Driving an electric car is practical, cheaper and better for the environment. But the battery of the EV does need to be charged, otherwise you will simply come to a standstill at some point. There are now various options for charging an electric car. There are public charging stations that you can use (for a fee), you can charge at work (if your employer has provided a charging point), you can simply charge your car at home when you are not using it at night and you can choose to charge quickly.
What is best for you and what do you need for this? Is home charging the best option for you and what is actually best for the environment?
Charging your electric car at home
Charging at home is in most cases the best for the environment. At home you know for sure that you can charge with green energy because you choose your own energy supplier. At public charging stations it is not always stated whether it concerns green or grey energy. And even when green energy is mentioned, it can be fraudulent energy where the energy can hardly be called green.
When charging at home, you choose how and where you charge. In most cases, it is wise to opt for a charging station or wall box that has its own group on the fuse box (this prevents excessive demand, which would cause the fuse to blow). A wall box or charging station at home can be a (too) large investment when you have just bought an EV. In that case, you can also opt for a wall socket to which you connect a mobile charging station. The 230 Volt to type 2 (Mennekes) charging cables can of course also be found in our webshop.
Charging at home is often preferred because the costs are the lowest, because you know for sure that you can charge green, because it is the easiest (no cards or panic) and the car is often stationary for at least 8 hours at night. That is more than enough time to be able to charge in peace.
Please note: can you not park the car at home or near your home? Then home charging is often not an option, because the car has to be near the home; charging cables that lie over the sidewalk (or even the road) are not legally allowed. It is sometimes tolerated!
Public charging stations
Can't charge at home? Or do you need an extra charge because the range of your fully charged battery is lower than the distance you have to travel in a day? Then you need other charging stations. These can be public, public charging stations, or charging options for example at a partner's or at your own work.
Public charging stations are located throughout the Netherlands. The coverage in the Netherlands is among the best in Europe. The rate at a public charging station is slightly higher than the rate you pay at home (after all, the costs for the installation and maintenance of the charging stations must be paid).
You do not need a charging cable for a public charging station; the charging station itself has different plugs. You place the cable on the charging station and the other end of the charging cable on the car. Then you follow the instructions. You need a charging card for charging at public charging stations. Compare the providers before you choose a provider of a card for charging; the rates per charging station often differ.
Fast charging electric car
Fast charging electric cars is also an option. Although, that can be an option if the car is suitable for this and the charging station can handle it. Fast charging stations are usually located near busier roads, because more people pass by there who are in a hurry and need to have the battery charged quickly. Just like with normal charging at a public charging station, you need a charging card to be able to use a fast charging station.
Fast charging uses direct current instead of the standard alternating current that comes from our sockets. The charging station itself converts the current into direct current – and that is the current that is needed to charge the battery. Because the correct current is supplied directly, charging is much faster. However, it is also more expensive; the charging station costs more, because it contains an inverter. It is also the case that fast charging fills the battery for a maximum of 80%.
Previously, you had to check carefully whether your electric car was suitable for fast charging. Nowadays, virtually all modern electric cars are suitable for fast charging. With optimal fast charging with a good charging station and direct current, charging can be done with, for example, 350kW. If charging quickly with alternating current and optimal capacity, the maximum charge is 43kW, but more often 11kW or 22kW, because the car's on-board inverter must be used to convert the current to direct current.
Fast charging at home?
Fast charging at home seems like an interesting option, since you can fully charge the battery in a much shorter time. However, that is not at all sensible. Fast chargers are expensive, the reinforcement of the mains connection costs a lot of money and the battery can only be charged to a maximum of 80%, which is actually not as ideal as people think. There is another factor that is often forgotten.
Most people come home between 5 and 6 pm/in the evening and usually leave the car until at least 6 am. If you use this time to charge the car, fast charging at home has no practical advantage. A standard charging station or charging cable on a wall socket has more than enough time to fully charge the battery; even with a load on the power grid, for example because you still have to do the washing. Choosing a fast charger at home is therefore not practical at all: just leave this to the charging station providers that offer charging options along the busier roads, such as the motorways in the Netherlands.
