Tool

Charging an electric car

How long it takes, how much it draws from the grid, and when it is cheapest to plug in.

What it means

Into the battery

36.00kWh

from 20% to 80%

From the grid

40.00kWh

at 90% efficiency

Duration

3h 39min

at 11.00 kW

When it costs least

Sun 15:45 — Sun 19:24

2.38€

59.57 €/MWh on average · you save 1.76 € against starting now

If you start now

4.15€

103.63 €/MWh on average

Cost computed at the wholesale day-ahead price. It excludes the network tariff, levies, excise duty, VAT and the supplier's margin — which together are usually larger than the energy component.

Alternatives

Sun 21:15 — Mon 00:54

8.12€

202.97 €/MWh on average · 5.74 € more than the cheapest one

What the calculation leaves out

Real charging power falls towards the end of a charge — the battery accepts less above 80%. The calculation here assumes constant power, so a charge to 100% takes longer in reality than it says.

The default efficiency is 90%, a usual value for AC charging at home. In cold weather the battery's thermal conditioning draws extra and the efficiency falls.

We assume no particular car model. The battery capacity comes from your own car's data sheet.