The benefits will be most keenly felt if you are able to make shorter journeys using all or mostly electric power, and as long as you remember to charge up the car’s batteries in-between every trip. The main advantage of running any PHEV is that it will have better fuel economy (and lower CO2 emissions) than a conventional combustion-engined car. This is great for anyone who wants a quick top-up, but it costs around five times as much as charging up at home. There are more than 35,000 public charge points at 13,000 locations around the UK, and a growing number of them offer very high rates of charging.Įcotricity's ageing motorway service station charging network is being replaced by Gridserve, and this company's 350kW ultra-rapid chargers can provide a 10% to 80% charge for a compatible electric car in just 20 minutes. A 7.4kW wall charger of the type commonly installed in homes or workplace car parks will complete a charge around three hours.Īlternatively, you may be able to get a faster energy fix at a rapid public charging point if your PHEV is able to charge at a higher speed. Using a 3kW household plug is the slowest option a full charge is likely to take five or six hours, depending on the size of your car’s battery pack. You can charge a PHEV with a conventional, household three-pin plug, a wall charger or a public charging point.
