We know that one of the main concerns that drivers have when making the switch to an electric model is when, where and how they will charge their car.

We’ve written several pieces over the past few months from what affects an electric vehicle’s (EV’s) range through to everything you need to know about charging one, as well as having several guides to EV’s. With all the research and knowledge we’ve gathered from writing these pieces we’ve rounded up our top five tips on keeping an EV charged.

We’ve put together the below tips for best practices on charging your EV to help you stay charged.

1. Keep Your Cable in the Car

Perhaps the most obvious tip is to keep your charging cable in the vehicle at all times.

There are a lot of tethered units across the country, and most charging points in common places like service stations and supermarket car parks have at least one tethered unit, however you’re not always guaranteed to be able to use this or you might find yourself in desperate need of a charger when there isn’t a tethered unit available.

2. Install a Home Charging Unit

If you have a fully EV model we recommend having a home charging unit installed. Most people spend the majority of their time at home or work which makes these the two best locations to charge your vehicle.

We know that not everyone works in the same location every day, and even if you do convincing an employee to have EV charging units installs can be tricky. So, whilst this is an option, it isn’t always suitable for every driver.

Even if a workplace unit is available a lot of drivers still find having a charging unit installed at home is more convenient for them. This is because you can charge the vehicle whilst going about your usual evening activities or while you sleep ready to drive the next morning.

There are still government grants available to help with the cost of installing a unit and as an official partner of Ohme we can help arrange this for you, just give us a call on 0330 221 0000to find out more.

Please note that in order for a home charging unit you will need to have off-road parking and a suitable electric infrastructure, which Pod Point will conduct a survey to confirm for you. For more information on home charging check out this article.

3. Get an EV Tariff

When you have a home charging unit installed we also recommend speaking to your electricity supplier and getting yourself on an EV tariff.

An EV tariff is one that more and more energy providers are able to offer and is specifically designed for customers with an EV or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that will be charged at home. They utilise low demand periods and offer you off-peak rates to help make charging your vehicle as cheap as possible.

4. Park in the Shade

All batteries work better in cooler weather as heat reduces their efficiency, and this includes car batteries.

In hotter weather we recommend finding a shady spot to park in to prevent the battery from overheating and depleting the available charge, whether this is under a nearby tree or in a covered car park. 

5. Aim for 80% 

You’ll find that as you get closer to 100% charged the rate of charging will slow down. This is intentionally done to protect your battery from damage through overcharging.

 Electric models have built-in battery monitors to ensure the vehicle isn’t overcharged and this is why the speed of charging decreases as the battery gets nearer to 100% capacity. Some newer models are also being built with a buffer in place now so that when it shows you it’s charged to 100% capacity it is slightly short of that.

We recommend aiming for around 80% charge provided this covers your mileage needs, as this will helps protect your battery health and maintain the longevity of its lifetime.

For more electric news and helpful tips head back to our blog homepage and filter to electric and hybrid news.

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