Date published: 16/06/23 All content in this article is intended to be general in nature and does not constitute and is not intended to be financial or professional advice.

• Tesla - you’ve heard of them, right? Their superchargers will set you back 51 cents per kWh, but some locations charge per minute. Tesla also has destination chargers - these are public chargers that are about as powerful as home charging - which you can use for free.
• Evie - haha, get it? These chargers are 60 cents per kWh when you’re using a 350kW charger, and 40 cents per kWh when using a 50kW charger.
• Jolt - these guys cost between 50 and 60 cents per kWh, but you get 7kWh free per day.
• Ampol - these ones cost 60c per kWh.
• Chargefox - how much charge would a Chargefox charge if a Chargefox could charge charge? The answer is 60c per kWh.

Find a full map of EV charging stations here.

PlugShare will find you the closest station that’ll let you charge for free, and lets you filter by price after that.

Jolt - which lets you get 7kWh free per day - also has an app (told you) to help you find the nearest station. While NRMA’s charging app is still in the works, you can jump on your mobile or desktop browser to see where their free charging stations are.

• Carparks
• Shopping centres
• Workplaces
• Apartment complexes
• Hotels
• Roadside locations
• Commercial premises

Basically anywhere vehicles would be parked for a while. For those in NSW, Transport NSW has an awesome map that shows you where every charging station in Australia is, no matter the provider.

Pretty much - you can charge your electric vehicle at any station that has sockets and plugs compatible with your charging cable. Just like the average power outlet in your home, these are different depending on which country you’re in. That’s the same with electric vehicle charging stations. Oh man, if only your next question was about the different charging ports…

So, you’ve got AC and DC charging (man, those guys were ahead of their time). And each of them have two types of plugs, which can make things confusing. In Australia, there’s a standard for AC charging, but not DC charging. Let’s get into the types of ports.

AC plugs - that’s alternating current - can allow charging of up to 43kW. Here are the different types:

• Type 1 - this is a single-phase plug that’s standard for EVs from America and Asia. Depending on the charging power of your car and grid capabilities, your charging speeds can hit up to 7.4kW.
• Type 2 - this is Australia’s standard port. These bad bois are triple phase plugs -aka they have three additional wires for the current to travel through - so depending on the charging power of your car and grid capabilities, they’re probably gonna charge your car faster. AND because they can also support some DC charging, you can reach charging speeds of 22kW if you have one of these at home.

DC plugs - that’s direct current - are for extra speedy charging. Here’s the DC options:

• CHAdeMO - this plug can reach breakneck speeds of 100 kW. You’ll mostly see this plug on cars manufactured in Asia. Also CHAdeMO is an abbreviation of “Charge de Move,” which is French for “move using charge.” The more you know.
• CCS - plugs at charging stations are compatible with both type 2 AC ports and CCS, but you have two additional power contacts when you use CCS, giving you speeds of 350 kW.

And you’ll feel a sense of superiority. But it’ll be the same in the sense that you’ll be pulling up to a station, getting some “fuel”, and paying for it.

Here’s what you can expect, depending on the type of charging station:

1. Once you find your preferred charging station, find out how it works. The station might be at your workplace or shopping centre where you can park as long as you like (or as long as you’re willing to pay for), or it might be a timed charging station.
2. Once you’ve got that sorted, connect the charging cable to the charging station (if it’s not already attached).
3. Then, connect the cable to your electric vehicle. You’ll know it’s connected if you hear a “lock-in” sound. But if you’re not sure, lights on the dashboard will be able to tell you if it's charging.

If the station is free or it doesn’t require upfront payment to get the charging going, your car will start charging automatically.

Here’s a breakdown of how long it’ll take your car to charge at a charging station vs charging at home. We went into more depth about the different things that impact charging time in another article we wrote about electric vehicles, which you can read here. We’re kinda obsessed with electric vehicles.

The average range for a fully charged electric vehicle is around 400 kms. When we say range, we’re talking about how far an electric vehicle can go before they run out of charge. In Australia, electric vehicles with the shortest range clock out at about 135 kms, and the ones with the longest can go for up to 637 kms.

In the long run, probably. But up front costs of installing your own charging station at home can be pretty scary. A level 2 charging station could set you back anywhere between $1000 to $2500, but you'll just be paying for the accompanying electricity costs when you charge. So while it'll most likely work out cheaper than paying for a charge at public charging stations, the initial costs may mean it’ll be a while before you feel the benefit.

This is general advice only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs (“your personal circumstances”). Before using this advice to decide whether to purchase a product, you should consider your personal circumstances and the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination are available from rollininsurance.com.au. Insurance issued by Insurance Australia Limited ABN 11 000 016 722 AFSL 227681 trading as Rollin’ Insurance.