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Charging in Public

Charging in public

Today, a driver in the UK is never more than 25 miles away from a rapid charge-point on England's motorways and major A roads. Public charging is growing, fast.

 
Find your nearest public charging points with Octopus Electroverse. Download the Electroverse app to charge with over 700,000 (and counting!) chargers across the UK & Europe.

Types of chargers

Public charging speeds

When you’re charging at home, you’ll get the same charging speed every time. But in public, different charging points will have different speeds. You’ll find two types of chargers in public charge-points: fast chargers, and rapid chargers.

 

Fast chargers, which tend to be 22kW, will give an 80% charge on a Corsa Electric in 3 hrs 20 min. Rapid chargers, (most commonly found on motorways or major A roads) can be anything from 100kW and will give you 80% in 30 minutes. You can use our charging time simulator to see how different power outlets will affect your charging speed.

 

When you’re out-and-about, tools like the Octopus Electroverse map are really useful. They’ll help you quickly find your nearest charge-point, the speed of the charge-point, and reviews from electric vehicle owners who have charged there recently.

Public charging costs

Generally, rapid chargers will be the most expensive way of charging in public, with a full charge on an average rapid charger (£0.23 per kWh) costing £11.50 for a Corsa Electric. However, that’s still cheaper than filling up a full tank of petrol or diesel. So even at the most expensive public charge-points, you’re still saving on running costs when you switch to electric.

 

There are also different charging networks that you’ll come across when charging in public, and this might mean using a mobile app to charge your vehicle at a public charging point. Again, this is where the Octopus Electroverse map tool can be really handy - you can filter the chargers and see how much they cost. 

 

Some public fast chargers will be free, so you’ll quickly find your preferred public charging locations in your local area. And your Vauxhall electric vehicle will be compatible with all common public charge-points, so you won’t need to buy any additional charging equipment to charge in public.

Vauxhall's Plug & Go

In partnership with Octopus Electroverse, Free2Move Charge offers one-tap access to over 700,000 public charge points across UK and Europe. Subscription free and accessible for all, the Electroverse app can find your closest charge point across all charge point networks, plan your driving route and show live availability status

Energising a Better Britain

 
 

We've partnered with leading street charging operators to ensure motorists without driveways are not left behind in the transition to electric.  We're accelerating residential on-street charging across the country.

 

Vauxhall is also partnering with supermarket giant Tesco to provide new Vauxhall electric vehicle customers with one year’s free charging credit at stores across the UK. 

 

Find out more below

Public charging with JustPark

We’ve partnered with JustPark^, the parking provider, who have introduced JustCharge – the community charging network.
Drivers with a home charging point can rent it out to other EV drivers on the JustCharge network.
 
JustPark terms and conditions apply.

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