In order to charge the battery of your electric car, you need electricity. That seems pretty obvious, but did you know that there are two different types of electricity? AC (alternate current) is alternating current and that is what usually comes out of the socket. DC (direct current) is direct current and that is the electricity that is stored in the battery of your car. Alternating current versus direct current, AC charging versus DC charging; which is better? DC charging is a lot better in terms of time, but that is not the whole story; you will often have to see that AC charging is much wiser in terms of price.
Time to delve into the matter so that you know exactly how the shape is in the stem.
AC charging; the regular charging station
AC is the standard for charging stations in Europe, and the sockets in homes. Not so strange, because all devices work on the alternating current that is offered. However, it is true that alternating current cannot be stored in the batteries of an electric car (nor in batteries for other devices). That is why an inverter has been placed in the electric car, which converts the alternating current from the power grid into direct current, which can be stored in the battery.
Converting the current to direct current takes time; this immediately means that charging with AC takes more time than charging with DC, or direct current. However, since there is already an inverter in the car, there are no additional costs that need to be made. You simply hang the charging cable between the charging station or the socket at home and the electric car on the other side of the charging cable.
Which charging cable do I need for AC charging?
For AC charging, you can use the standard charging cables for charging electric cars. These AC charging cables are available in all shapes and sizes , for example with timers and cables with different wattages. If you are not sure which charging cable you need, simply contact us so that we can help you personally.
DC charging; the fast charger
DC charging involves charging with direct current. As you might expect, this requires an inverter, so that the (on-board) inverter in the electric car does not have to be used. This speeds up the charging process, because the direct current can be stored directly in the car's battery. But how does that work exactly?
With a DC charging station, or a fast charging station, the converter for the current is already in the charging station. This means that direct current comes out of the charging station, which is directly suitable for the car. This is practical, but it also means that more costs have to be incurred. The charging stations are considerably more expensive because of the costs for the converter and the extra maintenance. This is also the direct reason why the fast chargers along the road charge a higher rate. On the other hand, they need much less time to charge the battery.
Which charging cable do I need for DC charging?
The standard Mennekes charging cables are only suitable for alternating current and can therefore not be used for DC charging. For this you need special (charging) cables, such as the ChaDeMo (Japanese) and the CSS cables which are suitable for both alternating current and direct current due to the two extra pins that are incorporated in the plug.
However, the charging stations along the road in Europe are simply equipped with the cables. Since you cannot charge at home in a standard DC socket, the chance that you need a separate DC charging cable is very small.
Home charging; do we use direct current or alternating current?
Charging on direct current is therefore considerably faster, because direct current is the current that can be stored in the battery. Is that a good reason to get started right away at home and have a direct current connection made for charging the electric car? Well no, not really. The costs for having direct current installed (plus the possible reinforcement of the connection that comes back every year) do not really outweigh the time saved.
The chances are that your electric car is in the driveway for more than 8 hours a day. If you use those 8 hours to charge the battery, there is no time gain when you compare DC charging with AC charging. In view of the costs, it is therefore better to stick with AC.
