Charging your vehicle

181120RAK 0470

Home charging

Most people charge their electric vehicle at home overnight using a home charge point.

There are generally two options to choose from – a standard 3kW or fast 7kW charge point. The 7kw charge point takes roughly half the charging time of the 3kW, but normally costs more to install.

The Government offers grants for people to install a charge point at their home, contributing 75% of the cost up to the value of £500.
This will bring the cost of a standard 3kW unit and installation to around £300 whilst a faster 7kW unit would be in the region of £400.

There are a range of approved home charge points available under the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme.

For more details on the grant, visit the Office for Low Emission Vehicles website.

Electric vehicle charging station 2 1

Public charging

The UK’s charging network is already one of the largest in Europe.

There are now more than 30,000 public charge points across the UK, with around 1,000 rapid chargers.

Charging points can be found in all the places you’d expect, from residential streets and main trunk roads to car parks and destinations like hotels.

Many of them are on the motorway network, with more than 96% of motorway services having rapid chargers.

The Be. EV network (previously GMEV) now has 118 new and upgraded fast chargers across Greater Manchester, alongside seven rapid chargers. More rapid charging points are being installed in 2021 and, ultimately, the region’s 10 local councils and TfGM aim to more than double the network’s size.