HOW LONG IT TAKES TO CHARGE YOUR MG EV

August 19, 2021

If you are thinking about buying an electric car, one question you will most certainly have thought about is how long does it take to charge an electric car.

With traditional petrol and diesel vehicles taking a matter of minutes to fill up from empty, charging time is a concern amongst those interested in switching to electric.

Electric vehicle charging is slower than conventional fuel-filling because the power is transferred in a different way and at a slower rate. However, with recent developments in rapid charging technologies, charging an electric vehicle does not take as long as you might think!

CHARGING ON THE MOVE
Public charging stations can be found across Australia, with more than 2400 public chargers as of early 2021, meaning that finding a power source is easy!

Public charging points are split into two types; fast charging and rapid charging. Fast chargers work between 7kW and 22kW, while rapid chargers work between 43kW and 50kW for even faster charging on the go.

Rapid chargers are the fastest way to charge your electric vehicle, providing 100-250km miles of range in around half an hour, depending on the size of your battery and the exact speed of the charging point.

Rapid charging is ideal for longer journeys as you can quickly top up your vehicle whilst giving yourself a rest break too.

The MG ZS EV battery is water-cooled specifically for enhanced rapid charging capabilities and can be charged to 80% in as little as 40 minutes, meaning you’ll be back on the road in no time.

A FEW THINGS THAT AFFECT CHARGE TIMES
There are a few main factors that can affect how long to charge an electric car for. The first of these is the size of the battery.

The bigger your vehicle’s battery capacity, the longer it will take to charge – but also the longer the charge will last. The MG ZS EV has a 44.5kw/h battery, which is larger than some electric vehicle competitors and will ensure an improved range for your vehicle.

Similarly, the state of the battery will affect how long it takes to charge your electric vehicle. Naturally, if you are charging from near empty, this will take longer to charge than if you are topping up from 50%.

The maximum charging rate of the vehicle also affects charging speed. You can only charge an electric vehicle at the maximum charge rate that the vehicle can accept, meaning your car will not charge any faster by using a more powerful charging point.

For example, if your vehicle’s maximum charge rate is 7kW, the vehicle will not charge any faster by using a 22kW charge point.

This goes hand in hand with the maximum charging rate of the power source. Even if your vehicle can charge at a higher rate than the charging point, it will only charge as quickly as the power source is capable of.

Lastly, environmental factors can affect how long an electric car takes to charge. Colder temperatures, for example, can lead to slightly increased charging times, particularly when using a rapid charger, and the cold can also make vehicles less efficient.

How long does it take to recharge a battery?

A great rule of thumb is to divide the size of your battery by the output of the power source.

For example, your MG ZS EV battery is 44.5kW/h, and your 10-amp home socket outputs at a maximum of 2.4kW. Therefore, you can estimate that it will take around 19 hours to fill the battery from zero to 100%.

However, that figure is actually longer, because lithium-ion batteries are designed to be quickly charged to 80%, but more slowly charged to 100%.

This is regulated by the charger, and helps to prolong the life of your battery. Your phone and computer batteries act in the same way!

Using the same equation, a 7.2kW charger will reduce the charge time to about six hours, while a 22kW ultra-fast charger drops it to about an hour and a half.

NB The ZS EV can only accept charge up to a maximum of 22kW.

This article originally featured on mgmotor.com.au and can be viewed here.