How to charge an EV at home or on the road
Like any new technology, EVs come with their own learning curves, and charging is chief among them. Prospective owners may find themselves asking questions like: Will I need a special charging port? Will charging on the road take hours? How much will it cost? Will my power bill go through the roof?
Better NZ Trust aims to educate the public on EVs and promote their uptake. Chairperson and longtime EV enthusiast Kathryn Trounson spoke to Naomii Seah to answer some of the most common EV charging questions.
Will my power bill skyrocket?
Running an EV will result in a higher power bill, but the increase may not be as dramatic as you expect. And this cost will also be offset by savings at the pump.
'You will see an upturn in your power bill, but you're not going out and buying petrol. If it costs you 80 dollars to fill up, well you'd get a lot of mileage out of 80 bucks of electricity,' Trounson says.
'Filling up' an EV at home costs the equivalent of $1.60 per litre during off-peak hours. By comparison, the average price of Unleaded 91 is currently sitting around $2.50 per litre.
What are 'off-peak' hours?
Off-peak hours are times when electricity demand is low, like overnight when most people are sleeping. Time of use power plans, which adjust the cost of electricity based on the time of day, can be particularly good for EV drivers. Genesis has a plan specifically for EV owners that offers time-of-use benefits. With Genesis's EV plan, you save 50% on variable electricity rates from 9pm to 7am every day.*
So how do EV drivers charge at home?
'We've been charging our cars in the garage for 10 years, and we just use the standard three-pin plug,' says Trounson.
Three-pin domestic chargers are usually included when you buy an EV and don't require any fancy equipment, just a standard household socket. An electrician can install an outside power point if you don't already have one, as extension cords should never be used to charge an EV.
How long does charging take?
Most EV owners charge overnight, says Trounson. While you probably won't get to 100 percent (nor would you want to, for battery health reasons) an overnight charge is usually more than enough, as most people drive less than 30km a day.
For those who use their car often, a faster at-home option is a wall-mounted charging unit. These charge at around twice the rate of a standard plug, so are a good option if you can only charge for a few hours between uses. Some wall-mounted chargers have smart features. They can be programmed to charge at off-peak times, set to stop at a specific charging level and connect to your phone. It's a good idea to consult an electrician on this though as it may require work on your wiring.
Where can I charge on the road?
'We have 1,400 or so charging places up and down the country. Their speed varies… for some of the higher spec cars, you might only sit charging for 10 minutes,' Trounson says.
Public chargers are available at malls, gyms and supermarkets and at least every 75km on most of our state highways. In addition to fast-chargers, some public stations offer a slower, cheaper (sometimes free) charge, but you might need to bring your own cable.
Fast chargers vary in speed. Slower ones can add 50km to your car's battery in under half an hour. Faster ones can add 400km in under 15 minutes. Trounson generally finds she has enough time for a bathroom break or a coffee run while charging, but that's it.
One thing to note is that charging speeds are limited by an EV model's internal capacity. Plugging an older model into an ultra-fast charger won't shorten charging times.
How do I charge on-the-go?
ChargeNet is the major supplier of our public charging stations with over 400 sites. You just have to set up an account to use them. Sessions can be started through the ChargeNet app, or through a key fob. The fob links to your account, and you just scan it to start and stop sessions.
'I find that the app is fine and dandy if you're travelling in places with good reception… I choose to use my tag because it's almost simpler, but some people prefer everything listed on their phone,' Trounson says.
How much does on-road charging cost?
ChargeNet estimates the average rapid or hyper-rapid charging session to cost between $5 and $15. With the Genesis EVerywhere plan, customers can charge their EV at ChargeNet stations at their home rates, saving up to 70%^ on fees. They can also pay for their ChargeNet sessions via their Genesis Energy bill.
How do I plan for a long trip?
Before taking a long trip, Trounson recommends doing a test run at a nearby public charging station first.
'It's like being taken to a petrol station by your parents when you first learn to drive. Someone explains to you how to lift the nozzle, and where the tank is. It's not that hard, you've just got to learn how to use it.'
You'll also want to pre-plan your charging stops and ChargeNet has an in-app map of their locations. Once on the road, Trounson says the rule-of-thumb is to charge to 80% and then move on. Anymore, it costs you extra time and money for little benefit as the delivery of electricity tapers off dramatically.
'Imagine you're trying to fill a bucket with a firehose without spilling anything. You can be gung-ho until an inch from the top, and then you have to be very careful. It's the same principle.'
Any charging etiquette to be aware of?
It's mostly basic courtesy, says Trounson. The biggest faux pas is probably unplugging someone's car before it's done charging, or pressing the emergency stop button in the absence of an emergency.
'All EVs can use public chargers, but you have to observe the parking limits. Don't use a charging area just to park because it's easier. Monitor your charging session and return to your car when it's done – you don't want to be the one holding up a space someone needs.
'We just try and get people to understand that you have to be polite, and there's a queuing system if necessary. But that only usually comes into play during peak times like Christmas.'
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Charging an EV is easy, but for many new users it won't be as familiar as pumping petrol. So how does it all work? Like any new technology, EVs come with their own learning curves, and charging is chief among them. Prospective owners may find themselves asking questions like: Will I need a special charging port? Will charging on the road take hours? How much will it cost? Will my power bill go through the roof? Better NZ Trust aims to educate the public on EVs and promote their uptake. Chairperson and longtime EV enthusiast Kathryn Trounson spoke to Naomii Seah to answer some of the most common EV charging questions. Will my power bill skyrocket? Running an EV will result in a higher power bill, but the increase may not be as dramatic as you expect. And this cost will also be offset by savings at the pump. 'You will see an upturn in your power bill, but you're not going out and buying petrol. 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It's a good idea to consult an electrician on this though as it may require work on your wiring. Where can I charge on the road? 'We have 1,400 or so charging places up and down the country. Their speed varies… for some of the higher spec cars, you might only sit charging for 10 minutes,' Trounson says. Public chargers are available at malls, gyms and supermarkets and at least every 75km on most of our state highways. In addition to fast-chargers, some public stations offer a slower, cheaper (sometimes free) charge, but you might need to bring your own cable. Fast chargers vary in speed. Slower ones can add 50km to your car's battery in under half an hour. Faster ones can add 400km in under 15 minutes. Trounson generally finds she has enough time for a bathroom break or a coffee run while charging, but that's it. One thing to note is that charging speeds are limited by an EV model's internal capacity. Plugging an older model into an ultra-fast charger won't shorten charging times. 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The biggest faux pas is probably unplugging someone's car before it's done charging, or pressing the emergency stop button in the absence of an emergency. 'All EVs can use public chargers, but you have to observe the parking limits. Don't use a charging area just to park because it's easier. Monitor your charging session and return to your car when it's done – you don't want to be the one holding up a space someone needs. 'We just try and get people to understand that you have to be polite, and there's a queuing system if necessary. But that only usually comes into play during peak times like Christmas.'
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It offers discounted electricity rates, and a first-of-its-kind charging partnership with ChargeNet which allows customers to take their home charging rates on the road at any ChargeNet station. Genesis's Energy EV plan * gives customers 50% off their variable day electricity rate from 9pm to 7am, perfect for charging overnight. While the initial cost of an EV might be higher than a petrol car, Trounson says, the lifetime savings of an EV are worth it for many. If you really want to crunch the numbers, this calculator can help. Consider upfront cost Like any other vehicle, Trounson says, you need to consider lifestyle and upfront cost when choosing which car to buy. Petrol cars come in all shapes and sizes for a variety of needs, and ditto with EVs – there are even fully electric utes. Generally speaking though, a bigger battery means a bigger range but a bigger price tag. Luckily, Trounson says, EVs have gotten more affordable in the past few years, even before you take fuel and maintenance savings into account. More competition in the market and improvements in battery technology have pushed prices down. Brand new, fully electric models can now be found at comparable prices to new petrol cars. Don't skip second hand The second-hand EV market is growing, but buying one still requires the same caution you'd use when buying a used petrol car. A key thing to look at here is the car's remaining battery life, often reported as a state of health (SoH) percentage. This number, Trounson says, is often more important than mileage or number of previous owners. While EV batteries do degrade, the rate is slower than you might expect. Most degrade about 1.8 percent per year, and should retain 64 percent of their range after 20 years, although battery health can be affected by factors such as storage conditions and driving style. Trounson recommends sticking to reputable, knowledgeable dealers for used EVs. Helpfully, she notes, cars less than eight years old often have a transferable battery warranty. Be realistic about range How do you choose the right EV for your lifestyle? Lots of people get stuck on range, Trounson says, the distance you can drive on a full charge. Many people find the concept of 'range' to be unfamiliar and offputting. 'An EV tells you in kilometres how far you can go, and you see that number change. When you turn the air conditioning on, or if you were driving into rain, that would reduce the range. But that would reduce the range in an internal combustion car too – it's just that you don't see it. Like anything, it just takes getting used to.' As with petrol cars, terrain, weather conditions and driving style can all affect the range of an EV. But EVs can actually recover some range thanks to features like regenerative charging, where some charge is recovered as the car goes downhill. The right model and associated driving range therefore depends on someone's individual needs, says Trounson, though you might find you need less range than you think. According to the Ministry of Transport, most people drive less than 30 kilometres a day. That figure is based on data from 2014, so our national average may have changed since then. Still, Trounson says that most EVs can handle the short, frequent daily trips that characterise most urban driving patterns. The cheapest available EV, an older, second-hand Nissan Leaf, might only have 50km of range – but that might perfectly suit a student, older person or someone who works from home. Don't forget weekends away Once you've got your head around costs, range and charging you might start to think further afield. Will switching to an EV make road trips trickier? Trounson points out that even lower range EVs can be taken on a weekend trip. Just a few years ago, she says, the New Zealand charging network was still 'in its infancy'. But that's changed drastically. A quick look on the Electric Vehicle Database (EVDB) shows EV charging is now widely available in Aotearoa, even in remote and wild places. It's not just the availability of charging stations that's improved, it's also the charging technology. Old public chargers were slow, which meant long stopovers. Now, most charging stations have fast-charging available getting you close to a full charge in 15 to 30 minutes. And how much does charging on the go cost? This varies but Genesis's EVerywhere plan * lets you take your home rates with you on the road at ChargeNet public charging stations. When to make the switch? Companies are investing heavily into the EV market and prices are likely to continue falling as batteries become better and cheaper. But that doesn't necessarily mean you should buy a new petrol vehicle in the meantime. 'The right time to buy an EV is when your current car is no longer suitable for your needs,' says Trounson. 'If you can afford to, you should buy an EV now. If you can't afford an EV, never buy a brand-new internal combustion engine car, because petrol will go up. 'Nobody who has an EV says they wish they hadn't bought it. Everyone says I wish I'd bought it earlier.'
