The short answer#
A typical 60 km day takes under two hours to put back on a 7 kW home charger, and about four and a half hours on a wall socket. A 40 kWh battery from empty takes about 6 hours on 7 kW and 20 to 30 minutes to 80% on a 120 kW DC fast charger, if the car accepts that power. Charging time is the energy you need divided by the lower of two numbers: the charger's power and what the car accepts.
The sum#
Hours = kWh needed ÷ kW delivered. The kW delivered is the smaller of the charger's rating and the car's limit. A Nissan Leaf with a 3.6 kW onboard charger takes 3.6 kW from a 7 kW wallbox; a BYD Atto 3 in Australian specification takes 7 kW from a 22 kW one.
Topping up after a normal day#
A 60 km day uses about 9 kWh from the battery, or about 9.9 kWh from the wall.
| Charging from | Power | Time for a 60 km day |
|---|---|---|
| 13 A socket with a portable cable | 2.3 kW | About 4 hours 20 minutes |
| Wallbox, car limited to 3.6 kW | 3.6 kW | About 2 hours 45 minutes |
| Wallbox, car limited to 6.6 kW | 6.6 kW | About 1 hour 30 minutes |
| 7 kW wallbox (Pulse) | About 7 kW | Under 2 hours, typically about 1 hour 25 minutes |
| 11 kW three phase | 11 kW | Under an hour |
Filling a battery#
| Charger | 40 kWh takes about | 60 kWh takes about |
|---|---|---|
| 2.3 kW socket cable | 17 hours | 26 hours |
| 3.6 kW | 11 hours | 17 hours |
| 6.6 kW | 6 hours | 9 hours |
| 7 kW AC (Pulse) | 6 hours | 9 hours |
| 11 kW AC | 4 hours | 5 hours 30 minutes |
| 22 kW AC (Pulse+) | 2 hours | 3 hours |
The 11 and 22 kW rows apply only to cars that accept that power on three phases. In practice few people charge from empty: most plug in each night and replace the day's driving.
DC fast charging#
DC charging bypasses the onboard charger, so the car's DC limit applies instead: about 50 kW on an older Nissan Leaf, 70 to 88 kW on a BYD Atto 3, and more on newer cars. Charging slows as the battery fills, so times are quoted to 80%. As a guide, a car that accepts about 120 kW adds around 60 kWh in 30 minutes. The last 20% is much slower than the rest, so on a trip it is usually quicker to leave at 80%.
What changes the time#
- The car's limit, AC and DC. See 7 kW or 22 kW.
- How full the battery is. Charging is fastest in the middle of the range and slows near full.
- Battery temperature. A very hot or cold battery charges more slowly.
- The supply. Low voltage at the socket or a wallbox set below 32 A reduces the power.
- Sharing. At a site with load sharing, power is divided when several cars charge together.
Where to go next#
For home charging see Pulse, for the plugs see AC and DC charging explained, and for where to fast charge see EV charging stations in Kenya. The free EV survey checks your supply and your car.