and others) to charging at night.

Summary

Charging networks are expanding rapidly and more and more businesses and workplaces are providing charging now. In a few years time we'll all be familiar with the process and the etiquette. However, it is a learning curve and while things are new and different there will be some friction as people adapt.

Ultimately it's about common sense and decency. Hopefully there's some useful information above and maybe some ideas that help, and we can all get on with our days and journeys that bit more easily.