All you need to know about charging the Dacia Spring
Opened to pre-ordering in March 2021, deliveries of the new electric city car Dacia Spring started this month. It is marketed at a price to flatten all competition. This newbie in town from Renault has immediate crowd appeal and is contributing to popularising e-mobility for the lowest budgets. So, what about charging? We are giving you the keys to mastering the process of charging your (future) Dacia Spring at home or elsewhere.
Dacia Spring – charging capacity
Let us first lay down some solid foundations by looking at the technical specifications of the Dacia Spring. Before we start, if electric vehicles are completely new to you, we advise you to read over a few general notions about charging.
With a battery capacity of 27.4 kWh, the Dacia Spring delivers an official WLTP range of 230 km (143 miles), which can reach up to 305 km (190 miles) in urban mode. On average, the vehicle consumes around 13.9 kWh/100 km (22.3 kWh/100 mi) or 10 kWh/100 km (16kWh/100 mi) if you are just driving around town.
In terms of charging capacity, the standard model comes with a Type 2 charger and a power rating of 6.6 kW. For an extra 600 euros, you can also equip the “Comfort Plus” and “Business” models of the Dacia Spring with a Combo CCS 30 kW charger. This option can be very handy if you go on longer, more frequent journeys as you can recover 80% of battery capacity in less than one hour.
Charging the Dacia Spring at home
How much time do you need to charge the Dacia Spring at home? What charging systems are suitable? Let us take a look at the solutions available when plugging in your Spring Electric at home.
Standard household power outlet
On a standard household power outlet, the Dacia Spring charger can take 2.3 kW and charge up from 20 to 80% in about 7 hours.
Caution: before connecting any electric vehicle at home, you must have your electrical installation checked out by a professional.
Heavy-duty socket such as Green’Up
For an affordable home charge that is safer than using a standard household power outlet, a heavy-duty socket such as Green’Up can provide a good solution. You can attain a power rating of 3.2 kW and charge up your Dacia Spring from 20 to 80% in 5½ hours.
Single-phase wallbox
If your budget allows for it, a safe option is to install a wallbox-type charging station which will also save you precious time.
If you opt for a 3.7 kW (16A) wallbox, you will need about for 4½ hours to charge up from 20 to 80%. With a 7 kW (32A) wallbox, you can reach the maximum charge power tolerated by the Dacia Spring, i.e. 6.6 kW. This means 2½ hours are enough to charge the car from 20 to 80%.
Need to get equipped? Consult the charging solutions for the Dacia Spring proposed by Mister EV.
Charging the Dacia Spring on the public network
If you cannot charge at home or if you are going on a journey where you will need to top up along the way, you can also plug in your Dacia Spring at a public charging station.
Fast charging stations
In alternating current (AC), the Dacia Spring can reach up to 6.6 kW at a 22 kW AC charging station. This means just one hour of connection time is needed to recover a range of about 60 km (37 mi).
Rapid charging stations
When equipped with a Combo CCS connector, the Dacia Spring can also charge on direct current (DC) at a 50 kW rapid charging station, like Ionity or Total. The electric city car can take on board up to 30 kW of power when plugged into a 50 kW DC charging station and charge up from 20 to 80% in half an hour.
Important: Taking the vehicle’s charging capacities into consideration, there is no point in connecting up to charging stations offering above 50 kW. In fact, you would be paying more for a service that the Dacia Spring cannot profit from.
What charging cables do you need for the Dacia Spring?
To connect the Spring to AC public charging stations, you must be equipped with a Type 2 / Type 2 cable.
Quick tip: It is a good idea to have a Type 3C / Type 2 charging cable with you to increase your options when charging away from home and profit from less frequently used charge points.
The Type 2 connector is the European standard for AC charging and can be found at all charging stations today. Type 3C used to be the French standard, but has been gradually taken over by Type 2. However, it can still be found at a number of charging stations in France.
To make it easier to find charging stations that are compatible with your Dacia Spring, the Chargemap app enables you to filter charging stations according to their power rating and/or the type of connectors available.
Thinking of travelling with your Dacia Spring ?
Thanks to the Combo CCS option, you will be able to travel stress-free behind the wheel of your Dacia Spring. All you need to do is log into the route planner available on the Chargemap app. This tool will help you prepare your e-journey by suggesting the best charging stops compatible with your Dacia Spring. To adapt your route in tune with your wishes, you can also customise your charging stops.
Chargemap wishes all (future) Dacia Spring drivers a safe journey and hopes that this article will help you in your quest for stress-free charging. Keep us posted via a comment: what do you think of this new low-cost electric city car? Are you smitten?
Hit the road stress-free in your EV