How Do You Pass The Time While Charging An Electric Car? And How Long Does It Take?

A woman shows how she passes the time while charging her electric vehicle. The secret? Keeping a game and a friend handy.

TikTok user Charline (@charlinedeclercq) posted a video of her EV charging hack earlier this week. In the video, she and a friend are standing in a Luxembourg parking lot playing a catch-and-toss game with paddles. “POV: You drive an electric car,” Charline writes in the on-screen text. In the comments, Charline confirms that this is how she copes with the EV “waiting game.”

How Do You Pass the Time While Charging an Electric Vehicle?

Charline isn’t the first person on the internet to share how they spend their EV charging time. Two years ago, a Reddit user posted to r/BoltEV asking what other people do. “I wish I could just take a nap, but can’t do that,” the person wrote. “Obviously, I have my phone. But I was thinking of keeping my iPad to use to watch Netflix. Bigger screen and more comfortable to watch in my Bolt.”

A person in the comments said they keep a Kindle in their rear seat pouch for this reason. “Also, I have a cellular iPad Air 5, MacBook Pro, Steam Deck,” the person wrote. “Because really whatever you want to spend your time on is a good choice as it’s your time and you’ll be there a hot minute, lol. I’ve finished so many books during my Leaf and Bolt ownership.”

Another person said the key is avoiding public chargers altogether. “All joking aside, I sleep at home,” they wrote. “The best part of my BoltEV ownership is having a home charger and plugging in the car and not ever dealing with charging up or getting gas. I had to deal with public charging infrastructure for the first few weeks of ownership since my charger wasn’t installed yet and it makes the difference between a significant con of the car ownership vs. pro.”

Someone else put it a bit more bluntly. “Not sure why you’d buy an EV if you have no way to charge at home,” they wrote. “I couldn’t imagine needing to sit around watching my car charge every few days. Pretty dumb, in my opinion.”

How Long Does It Take to Charge an EV?

Volkswagen addressed this topic in a 2021 press release to support drivers of its ID.4 EV. The automaker recommends taking a nap, walking around the block, watching TV, using the vehicle’s built-in massagers, and shopping at nearby retailers. Tesla owners in this forum thread said they take a bathroom break, grab a snack from a nearby gas station, clean the windows and interior of the vehicle, and respond to emails.

When it comes to how long it takes to charge an EV, the answer is it really depends. Car and Driver notes that a series of variables come into play, including the power source, your vehicle’s charger capacity, and the battery size. In general, you can find charge time for your car by dividing the battery capacity in kWh by the charger’s power rating and then adding 10%. Times can vary anywhere from 25 minutes to more than two hours.

InsideEVs contacted Charline via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.