An electric car is a vehicle that uses one or more electric engines and an energy storage system (battery) that can be charged externally.

The use of electric vehicles increases worldwide, and it is natural that it happens also in Estonia. Although the number of electric vehicles is not large, it is expected to reach significant levels in this decade. 

The global demand for electric cars already exceeds the supply. 

Charging from a standard household Schuko socket: the maximum charging capacity is up to 3.6 kW, so charging can take up to more than 24 hours depending on the battery capacity. For example, an empty electric car battery (64 kWh) will be fully charged in 31 hours.

The household socket does not allow to use the full capacity of the electric car’s built-in charger, therefore, if the electric car needs to be charged faster and the appropriate connection capacity is available at home, a special charger can be used for charging. Such a device will ensure that electrical network connection capacity is used for charging, so it will be possible to charge an electric car at least twice as fast.

The converters included in the electric car provide charging capacity from a household socket for charging for about 10 to 20 kilometre drive in one hour.

As the number of electric cars increases, more and more companies choose to electrify their fleets and create charging infrastructure at their offices, which is available to both customers and company employees who travel by electric car or use it on a daily basis.

A company can offer both a standard Schuko socket for charging and install special charging devices, thus providing at least twice as fast charging time.

Such corporate charging points can be private or public, moreover, charging does not have to be free, the company may introduce a billing system that can be more convenient for the electric car user than charging on a public rapid charging network.

As not only the number of electric cars, but also the offer of electric car sharing services increases, the charging infrastructure also develops in places where people gather. Shopping centres, supermarkets and other entertainment venues build charging points in their territory more and more often. At such points, the most advantageous solution is to install medium fast AC or fast DC charging stations.

This provides an opportunity to save time by combining charging with shopping. In addition, it is especially useful for electric car users who have limited charging capacity at home or at work.

On a daily basis, the route of most drivers does not exceed 100 km or even 50 km. However, if a larger distance is covered daily, an electric vehicle may have to be charged on the move. At such charging stations, it is possible to charge about 100 km in 20 minutes.

Elektrum Drive will offer more than 800 charging ports throughout Baltic states by the end of 2024. Economic operators also get involved in the extension of network infrastructure.

Charging stations are most often divided by their type - alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC). The fast ones are DC charging stations, while the slow and medium fast ones are AC charging stations.

Speed is the capacity available at the charging station that can be used to charge the battery of an electric car or the power that can be transferred to the battery over a specified time period, for example, within one hour.

When selecting a charging solution, account must be taken of the electrical capacity available in the facility and its use, the costs of constructing the charging station and the behaviour of its users. All of these factors will affect the choice of the most appropriate charging station. Electric car charging stations may be created in private houses, city and company car parks, near public buildings, motorways, etc.

Alternating current (AC) is available in the household electrical network, while many electrical appliances use direct current (DC) to ensure their operation. The battery of an electric car is also charged with direct current, but since alternating current flows in the household electrical network, it is necessary to convert it into direct current.

In the case of alternating current or slow and medium fast charging, the conversion of current from alternating current to direct current takes place in the charging device built into the electric car. Therefore, the charging speed of electric cars is affected not only by the electricity connection capacity, but also by the capacity of the built-in charger.

In direct current or rapid charging stations, an electric car is charged with direct current (DC), meaning that the conversion of alternating current into direct current takes place not in the charging device built into the electric car, but the charging station itself acts as a current converter. As a result, a DC charging station can charge an electric car battery several times faster.

A standard Schuko 230V socket with a power of up to 3.6 kW and a rated current of up to 16 A is available in every home. To make electric car charging from such a socket safe, it is important not to exceed the technical parameters of the Schuko 230V socket. It may overload the electrical network and cause the risk of fire. Therefore, the manufacturers add a special charger (EVSE) to the electric car, which ensures that the electric car will not be charged with more power than the 16 A current of the Schuko 230V socket. EVSE equipment often has a current of 8 A, 10 A and 12 A, corresponding to 1.8 kW, 2.3 kW and 2.7 kW respectively.

The charging solution is suitable for charging electric cars at night or in places where it is left for a long time. Depending on the capacity of the electric car battery, charging can take from 6 to more than 30 hours.

Medium fast charging is characterised by a power from 3.7 kW to 22 kW, which typically allows to charge an electric car within 3 to 6 hours, depending on the available charging power and the battery capacity of the electric car.

The charging solution uses a special charging device, that is most often mounted on a building wall or on a post. A charging device provides an opportunity to charge an electric car at least twice as fast, adjust the charging capacity to the electrical network connection capacity, perform electricity metering, program charging at night, etc.

Unlike a household Schuko 230V socket, this charging solution requires the work of a certified electrician. It should be noted that not all electric car chargers are designed for such power.

Medium fast charging stations are suitable for places where the electric car is parked for about 3 hours or more. These include public charging points, supermarket car parks, entertainment venues and territories of office buildings. When purchasing an electric car with a high-capacity battery, it would be useful to install such a charging station in your private house in order to be able to fully charge the car at night hours if necessary.

The latest and most advanced fast charging stations have a capacity of more than 50 kW (DC), reaching a charging capacity of even 300+ kW DC, providing a charging range of approximately 100 kilometers in ~8 minutes and a charging range of 250 kilometers in less than 20 minutes.

These are mainly public charging stations that are available 24 hours a day. These types of charging stations are currently the quickest charging solution available. They are mainly set up in the places where drivers stop for short periods, such as highways, motorway crossings, etc. These charging stations are often used by electric car users who have limited charging possibilities at home or at work.

The construction of stations must take into account that large investments will be required in the establishment and maintenance of the electricity connection, as well as not all electric car models support direct current charging with such capacity.

Unlike the usual household Schuko socket, different electrical vehicles and charging stations have different types of connections or standards, the origin of which is mainly related to the country of origin of the vehicle manufacturer. In Europe, the main standards are Type-2 and CCS2 (Combo).

Type 2, CHAdeMO and CCS2 connection standards are available at public charging stations in Latvia, including in the e-mobi and Elektrum charging network. Users of other standards have to consider that there may be a need to purchase additional adapters or to modify the car.

Type 1 – a connection standard for slow and fast charging popular in Asian and North American electric car models.

Especially in first-generation electric car models such as i-Miev, C-Zero, iOn, first generation Nissan Leaf, etc.

Some European manufacturers also use the Type 1 standard in the model versions marketed in the United States. This standard is also used in hybrid cars, such as Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, etc.

Type 2 – connection standard for slow/fast charging officially approved by the European Union in its territory in accordance with EFID directive.

Along with the development of global sales of electric cars, for example, in Europe, the second-generation Nissan Leaf is delivered with the Type 2 connector, while it is still fitted with Type 1 connector in the United States. Such a connection is currently available in cars of produced by VW, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Renault, Peugeot, Citroen and other manufacturers.

ChaDeMo is a fast charging standard typical mostly for cars of Asian manufacturers: Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Toyota cars such as Nissan Leaf/e-NV200, Kia Soul EV.

Although it is not an official European Union standard, it is available in almost all European countries, as Japanese carmakers were successful in the early stages of the industry development. It can also be found in some European models, such as Citroën Berlingo Electric, Peugeot Partner. However, the development of the CHAdeMO standard in Europe will not take place, as all electric cars intended for the European market are designed with the CCS2 standard. 

CCS2 (or Combo) is a fast charging standard officially approved by the European Union in its territory in accordance with EFID directive.

The advantage of this standard, compared to CHAdeMO, is its compact design combining CCS and Type 2 connectors. The standard is found in models such as Hyundai Ioniq/Kona EV, BMW i3, VW e-Golf, Opel Ampera-e, Audi e-tron, etc.

CCS1 (or Combo 1), on the other hand, is a charging standard that combines CCS and Type 1 plugs and is mainly used in America, Korea, and Taiwan. This should be taken into account when purchasing, for example, electric cars imported from the United States, because European CCS charging connectors will not be adequate and it will have to be rebuilt.

Tesla uses different charging standards and connectors in its cars, including a variety of variations for different regions.

Currently, the most popular Tesla Model S charger in North America uses a special Tesla connection, while in other countries Tesla has adapted to the Type 2 connector. Therefore, it is recommended to acquire appropriate charging adapters for this manufacturer’s cars which ensure connection to another charging device.