Charging your Eive is as easy as plugging in your mobile phone.
As standard, Eive is delivered with a UK 13 Amp 3 pin plug so you can just plug it in to any power socket. A type 2 adapter is also available for use in public charging.
Charging time
This depends on what battery option you choose and the charger option you select. If you have 10% in your battery and you charged it to 90% then on our standard battery pack, it will take approximately 2.5 hours.
On average most charging is done over night when you are asleep and the electric cost is lower.
Driving an electric vehicle is a different mindset, most people with an ICE (Internal combustion engine) vehicle will wait until the fuel tank is empty before they fill it up as you need to make a special trip to the fuel station. However with an EV (electric vehicle) you just plug it in whenever you are not driving it, which is more time than you think.
You can charge to 100%
Most modern electric vans do not recommend fully charging to 100% as it will damage the batteries. Most modern EV’s recommend charging to 80-90%.
The battery chemistry we use means you can charge to 100%, in fact, we recommend charging to 100% as our pack is designed to be fully charged.
Charging it on a public charge station
Standard Eive’s come with a UK 3 pin plug but most public charge stations will be a type 2 plug. We can supply an adapter so you can use any type 2 plug.
New to the EV world?
If you are new to the world of EV’s, it can be a bit daunting learning about type 1, type 2, commando sockets, CCS, Kwh, Kw, Amps, Volts, AC or DC & rapid charging. so we are here to help to explain.
Public Charging Locations
The app we use is called Zap Map, where you can see most of the public charging network within the UK.
Click on the link below to visit Zap Map.
Zap Map is a desktop and mobile app showing all the UK changing points. As you can see there are plenty of public charging points all around the UK and there are more and more being installed, especially in public places such as pubs, restaurants, shopping centres etc. Another plus is that a number of them are free to use!
There are over 34,700 public charging points in the UK (October 2020) and in 2019 alone, there were just over 10,300 public charging point installed (Data from Zap maps).
Having said all of this, you will find that the majority of your charging will be done at home.
What you need to know…
Most of the time you will charge your Eive at home or work. As the majority of your charging will be done over night (using cheap electric).
Kwh, Amps, Volts!
You do not need to be an electrician to drive an EV. The standard Eive is delivered with a charging lead with a UK 3 pin plug. Just plug it into any wall socket and it will start to charge, all we suggest is that if you use an extension lead, please ensure it is completely unravelled before you plug it in.
Type 1, Type 2, CCS, rapid charging.
In the UK there are three common charging sockets which are… UK 3 pin plug, type 2 and CCS. Most rapid chargers are CCS and NOT type 2.
If you find yourself using public charging then we suggest you invest in a Type 2 Adapter (see optional extras). The majority of charging stations (not rapid charging stations) will be type 2.
CCS is becoming the most common rapid charging socket in Europe. This is designed to put a lot of power into a battery very quickly. You cannot use a CCS charger on an Eive as the battery is not large enough to take the higher currant.
Charging and Servicing Costs
Running costs on the Eive are very low compared to a diesel van. For starters there’s no low emissions zone charges.
There is no need to put petrol in at over £2.00 a litre.
The cost to charge your Eive depends how much you pay for your power but as a rough idea, the last time I checked the price it was 32p per kWh (off peak 1 to 6 am .12p per kWh) so the cost for myself from empty to full will be £3.52. (off peak £1.32) A standard battery pack will do approximately 60 mile so the cost per miles is as low as 2p. When I did this calculation fuel was £2.11 per litre so if an ICE (Internal combustion engine) will do approximately 35mpg around town it will cost 27p per mile.
The servicing cost of an Eive is much lower than a service on a diesel van, as the main area in a service is the engine which Eive does not have! We also have a list of recommended garages around the UK.