Charging my new phev!

[wilksphev]

Taken delivery of my new Gx4h today and very excited about its first trip this evening.
It is a company car so will mostly be used for business. I need a large car for transporting equipment for work and got the outlander primarily for the BIK rates. Unfortunately I am not able to charge at home but still want to make the effort when I can. It is currently charging at a Park and Ride in Cambridge.

My question is how long does it take to charge? I read 3.5 hours for a full charge, but as the battery was 30% full when I plugged it in (it never completely empties right?) should the charge be quicker? (Trying to work out how long to stay in office!)

 

[maby]

It's not a linear thing - the more charge there is in the battery, the slower it charges. If it is plugged up to a standard 16/32A point and started off at 30%, it will probably take around two and a half hours I would guess.

 

[Kim]

Naw, it needs the 3.5 hours for the "real" 70%, which equals 100% indicated.

By that I mean: 100% usable kWh (that's what the PHEV shows on the displays) is 70% of the battery.

30% is what the car keeps for itself, it's like taxes...

 

[anko]

It all depends on what he meant with 30%: absolute or relative.

If it was absolute, the battery would have been 'empty' and 3.5 hrs would be about right. If it was relative (5 bars in the battery meter still lit), 2.5 hours would be more accurate.

 

[wilksphev]

Cheers Kim. Am never sure whether the statistics are for the full 12kWh capacity or for the 8 or so that is "usable".
I returned after 3 hours and it had not finished, but was full enough when driving to have no regenerative braking so it must have been almost there.