Slow EV charging (carga lenta del coche eléctrico)

What slow charging is

Slow charging (carga lenta) is charging an electric car on alternating current at low power, normally 2.3 to 7.4 kW. It is what you do with a wallbox or a reinforced socket at home or in your parking space while the car sits for several hours.

Slow, fast and rapid

There is no single official boundary, but the trade usually talks about:

• Slow charging: AC, up to 7.4 kW. Several hours.
• Semi-fast charging: AC, 11 to 22 kW, on a three-phase supply.
• Rapid and ultra-rapid charging: DC, from 50 kW upwards, at charging hubs (DC fast charging in the US).

Advantages

• It is the cheapest: at home, off-peak, 100 km costs around 1.80 euros, as a guide.
• It is kind to the battery: low power means less heat and wear.
• It is convenient: plug in when you get home and leave in the morning with the battery ready.
• It does not need a big supply in the home installation.

How long it takes

At 7.4 kW a 60 kWh battery goes from 20 to 80 % in about five hours, within the off-peak period. At 3.7 kW, twice as long. For daily use, where you only replace the day’s kilometres, one or two hours is usually enough.

What you need at home

A mode 3 charging point with a dedicated circuit, a suitable RCD and surge protection, as required by ITC-BT-52. See home EV charger for a house in Seville, Spain.