How to charge your electric Audi

Just like many electric models in the market, the Audi electric car makes use of a CCS standard for charging. The standard includes a rapid DC and an AC inlet port. There are charging ports on both sides of the vehicle. The AC charging port is located on the passenger side of the vehicle near the front wheel while the rapid DC charging port is located on the driver side of the vehicle. AC charging requires Type 2-to-Type 2 cable, which is supplied with the vehicle. This is the charging system used at home and in the workplace. However, the rapid charging DC port requires a 3-pin-to-Type 2 cable. This is supplied by a CCS connector, which is usually a part of the public charging station.

When charging from DC or AC outlet, you need to plug the connector to the right outlet. Once you have done so, the vehicle will communicate to the outlet to check if there is power supply and faults. Once it determines that it is safe to start charging, it will start the process automatically. However, when charging from a public charging unit, you need to activate the charger before the process starts. The mode of activation depends on the network you are using. Some of the popular activation methods include smartphone apps or RFID cards. The card must be linked to the network account you set up before charging. However, you may use pay-as-you-go stations where you are not required to open an account. You tap the card reader with your card and if the card is valid, the charging process is activated.

Depending on the charger you use, it may take anything between 30 minutes to over 31 hours. There may be changes in the charging times, depending on the ambient temperature of the car and in-vehicle energy loads. Besides, most chargers cut power or slow down when the battery reaches 85% full to prevent damage. There are also a few times when you would need to charge a battery from 0% to full charge.

With a rapid 150kW charger, you can charge the battery from 0% to 80% in 30 minutes. However, the same will take 45 minutes with a 100kW charger. A rapid 50Kw charger takes one and a half hours to achieve the same percentage of charge. On the other hand, to achieve a full charge from an empty battery, it will take a 22kW AC charger 4 hours, 13.5 hours for a 7kW charger and 31 hours for 3kW charger.

The Audi e-tron has the 11kW on-board charger for the standard AC charging and a 150kW DC charger. However, you can get the optional 22kW on-board charger to increase your charging speeds. As seen in these figures, using the level two charger is easy and charges your vehicle relatively fast. However, if you only have access to a wall socket, the standard charger may take you between three and four days to get the battery to a full charge.

If you are in the UK, purchasing an Audi e-tron may get you into the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme grant (EVHS). With the grant, you will have up to £350 off the total cost of installing a charging point at your home. However, there are conditions that you must meet to get the grant. If you meet the requirements, you can go for an OLEV approved charge point and have it installed by an authorised installer, after which you will get the discount. Audi has partnered with Pod Point for the supply of the charging units to car owners’ homes. You may check the supplier’s costs at the car dealership or shop for other suppliers.

Going by the prevailing energy tariffs in the UK, it costs 16p per kWh. As a result, charging a 95kWh battery will costs you about £15.20. This translates to about 6.5p/mile. Home charging is cheaper than using a public rapid charging station that costs you about 30p /kWh (about 9.2p/mile). These rates are lower than the average 12p to 15p a mile for most diesel and petrol models.

Residents across the UK and other European countries have access to an extensive network of EV charging units. Some of these networks are national, while others are only found in particular areas. Some of the major networks that are available across the country include Charge Your Car, BP Chargemaster, Pod Point and Ecotricity. As indicated above, you need to have an account to use most of the networks’ charging units. However, with the new trend of having contactless card readers is taking root, soon many networks will go the Pay-as-You-Go way.

You will find many EV charging units free to use. However, most rapid and fast chargers across the country charge for their services. Most of the networks will charge a flat fee for connection and then charge you for either the time spent or the energy consumed charging your vehicle. The common tariffs are Pence per hour and up to 30p per kWh. Most of these networks have an app that shows you the charging stations that you can use with your e-tron, and costs for every charge that you have made in the past.