AC or DC? It's the difference between an overnight top-up and a coffee-break rapid charge. Here's how to use each well.
What's actually different
Your car's battery stores DC (direct current). AC charging sends alternating current to the car, where an onboard converter turns it into DC — a slower, gentler process limited by that converter's size. DC charging does the conversion in the charging station itself and feeds DC straight to the battery, which is why it's so much faster.
AC charging: slow, cheap, everywhere
AC charging runs roughly 3–22 kW. It's what you use at home, at work and at destination chargers — hotels, car parks, restaurants. It's cheap (sometimes free at destinations) and easy on the battery, but it's measured in hours, so it suits time you were going to spend parked anyway.
DC charging: fast, pricier, strategic
DC rapid charging runs from 50 kW up to 350 kW. It's the road-trip tool: a well-matched car and charger can add a couple of hundred kilometres of range in 15–30 minutes. It costs more per kWh and is best used in the battery's efficient window (roughly 10–80%), where charging is fastest.
The 80% rule. DC charging slows dramatically above ~80% to protect the battery. On a trip, it's usually faster overall to stop at 80% and drive on than to wait for a full charge.
How to choose in the moment
- Overnight or a long stop: AC. Cheapest, and you're not waiting on it.
- Mid-journey, need range now: DC rapid, charging in the 10–80% band.
- Topping up while you shop or eat: whatever's there — even AC adds useful range over an hour.
Matching the charger to your car
Your car has a maximum charging rate; a 350 kW charger won't charge a 50 kW-capped car any faster than a 50 kW unit. When you filter the map by power, aim for a charger that meets your car's max — paying rapid-charger prices for speed your car can't accept is wasted money.
Ready to use it? Open the live map to find real stations and chargers near you, check their current status, and add what you see for the next driver.