Electric vehicles are increasingly being seen on Polish streets, but the question of how and at what cost they can be charged still raises many doubts. In this article, you will find out how long it takes to fully charge the battery in popular "electrics", what its price depends on and what the power supply of vehicles of this type looks like. We present a price list for charging electric cars at public stations and at home.
Electric car charging pricing - how much does it cost to charge a car 'in town'?
There are several ways to charge cars on electricity, and the fastest way is to use electric vehicle charging stations. Currently, there are nearly 2,000 of them in Poland, including Greenway, E.ON, Revnet or the Tauron network of electric car charging points. The pricing of charging electric cars at public stations differs, among other things, due to the type of electricity they use and, consequently, the speed of charging.
For example, Greenway charging stations, which are common in Poland, offer 1 kWh for between PLN 1.36 and PLN 2.55 when charging with direct current (this process is faster than charging with alternating current), depending on the amount of energy consumed during a single session. The station also allows subscriptions to be purchased, where the customer will pay less for charging - even from PLN 0.85 to PLN 1.27 per 1 kWh using the package with the most expensive monthly charge.
Charging an electric car at home - what costs should you be prepared for?
Charging an electric car at home is the cheapest but also the most time-consuming option. The cost depends on the rates set by your electricity supplier. In Poland, the most popular tariff is G11 assuming fixed prices around the clock. Under this option, you will pay on average PLN 0.77 for 1 kWh. Powering a vehicle using a standard 230 V socket is approximately 2.2-3 kW, so fully charging a car with a 40 kWh battery costs approximately PLN 30.8. As declared by the manufacturer, this translates into a range of 270 km. If you frequently charge your 'electric' battery at home, it is worth opting for the G12 tariff, under which the cost of charging an electric car overnight will be slightly lower.
What does the cost of charging electric cars depend on?
It is not difficult to guess that the cost of charging electric cars depends on whether you choose to charge the battery at home or whether you choose to use the faster and more expensive electric car charger at one of the vehicle charging stations. The pricing of charging at dedicated charging points varies with the type of current - powering a battery with alternating current (AC) is cheaper and takes longer, while using direct current (DC) is a more expensive but much faster option. As mentioned earlier, the charges for recharging an electric car's battery at charging stations can be reduced by using one of the subscriptions offered, which the customer can adjust depending on the average length of the routes travelled per month.
How long does an electric car take to charge?
Charging an electric car in a home garage takes the longest, but around 12 hours is enough to charge the battery to nearly 80% of its capacity. To speed up the process of charging your car at home, you can get a wallbox system or a home charger for electric cars. If you decide to charge your battery with a wallbox type charger, you have to reckon with the cost of purchasing the device (usually several thousand zloty). A one-off charge will allow you to speed up the battery charging process and you will be able to have a fully charged battery in about 5 hours. Electric car charging stations are by far the fastest solution. The 50 kWh DC fast chargers are able to charge the battery to the point where the car can travel 100 km in less than half an hour - of course, the charging time depends on the capacity of the battery.
Electric car charging pricing - where is it most profitable to charge cars?
Taking into account financial considerations, the most cost-effective way to charge your car battery is to use a home socket, as the electricity charged is then based on the rates of the relevant operator. If you want to charge your car quickly, you will probably not be able to do without using one of the charging points. Pricing for charging electric cars at individual public stations varies. Depending on the type of charger and the subscription purchased, the cost of a 100-kilometre distance covered by an electric car with a relatively low-capacity battery ranges from PLN 15 to 40. On the other hand, if you have a permanent workplace and your employer allows you to charge your vehicle e.g. under the office, you can plug your car into the charger theoretically for free. It is also still possible to charge your battery at free electric car charging stations, but these are quite difficult to access.
What does electric car charging look like?
Charging an electric car at home is easy and shouldn't cause you any problems, as by design all you need to do is connect the connectors to the socket and the car (in most cases, car manufacturers include special charging cables and cars have built-in chargers). If you want to speed up your home battery power, you can opt for a wall-mounted or free-standing charging station, which is also very simple to operate. However, it is advisable to consult an electrician for the installation of such a system, who will help fit the equipment into your home network. What's more, you can operate and monitor these types of chargers via a mobile app.
Charging a car in the city usually also involves installing an app compatible with the charging station. Registering on the electric car charging point's website allows the user to activate the charger, pay for the energy taken online and use the service within the framework of the subscription purchased. In turn, you can find the locations of the currently available chargers using the Plugshare app. To make it easier for others to use public stations, when you start charging your vehicle, indicate this in the app above.
In summary, the most cost-effective method of charging an electric car at present is to plug it into a domestic socket or wallbox system. This way of powering the battery of an 'electric' proves cheaper than refuelling an internal combustion car, even if it has an LPG system. For public charging points, prices vary and a subscription may be the most advantageous option.
