How much to charge an electric car | Local Power IE

EV charging FAQs

How much does it cost to charge an electric car?

How to charge an electric car?

Where can you charge your electric car?

How long does it take to charge an electric car?

Why choose ChargePoint Ireland?

Ev Charging Questions Answered

How much does it cost to charge an electric car?

When you switch to electric, you’re saying goodbye to petrol pumps and instead charging your car at home, at work or at public stations. But just how much to charge an electric car?

The cost of charging an electric car depends on a number of factors, including the cost of electricity per kWH, the battery capacity and range of the brand of car, the charging equipment used, and the location of charging.

Taking an average 62 kWh EV, a recent survey put the cost at about €15 from flat to full– taking an average 24c perk kWh rate.

However, most EV charging at home takes place overnight. If you use a NightSaver metre that means you can avail of a lower night time rate. The most recent night time standard rate from Electric Ireland is 11.13c/kWh. Taking this price, you’re looking at a cost of about €7 to completely charge your EV. In the case of the 62 kWh Nissan Leaf with a range of 385km, that works out at about €1.80 per 100km.

How much to charge an electric car?

Home charging

At home, it’s simply a matter of plugging and playing.

Charging on the go

With ChargePoint, charging your EV is easy no matter where you are. Create a free ChargePoint account to access chargers on the ChargePoint network and partner networks, then use the app to find a charging spot. Once there, it’s a straightforward process using the Charge Point app or your card to access the station and then plugging in and grabbing a coffee while you wait. You can learn more about charging using ChargePoint here.

Watch the videos below to learn more about how to charge your EV in Ireland:

Using an ESB charging station

Using a ChargePoint charging station:

Where can you charge your electric car?

Presently, 80% of charging takes place at home in Ireland, however – as more workplaces and commercial premises install chargers- a significant percentage will take place in work and in public also. With the ChargePoint app, you can access a map of all publicly available charging stations both from ChargePoint and all other major networks in Ireland (i.e. the ESB) and around the world. Not only that, but you can find out whether they’re available in real time, so no matter where you are you’ll always know where to go.

Using the ChargePoint App

How long does it take to charge an electric car?

There are a number of factors that affect the length of time it takes to charge.

1. Battery size- the bigger the battery, the more electricity that has to be delivered for it to reach 100% (and, of course, if your battery is already partially charged this will lower charging time as well)
2. Type of EV- the onboard computer in the EV sets a maximum speed at which it can be charged to protect the battery.
4. Type of chargepoint- depending on the charge point, charging time could range from 16 hours to 30 minutes.

Home charge points

At home, you’ll likely install a charge point in the region of 7 kWh.  Most houses in Ireland have a single phase electricity supply which rules out anything much faster than this. With a 7kWh charge point, a 62 kWh car would charge in about 9 hours- which is perfect for charging you car overnight.

Commercial charge points 

Most cars can charge up to 11 kWh AC. So a 62kWh battery would take just under six hours to charge with a standard 22kWh commercial AC charger. If the car can charge at 22 kWh it would take just under three hours. A DC fast charger, depending on the brand, can charge a 62kWh battery to 80% charge in anywhere from 2.5 hours to 12minutes.