How to use electric vehicle charge points
There are two primary electric vehicle charging methods: AC (alternating current) and DC (direct current). All home EV chargers and the majority of public charging stations use AC, while DC is used for rapid charging.
To charge your electric vehicle, you'll need the correct charging connector. You need a charging cable with connectors that are compatible with both your car and the charging point you want to use.
Most EVs will accept either a Type 1 (typically older cars) or Type 2 (the new European standard) connector and be provided with a cable compatible with this.
Your car may also have a CHAdeMO or CCS compatible inlet for rapid charging. The connectors for these will usually be inbuilt to the charge point via a tethered cable, and are usually only found at public rapid charging stations.
Tesla's Supercharger network also provides rapid DC charging to drivers of its cars, but use either a Tesla Type 2 connector or a Tesla CCS connector. While all Tesla models are designed for use with Supercharger units, many Tesla owners use adaptors which enable them to use general public rapid points, with CCS and CHAdeMO adaptors available.
Charge points in council car parks are either:
7kW Wenea chargers - you will need a 'Type 2 connector' for your vehicle.
Pay using the Wenea app, you do not need to register with Wenea to access a charge
- 50kW and 43kW SWARCO chargers - use the charger's tethered connector.
Pay using the SWARCO Econnect app, or pay with a SWARCO card, or contactless payment card.
Follow the links above to find out more about the apps, or find and download them from the app store on your phone.
These charging points are part of the national network. You can check availability on live maps including the Wenea live map and the SWARCO Econnect live map.
Step-by-step guide
For charging using your own cable, connect the cable to your car first.
- Connect your car to the charge point.
- Using an app, find the charge point on the relevant app map and select to start charging.
- Using contactless payment, tap the payment card on the Payter contactless pad (not the main screen on the unit) and start charging (with the exception of the Alfen chargers which require payment via the WENEA app, no registration required).
- The cable will be locked into place during your charge.
- To end charging, select Finish charging on the relevant app or tap the same contactless payment card on the Payter contactless pad (not the main screen on the unit).
- Cables provided by the user will be released from the unit once the charging session has ended and should be unplugged from the charge point before you unplug from your vehicle.
- Tethered cables should be returned to the charge point holder.
Damaged or faulty charge points
If a charging point shows a fault, looks damaged or if you experience any problems when using it, please ring the relevant 24/7 helpline number:
- Wenea 7kW chargers - call 0208 124 9900
- SWARCO 50kW chargers - call 0208 515 8444
The council does not carry out any repairs or maintenance on these charge points.