An electric vehicle is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion. Electric vehicles get power either from a collector system that draws electricity from off-vehicle sources, or it’s self-contained with a battery, solar panels, or an electric generator that converts fuel to electricity.
Here’s the confusing part, there are BEVs, PHEVs, and HEVs. You’ll notice all 3 acronyms have ‘EV’ in them. This stands for ‘Electric Vehicle’.
BEV = Battery Electric Vehicle
BEVs are pure electric and only powered by a battery that needs plugging in to charge it.
PHEV = Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
The ‘plug-in’ bit just means you need to plug the car into a charging point to charge its battery. ‘Hybrid’ means the car has both a battery and conventional petrol or diesel engine.
A PHEV will typically go about 30 miles on battery only, and then the petrol/diesel engine will take over.
HEV = Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
Being a hybrid, it has both a petrol/diesel engine and a battery. But you can’t plug the car in to charge the battery. HEVs are predominately normal petrol/diesel cars. Their very small battery typically either helps the car go further and/or improves its performance (such as acceleration). The car will often run on the battery alone at low speeds. As soon as the car needs to go faster, the petrol/diesel engine kicks in. The battery itself charges partly via ‘regenerative braking’. When you press the brake pedal, it switches the electric motor into reverse to act as a generator that can charge the battery.
This varies and really depends on the vehicle you’re driving, how you drive it and the conditions you’re driving it in – just like a petrol or diesel vehicle.
The distance a single charge can cover is increasing with every new model, as battery technology improves. Today, most electric cars will have a range of over 200 miles. Tesla models can go well over 300 miles on a single charge.
Charge at home, at your workplace, on your journey – wherever you can find a suitable charger for your EV.
More and more companies are installing EV chargers in their car parks, and although not as commonplace as fuel pumps, the number of EV charging stations is rapidly increasing across the UK. That said, home charging is more convenient and cost effective. A car is stationary for 90% of its lifetime and over 70% of that time is at home. Charging analysis on energy transfer shows that 60% of charging is done at home, 30% at the workplace, 7% publicly and 3% rapid charging.
Research has shown that electric cars are better for the environment. They emit fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants over their life than a petrol or diesel car. This is even after the production of the vehicle and the generation of the electricity required to fuel them is considered. Fundamentally, EV travel shouldn’t damage the earth and by building a network of electric points it will have a significant effect on decarbonizing transport.
This varies depending on the vehicle you drive, but in simple terms, the size of the battery (kWh) x electricity cost of your supplier (pence per kilowatt-hour) = cost to charge an electric car from empty to full.
Let’s take a look at some examples based on electricity of cost of 14p per kilowatt-hour :
| Battery size | Approximate range | Cost to fully charge | Cost per mile | |
| Nissan LEAF (2018) | 40 kWh | 150 | £5.60 | 3.7p |
| Tesla Model S 100 D | 100 kWh | 320 | £14.00 | 4.4p |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (2019 | 13.8 kWh | 23 | £1.93 | 8.40 (electric mode) |
Yes, it’s completely safe to leave an electric vehicle charging (or plugged-in) overnight. In fact, charging at night means you can take advantage of off-peak tariffs, making it cheaper.
Many chargers also let you schedule when to charge, so you can plug your car in once you’re home and leave the unit to start charging when the electricity tariff is at its lowest
That’s completely up to you. However, we would recommend that your EV has at least 20% battery charge at all times in case of an urgent journey.
Most lithium-ion batteries perform at their best when they’re between 50% and 80% charged. We’d recommend keeping your vehicle charged to 80% most of the time though.
As counter-intuitive as it might sound, keeping your electric car fully charged can actually damage its battery. This is due to the heat that recharging generates.
If you are planning a long journey, then do charge your EV to its maximum capacity. However, because most lithium-ion batteries perform best when they’re between 50% and 80% full, we’d advise keeping your EV’s charge somewhere in this range, whenever possible.
Charging an EV is a simple process: just plug your car into a charger that’s connected to the electric grid.
EV chargers typically fall under one of three main categories: Level 1 charging stations, Level 2 charging stations, and DC Fast Chargers (also referred to as Level 3 charging stations).
Level 1 EV charging stations
These use a 120V AC plug and can be plugged into a standard outlet. Unlike other chargers, Level 1 chargers don’t require the installation of any additional equipment. These chargers typically deliver two to five miles of range per hour of charging and are most often used at home.
Level 2 EV charging stations
These are used for both residential and commercial charging stations. They use a 240V (for residential) or 208V (for commercial) plug, and unlike Level 1 chargers, they can’t be plugged into a standard wall outlet. Instead, they are installed by a professional electrical engineer. They can also be installed as part of a solar panel system.
Level 2 electric car chargers deliver 10 to 60 miles of range per hour of charging. They can fully charge an electric car battery in as little as two hours, making them an ideal option for homeowners who need fast charging. They are also safer and more convenient than charging through a standard plug outlet.
DC Fast Chargers (also known as Level 3 or CHAdeMO EV charging stations)
You can get 60 to 100 miles of range in as little as 20 minutes of charging with these. However, they’re typically only used in commercial and industrial environments – they require specialized, high-powered equipment to install and maintain.
Not all-electric cars can be charged with DC Fast Chargers. Most plug-in hybrid EVs and some all-electric vehicles are not compatible.
The cost of a charger (and installation) varies, depending on the unit’s features and where the charger’s installed. At WePowerYourCar, we give you a competitive fixed price for this.
You can get £350 towards the purchase and installation of your home charger with an OLEV grant. Once installed, you only pay for the electricity you use to charge.
When it comes to running costs, the typical electricity rate in the UK is about 14p per kWh. With Economy 7 tariffs, the typical overnight electricity rate in the UK drops to 8p per kWh. With most chargers letting you schedule your charge times, it’s easy to take advantage of these cheaper electricity tariffs at night.
The technical nature and risk involved with installing a 240V Level 2 EV charger mean it’s best to hire a professional electrician to install your charger. Plus, to be able to claim your OLEV grant, you have to use an OLEV-approved charge point installer. Doing it yourself could be doubly costly – endangering your life, as well as your grant.
NOTE: You must use an OLEV-approved charge point installer to claim the grant towards the cost, so doing it yourself means that you would miss out on that, as well as being potentially dangerous.
A home charger tends to require relatively little, if any, maintenance over its lifetime.
Charging at home is perfectly fine for your electric vehicle. However, frequent use of rapid charging outside the home can reduce battery performance and durability, so charging at home is not only the most convenient but also the best thing to do to look after your EV in the long term.
All Level 2 home chargers have the same functionality, but some are more advanced than others. For example, the Ohme Intelligent charger lets you set charge schedules and notifies you when your energy supplier’s tariff drops (it can help you get paid to charge when there’s negative grid capacity).
In most cases, no. Chargers are mounted high enough on a wall to prevent vehicles bumping into them. We recommend that pedestal chargers have some form of protection, such as a barrier or tyre stoppers.
It is possible to use the same charging unit for more than one car. Unfortunately, we don’t currently offer 2-way units. If you want to charge more than one car, you can use the same charger, just not at the same time.
If you do need to charge more than one car, you’ll have to decide between a tethered or socketed charger, depending on what type of connector your vehicles use. A socketed unit is more flexible – can be used with different connectors. A tethered unit has a fixed connector.
Ultimately, if you have two EVs, it might be better to have two charging units installed, so you can use both at the same time without any issues, compromises or inconvenience.
Smart charging is a system that enables electric vehicles, charging stations and charging operators to share data. This connection means your charger can monitor, manage, and adjust the use of charging devices to optimise energy consumption. Unlike uncontrolled charging, smart charging flattens your peak electricity usage, shifting vehicle charging away from other high consumption times.
Yes. A solar installation will charge your electric car just as effectively as it provides energy for the rest of your home appliances. Even a small solar panel array with only 10 solar panels can provide enough power to charge your vehicle’s battery.
Looking beyond the sun for renewable charging, the myenergi Zappi we offer can direct wind energy, as well as solar to power your car.
Whilst it is possible to steal EV charge from a home charger, the chances of this happening are remote. (Any perpetrator would have to have to park up and leave their car on your drive to do so.)
In our time working in this industry, EV charger and charge theft is not something we’ve encountered. However, some chargers do have built-in locking mechanisms if this is something you’re concerned about.
Charging cables are not cheap, so if your charge point is easily accessible, then store the cable securely when it’s not in use.
A standard installation typically takes around 2-3 hours to complete. However, the actual length of time will depend upon where you are having your chargepoint installed and whether any time-consuming work is required to route the cabling (for example underground) if you have a detached garage.
Yes. You must be at home at the time of installation to ensure all relevant documentation can be signed*. As part of the installation process, the electrical engineer will demonstrate how the charger works including setting up any mobile apps available with the charger.
*NOTE. During the Covid-19 pandemic, WePowerYourCar.com installs strictly on a non-contact basis and has implemented contactless digital signatures for our installation agreements.
During your application process, you will choose the location of your charger. Most units are wall-mounted close to where the EV is parked (on the driveway or in the garage). The charging units are fully weather and waterproof so they can be located outside without fear of being damaged.
When choosing a location, you need to be mindful of causing a trip hazard when the charging cable is plugged into the car. Therefore try to avoid the cable trailing across paths or doorways.
You can apply for a new charger in the new property and claim the OLEV grant again, provided the vehicle registration details have been updated to the new property.
From 1st April 2020, electric car drivers get a £350 grant towards purchasing and installing a home EV charger – this is an OLEV grant. The UK Government provides this financial support through the Electric Vehicle HomeCharge Scheme (EVHS). What’s even better is that we can help sort this for you, making your home EV charger installation even easier.
Additional information on the EVHS can be found by following this link.
An electric vehicle is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion. Electric vehicles get power either from a collector system that draws electricity from off-vehicle sources, or it’s self-contained with a battery, solar panels, or an electric generator that converts fuel to electricity.
Here’s the confusing part, there are BEVs, PHEVs, and HEVs. You’ll notice all 3 acronyms have ‘EV’ in them. This stands for ‘Electric Vehicle’.
BEV = Battery Electric Vehicle
BEVs are pure electric and only powered by a battery that needs plugging in to charge it.
PHEV = Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
The ‘plug-in’ bit just means you need to plug the car into a charging point to charge its battery. ‘Hybrid’ means the car has both a battery and conventional petrol or diesel engine.
A PHEV will typically go about 30 miles on battery only, and then the petrol/diesel engine will take over.
HEV = Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
Being a hybrid, it has both a petrol/diesel engine and a battery. But you can’t plug the car in to charge the battery. HEVs are predominately normal petrol/diesel cars. Their very small battery typically either helps the car go further and/or improves its performance (such as acceleration). The car will often run on the battery alone at low speeds. As soon as the car needs to go faster, the petrol/diesel engine kicks in. The battery itself charges partly via ‘regenerative braking’. When you press the brake pedal, it switches the electric motor into reverse to act as a generator that can charge the battery.
This varies and really depends on the vehicle you’re driving, how you drive it and the conditions you’re driving it in – just like a petrol or diesel vehicle.
The distance a single charge can cover is increasing with every new model, as battery technology improves. Today, most electric cars will have a range of over 200 miles. Tesla models can go well over 300 miles on a single charge.
Charge at home, at your workplace, on your journey – wherever you can find a suitable charger for your EV.
More and more companies are installing EV chargers in their car parks, and although not as commonplace as fuel pumps, the number of EV charging stations is rapidly increasing across the UK. That said, home charging is more convenient and cost effective. A car is stationary for 90% of its lifetime and over 70% of that time is at home. Charging analysis on energy transfer shows that 60% of charging is done at home, 30% at the workplace, 7% publicly and 3% rapid charging.
Research has shown that electric cars are better for the environment. They emit fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants over their life than a petrol or diesel car. This is even after the production of the vehicle and the generation of the electricity required to fuel them is considered. Fundamentally, EV travel shouldn’t damage the earth and by building a network of electric points it will have a significant effect on decarbonizing transport.
This varies depending on the vehicle you drive, but in simple terms, the size of the battery (kWh) x electricity cost of your supplier (pence per kilowatt-hour) = cost to charge an electric car from empty to full.
Let’s take a look at some examples based on electricity of cost of 14p per kilowatt-hour :
| Battery size | Approximate range | Cost to fully charge | Cost per mile | |
| Nissan LEAF (2018) | 40 kWh | 150 | £5.60 | 3.7p |
| Tesla Model S 100 D | 100 kWh | 320 | £14.00 | 4.4p |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (2019 | 13.8 kWh | 23 | £1.93 | 8.40 (electric mode) |
Yes, it’s completely safe to leave an electric vehicle charging (or plugged-in) overnight. In fact, charging at night means you can take advantage of off-peak tariffs, making it cheaper.
Many chargers also let you schedule when to charge, so you can plug your car in once you’re home and leave the unit to start charging when the electricity tariff is at its lowest
That’s completely up to you. However, we would recommend that your EV has at least 20% battery charge at all times in case of an urgent journey.
Most lithium-ion batteries perform at their best when they’re between 50% and 80% charged. We’d recommend keeping your vehicle charged to 80% most of the time though.
As counter-intuitive as it might sound, keeping your electric car fully charged can actually damage its battery. This is due to the heat that recharging generates.
If you are planning a long journey, then do charge your EV to its maximum capacity. However, because most lithium-ion batteries perform best when they’re between 50% and 80% full, we’d advise keeping your EV’s charge somewhere in this range, whenever possible.
Charging an EV is a simple process: just plug your car into a charger that’s connected to the electric grid.
EV chargers typically fall under one of three main categories: Level 1 charging stations, Level 2 charging stations, and DC Fast Chargers (also referred to as Level 3 charging stations).
Level 1 EV charging stations
These use a 120V AC plug and can be plugged into a standard outlet. Unlike other chargers, Level 1 chargers don’t require the installation of any additional equipment. These chargers typically deliver two to five miles of range per hour of charging and are most often used at home.
Level 2 EV charging stations
These are used for both residential and commercial charging stations. They use a 240V (for residential) or 208V (for commercial) plug, and unlike Level 1 chargers, they can’t be plugged into a standard wall outlet. Instead, they are installed by a professional electrical engineer. They can also be installed as part of a solar panel system.
Level 2 electric car chargers deliver 10 to 60 miles of range per hour of charging. They can fully charge an electric car battery in as little as two hours, making them an ideal option for homeowners who need fast charging. They are also safer and more convenient than charging through a standard plug outlet.
DC Fast Chargers (also known as Level 3 or CHAdeMO EV charging stations)
You can get 60 to 100 miles of range in as little as 20 minutes of charging with these. However, they’re typically only used in commercial and industrial environments – they require specialized, high-powered equipment to install and maintain.
Not all-electric cars can be charged with DC Fast Chargers. Most plug-in hybrid EVs and some all-electric vehicles are not compatible.
The cost of a charger (and installation) varies, depending on the unit’s features and where the charger’s installed. At WePowerYourCar, we give you a competitive fixed price for this.
You can get £350 towards the purchase and installation of your home charger with an OLEV grant. Once installed, you only pay for the electricity you use to charge.
When it comes to running costs, the typical electricity rate in the UK is about 14p per kWh. With Economy 7 tariffs, the typical overnight electricity rate in the UK drops to 8p per kWh. With most chargers letting you schedule your charge times, it’s easy to take advantage of these cheaper electricity tariffs at night.
The technical nature and risk involved with installing a 240V Level 2 EV charger mean it’s best to hire a professional electrician to install your charger. Plus, to be able to claim your OLEV grant, you have to use an OLEV-approved charge point installer. Doing it yourself could be doubly costly – endangering your life, as well as your grant.
NOTE: You must use an OLEV-approved charge point installer to claim the grant towards the cost, so doing it yourself means that you would miss out on that, as well as being potentially dangerous.
A home charger tends to require relatively little, if any, maintenance over its lifetime.
Charging at home is perfectly fine for your electric vehicle. However, frequent use of rapid charging outside the home can reduce battery performance and durability, so charging at home is not only the most convenient but also the best thing to do to look after your EV in the long term.
All Level 2 home chargers have the same functionality, but some are more advanced than others. For example, the Ohme Intelligent charger lets you set charge schedules and notifies you when your energy supplier’s tariff drops (it can help you get paid to charge when there’s negative grid capacity).
In most cases, no. Chargers are mounted high enough on a wall to prevent vehicles bumping into them. We recommend that pedestal chargers have some form of protection, such as a barrier or tyre stoppers.
It is possible to use the same charging unit for more than one car. Unfortunately, we don’t currently offer 2-way units. If you want to charge more than one car, you can use the same charger, just not at the same time.
If you do need to charge more than one car, you’ll have to decide between a tethered or socketed charger, depending on what type of connector your vehicles use. A socketed unit is more flexible – can be used with different connectors. A tethered unit has a fixed connector.
Ultimately, if you have two EVs, it might be better to have two charging units installed, so you can use both at the same time without any issues, compromises or inconvenience.
Smart charging is a system that enables electric vehicles, charging stations and charging operators to share data. This connection means your charger can monitor, manage, and adjust the use of charging devices to optimise energy consumption. Unlike uncontrolled charging, smart charging flattens your peak electricity usage, shifting vehicle charging away from other high consumption times.
Yes. A solar installation will charge your electric car just as effectively as it provides energy for the rest of your home appliances. Even a small solar panel array with only 10 solar panels can provide enough power to charge your vehicle’s battery.
Looking beyond the sun for renewable charging, the myenergi Zappi we offer can direct wind energy, as well as solar to power your car.
Whilst it is possible to steal EV charge from a home charger, the chances of this happening are remote. (Any perpetrator would have to have to park up and leave their car on your drive to do so.)
In our time working in this industry, EV charger and charge theft is not something we’ve encountered. However, some chargers do have built-in locking mechanisms if this is something you’re concerned about.
Charging cables are not cheap, so if your charge point is easily accessible, then store the cable securely when it’s not in use.
A standard installation typically takes around 2-3 hours to complete. However, the actual length of time will depend upon where you are having your chargepoint installed and whether any time-consuming work is required to route the cabling (for example underground) if you have a detached garage.
Yes. You must be at home at the time of installation to ensure all relevant documentation can be signed*. As part of the installation process, the electrical engineer will demonstrate how the charger works including setting up any mobile apps available with the charger.
*NOTE. During the Covid-19 pandemic, WePowerYourCar.com installs strictly on a non-contact basis and has implemented contactless digital signatures for our installation agreements.
During your application process, you will choose the location of your charger. Most units are wall-mounted close to where the EV is parked (on the driveway or in the garage). The charging units are fully weather and waterproof so they can be located outside without fear of being damaged.
When choosing a location, you need to be mindful of causing a trip hazard when the charging cable is plugged into the car. Therefore try to avoid the cable trailing across paths or doorways.
You can apply for a new charger in the new property and claim the OLEV grant again, provided the vehicle registration details have been updated to the new property.
From 1st April 2020, electric car drivers get a £350 grant towards purchasing and installing a home EV charger – this is an OLEV grant. The UK Government provides this financial support through the Electric Vehicle HomeCharge Scheme (EVHS). What’s even better is that we can help sort this for you, making your home EV charger installation even easier.
Additional information on the EVHS can be found by following this link.
This type of electric charger has it's own cable to charge your car.
This type of electric charger requires a seperate cable to charge your car.
We lay SWA cable laid at 600mm deep, with a protective cable warning tape laid 150mm above the cable. These are laid on a sand or sifted sand soil bed then backfilled.
We position overhead cables at a minimum height of 3.5m and are run along a catenary wire. The cable run should not be accessible to vehicles.
Standard installation for the Homecharger covers the majority of homes in the UK and includes the following:
