AC vs. DC charging – what's the difference?
- AC (alternating current): this is the “normal” charging used at home and at most public locations. The car's own charging electronics (on-board charger) convert the current, so the speed is determined jointly by the car and the wall charger (e.g. 7.4 kW single-phase, 11 kW three-phase).
- DC (direct current): “flash charging,” where the charger feeds current directly into the battery at high power (50–350 kW). Faster, more expensive, and puts more strain on the battery.
What does kW mean? Give an everyday example!
kW is a unit of power. A kettle or hair dryer is about 2 kW. An 11 kW wall charger is like running five kettles at once — for hours. That's why a dedicated circuit and proper protection are needed.
How do I estimate the charging time?
Roughly: battery capacity (kWh) ÷ charger power (kW).
Example: 60 kWh battery ÷ 11 kW ≈ ~5.5 hours (ideal case, without losses).
