Electric Vehicle Charging Time Calculator
Written by Thierno Sadou Diallo, formula verified per our methodology • Last checked on 9/8/2026
An electric vehicle's charging time is calculated with capacity to charge (kWh) ÷ charger power (kW). Charging 60 kWh on an 11 kW home charging point takes about 5h30, versus just 24 minutes on a 150 kW fast-charging station.
Explanation
This estimate relies on a simple dimensional relationship, exactly the one used by our battery range calculator but applied in the other direction: the capacity to charge, expressed in kilowatt-hours, divided by the charger's power in kilowatts, directly gives a duration in hours. The charging power available varies enormously depending on the infrastructure used: a simple standard home outlet barely exceeds 2.3 kW (a full night to charge a large battery), a residential or shared-building wall charger generally reaches 7 to 22 kW, and fast-charging stations installed on highways can deliver from 50 to over 350 kW. In practice, an electric vehicle's actual charging speed is not always constant at the charger's maximum power: it is capped by the maximum power the vehicle itself can accept, and generally slows down beyond about 80% charge to preserve battery longevity — this calculator therefore gives an average estimate, not a second-by-second prediction of the actual charging curve. To estimate the cost of this same charge rather than its duration, see our electric vehicle charging cost calculator.
Example: charging at a home charging point
Inputs
Capacity to charge: 60 kWh. Charger power: 11 kW.
Calculation
Time = 60 ÷ 11 ≈ 5.45 h, or about 5h27.
Result
Fully charging this battery on an 11 kW charging point takes a little over 5h30.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my actual charge take longer than this calculation predicts?
Several factors slow down an actual charge compared with this average estimate: charging speed generally decreases beyond 80% to protect the battery, the power actually delivered can be capped by the vehicle itself (not just the charging point), and battery temperature (too cold or too hot) also reduces the accepted charging speed.
Should you always charge at the maximum power available?
Not necessarily: systematically charging at very high power (particularly at a fast-charging station) slightly accelerates battery aging over the long term, compared with regular slow charging. For daily home use, a slower overnight charge is generally recommended by manufacturers, fast charging being mainly useful for long trips.
Why isn't the 'capacity to charge' the battery's total capacity?
Because in real use, a battery is rarely charged from completely empty: this calculator asks for the actual missing share (for example 40 kWh out of a 60 kWh battery if it is still at a third charge), not the vehicle's total capacity, to give a time estimate faithful to the actual charging situation.