I’m an EV expert – four tips to beat the queues at charging stations every time
AN EV expert has revealed four tips to help drivers beat the queues at charging stations.
Owners of electric cars have complained of long queues to ‘fill up’, but these handy hacks can help you skip hours of waiting.
Writing for The Express, Luke Chillingsworth shared his top tips to make your charging experience stress-free.
First of all, he recommended going to rapid charging stations wherever possible.
These chargers have a power output of 50kW rather than the standard 25.
In practice that means an 80% charge should only take around 30 minutes.
Also, not all electric cars are equipped to use rapid chargers, so there are likely to be smaller queues that move more quickly than at other charging points.
On that note, Luke also advised drivers to try and avoid peak charging times so they don’t get stuck in the rush.
Early morning or late-night charging are the best options if it’s practical for you.
In particular, steer clear of charging between around 8am and 10am or 5pm and 7pm.
Not only will you see chargers less crowded, but the cooler temperatures at these times actually make charging more efficient, so you don’t have to stick around as long.
Thirdly, you can check the availability of nearby charging points online to make sure you don’t get caught in a crowd.
Apps like Zap Map and PlugShare give users up-to-date information on how busy local chargers are and when the congestion is expected to ease.
Finally, Sam suggested keeping your EV topped up regularly so you don’t have to sit for up to an hour waiting for a full charge.
You can pop your motor on charge when you use the loo at a services or grab some lunch from a petrol station.
This just gives it those extra miles to keep you on the road without long charging breaks.
Just beware that over or under-charging it can damage the battery and reduce your range.
A home charging point can also be a great way to save money and make it more convenient to charge but they don’t work for everyone.
It comes after it was revealed that millions of people have been left to fight over fewer than 6,000 chargers in rural parts of the UK.
Meanwhile, the RAC has been forced to use a special kit to keep EV drivers on the road as range anxiety ruins their driving experience.