Introduction
Electric cars are more and more popular. How you charge determines how quickly your battery is full again and how long it lasts. An important difference is whether your car charges on 1 phase or on 3 phases. Here you can read what that means and what suits your situation best.
1-phase charging
With 1-phase charging, your car charges through one phase of the power grid. It is the most common way to charge, at home and at public charging points. The charging power is usually 3.7 kW (16A) or 7.4 kW (32A). The exact figure depends on your car's onboard charger (inverter) and on the current available.
Plug-in hybrids almost always charge on 1 phase. Their battery is smaller than that of a fully electric car, so faster charging is usually not needed.
The advantage of 1-phase charging: you can do it almost anywhere. At home from a socket with a portable charger, or at a public charging point with a type 1 or type 2 connector. The downside: it is slower than 3-phase charging, so your battery takes longer to fill up.
3-phase charging
With 3-phase charging, your car charges through three phases at once. That is much faster. You find it in homes with a 3-phase connection, at public charging points and at company charging stations. The charging power ranges from 11 kW (16A) to 22 kW (32A), depending on the current available.
Note: not every electric car has an onboard charger that can charge on 3 phases. So check what your car can handle, then you know your maximum charging speed.
3-phase charging is not possible everywhere either. Your grid operator has to supply your connection on 3 phases, and your fuse box has to be suitable for it. You request an upgrade from 1 to 3 phases from your grid operator. In the Netherlands and Belgium, our installation service can make your fuse box ready for 3 phases. Read more about your meter cupboard in How many phases in the meter cupboard?
What can your car's onboard charger do?
Your car's onboard charger determines how fast you charge. Want to know whether your car charges on 1 or 3 phases? Choose your car by make and model or use the number plate check. On the page for your car model, you see the connector, the number of phases and the charging power for each version.
How to calculate the charging power
Say your car charges at 16A per phase and can charge on 3 phases. Then you calculate the maximum charging power like this: