Public charging points are owned by a public authority or a commercial operator and are usually located in public places, such as roadside parking lots, parking garages, shopping malls, etc. Private charging points are owned by individuals or companies and are installed on private property, such as a driveway or garage. Public charging points are often accessible to everyone, while private charging points are only accessible to the owner of the charging point and his or her guests.
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Fully electric or hybrid? Which car suits you best?
Fully electric or hybrid car? Are you in doubt about purchasing a new car? But don’t know what suits you best? A fully electric car (EV) or hybrid car (HEV-PHEV)? Then you can find some important points below that can help you make the decision!
What are the different types of vehicles?
Which of the two depends on your specific wishes and needs. It is of course important to know the difference first. You have 3 types: Hybrid, plug-in hybrid & electric vehicles.
- Hybrid car (HEV – Hybrid Electric vehicle): This has been around for a while and is a car that is powered by the combination of a combustion and electric engine. The electric motor supports the combustion engine. This jumps in when you accelerate strongly, overtake, accelerate or drive up a hill. Moments where you can use that little extra. So you use less fuel and enjoy better performance when accelerating. The system recovers energy through ‘regenerative’ braking. This means that the energy released during braking is captured and used to charge the battery while driving. So you never have to plug in a hybrid. With some models it is also possible to drive only on the electric motor to a limited extent, but for very limited distances.
- Plug-in hybrid (PHEV – Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle): The big difference with the above is that it has a much larger battery, which you have to charge. These cars have a much larger electric range and you can therefore also drive fully electrically. When the battery is empty, you can still fall back on the traditional combustion engine.
- Electric (EV – electric vehicle/BHEV – battery-powered electric vehicle): A fully electric car then no longer has a traditional combustion engine. This car is the newest of these 3 types of vehicles, but has also been on the market for a while.
Price
For many people this is often the deciding factor. Not everyone has such a budget where the price is not really important. Fully electric cars are usually more expensive to purchase than a comparable hybrid. They do have fewer moving parts and no combustion engine, so they are cheaper in terms of maintenance. The decisive factor in terms of budget may well be the fuel cost. This factor was often one of the push factors to go for an electric car, but thanks to the recent energy crisis, it is best to check all prices first. Can you charge at home and do you have solar panels? Then this may be cheaper for you, can you only charge at public charging points? Then a hybrid car may be cheaper at the moment. So be sure to take the time to see what it means for you in the long term!
Distance you travel daily
Always cover short distances and if you don’t need to be on the track all the time, a fully electric car might be a good choice for you. If you are always on the road for work, for example, or if you like to travel to slightly less touristy areas, a fully electric car is still a risk at the moment. A plug-in hybrid or regular hybrid car can still be the safest option to stop anywhere.
In general, plug-in hybrids are a compromise between the advantages of fully electric cars and the security of petrol cars, while fully electric cars are the future with a lower environmental impact and, until recently, lower fuel costs. It is important to consider what best suits your specific needs and wishes.
Frequently asked questions
There are different types of charging cables, including Type 1 and Type 2 cables, which allow AC charging, and CCS and CHAdeMO cables, which allow DC charging.
This depends on the price of the electricity and the capacity of the charging point. In general, charging an electric car is cheaper than refueling with petrol or diesel.
This depends on the price of the electricity and the capacity of the charging point.
Yes, you can charge your electric vehicle via a regular socket, but charging will be slower than with a special charging station.
Yes, it is safe to charge an electric car. Electric cars are designed to be safe while charging, and most charging stations have protection mechanisms to prevent overload and short circuits.
There are different types of charging points, including charging stations, fast charging stations, wall boxes and sockets.
At the moment it is not possible to charge an electric vehicle while driving, as wireless charging technology is still under development.
This depends on the size of the battery and the type of charger you use. In general, charging an electric vehicle can take several hours to several tens of minutes, depending on the charging capacity and size of the battery.
AC charging uses alternating current to charge the batteries of an electric car, while DC charging uses direct current. DC charging is generally faster than AC charging.
Most electric cars have a dashboard display that shows the battery charge status. This can be expressed as a percentage or as the number of kilometers that can still be traveled on the remaining charge. Some cars also have a mobile app that allows remote monitoring of battery charge status.
This depends on the power of the charging point and the capacity of the car’s battery. Fast charging stations can usually fully charge an electric car in 30 to 45 minutes, while normal charging points need several hours.
The range of an electric car depends on the capacity of the battery and the consumption of the car. On average, electric cars have a range of 200 to 300 kilometers.
The power required to charge an electric car depends on the capacity of the battery and the charging speed of the charging point. In general, the larger the capacity of the battery and the faster the charging speed, the higher the power required. An average electric car has a battery capacity of about 60 kWh and can be charged from 0 to 100% in about 8 hours with a charging speed of 7.4 kW. For faster charging speeds, for example at a fast charging station, higher power is required.
This depends on the charging infrastructure and the payment method that has been set up. For example, you can pay with a charge card (such as the handy MAES Hybrid card), via an app or via a credit card.
Yes, most electric cars can be charged at home using a charging station or a regular socket.
You can charge your electric car at public charging points, at fast charging stations, at home or at work.
You can charge your electric vehicle via a charging station or via a socket at home. The type of charger you need depends on the model of your car and its power needs.
You are used to see all the transactions of the month on one invoice. Unfortunately, the eletric charging transactions are processed with a one month delay. This has to with the current way of working by the charging station operators and is completely out of our hands. You should expect the transactions of the previous month on next months invoice.
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