Charging an electric car is not like flicking on a light switch. That’s to say, you don’t plug in and immediately get a static amount of power flowing into your car’s battery.

Instead, because of complex battery chemistry, there’s something known as a charging curve. It means when you first plug in, the battery will initially pull charge at a slower rate before increasing to hit its maximum charging power. It’ll then stay close to this for most of the charge, but as you approach completion (normally above 80%), the power will taper off to protect the battery from over-filling.

The maximum charging speed you’ll achieve during the peak phase will also depend on a number of factors, including the charger you’re using, the vehicle specification, state of charge, grid connection, weather conditions and battery temperature.