Where to charge your electric car ?

© Michael Fousert/Unsplash

If you are about to buy an electric vehicle, you have to ask yourself a crucial question: where will I be able to recharge my car? ? There are certainly obvious answers, but others appear less clear. For example, are there services that allow you to find charging stations near your home ? Will I be able to charge my vehicle while driving around town ? Here we aim to answer all of these common questions related to charging an electric car.

What are the types of charging stations and what are their differences ?

It is important to clearly distinguish between the two types of charging stations available for electric vehicles: AC and DC terminals. AC is currently most common in parking lots or places where cars may be parked for a long time. Note that household outlets also use AC. This method is generally considered the slowest, but least expensive.

© Michelin

Direct current terminals consume more electricity, and are therefore generally more expensive to use. They have within them a current conversion system, and thus allow very fast charging of the vehicle (between a few minutes and an hour depending on the size of the battery to be recharged). This is the preferred current mode on gas stations and motorway service areas.

Is it possible to charge your electric car at home ?

This is the most obvious way to charge your car: the usual electrical outlet, the one you find at home. The domestic outlet will be the ideal tool to charge your vehicle during the night for example, especially since it is also the cheapest method.

This is however the slowest way to charge an electric car, since a normal outlet reaches a current of approximately 2 kW (or 3 kW if you install a reinforced outlet). This charging method has other major drawbacks: in the long term, this charge can damage the conventional socket, which is not designed to power a battery of this size.

© Unsplash/Andrew Roberts

There is also another way to charge your vehicle at home: the wall terminal. The latter, mainly installed at work for example, can also be set up at a private home, even if this requires a higher financial investment (count around €1,500, installation included).

However, a wall-mounted terminal has many significant advantages: it allows for a much faster charge thanks to an increased current (up to 22 kW), and does not damage the installations in your home.

Where to charge an electric car in the city ?

If you do not have access to a wall-mounted terminal at work or to the socket at home, it is possible to go through a terminal public. It can offer 3 or 4 charging modes (in alternating or direct current) generally faster than those discussed above.

© Unsplash/Jenny Ueberberg

On the other hand, using these public terminals is more expensive, depending on the type of charging. Direct current is generally much more expensive, since it allows for faster charging. All these public terminals can be found freely in the city center, in shopping center parking lots, or even at a car dealership.

How to charge an electric car during a long trip ?

When you are making a long-distance journey, it is best to plan ahead for potential drop-off points to be able to recharge your vehicle. Especially since not all service stations and motorway service areas necessarily offer rapid charging that allows you to get back on the road after half an hour.

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Overall, on the highway, many stations still offer direct current fast charging stations. In other words, it will take a few minutes to an hour to fully recharge your electric model, depending on its battery size. Note however that these terminals are generally more expensive than public terminals promoting a charging mode 3.

What tools to use to find a charging station in the area ?

Now that we have understood the differences between the types of charging, public terminals and fast terminals, comes the ultimate question: how to find a charging station near your home or on your route ?

The good news is that the development of public charging stations is booming. In May 2023, more than 100,000 public terminals were installed on French territory, and the objective for 2030 is to reach 400,000. In other words, it will be easier and easier to find them as the years go by.

Today, there are a whole bunch of easy-to-use tools to easily find charging stations, starting with the government's data.gouv website or bornes-recharge.net which list all the charging points in France, with a practical map to explore the surrounding area and find the nearest one.

© Presse-citron

It is also possible to install a smartphone applicationdedicated to the location of charging stations, there are many examples of this type. Chargemap is the most famous and most used, especially since it allows the location of stations in France, but also throughout Europe. Plugshare or A Better Routeplanner offer similar features and act as credible alternatives.

All these methods will allow you to find charging stations close to you, or on your route in case of a long journey.

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