What you gain with 22 kW is time — roughly half the session on the same energy — and you gain it only in sessions where time is short. The gain needs two things at once: a three-phase supply at the property and a car whose onboard charger accepts 22 kW. If either is missing, a 22 kW wallbox charges exactly like an 11 kW one, and on an overnight park both finish long before morning anyway.
Key Takeaways
- 22 kW roughly halves session time on the same energy — in windows where time is short.
- The gain needs a three-phase supply and a car that accepts 22 kW, together.
- Overnight, both ratings finish before morning, so the practical gain is zero.
- Check your car’s AC rating before paying for the bigger wallbox.
The Gain, Measured in Windows
Full-charge tables flatter the bigger wallbox, because few sessions are full charges. The table below measures the gain the way charging actually happens: in windows of time. Figures are arithmetic on the two ratings with about 10% allowed for losses, and they assume a car that accepts the full rate — the conditions come next.
| Window | At 11 kW | At 22 kW | What you gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| One hour plugged in | About 10 kWh added | About 20 kWh added | A second hour of charging, free |
| A two-hour evening stop | About 20 kWh | About 40 kWh | A full day’s driving vs half of one |
| 20% to 80% of a 60 kWh battery (36 kWh) | About 3.6 hours | About 1.8 hours | The top-up fits before dinner, not after |
| An 8-hour overnight park | Finishes a typical top-up | Finishes the same top-up sooner | Nothing you can use — both are done by morning |
Read the last row carefully. Overnight, the gain is real on paper and worthless in practice: the car is full either way by morning. It turns into value only in short windows — a late arrival and an early start, an hour at home in the middle of the day, a car needed again the same evening. Our general explainer on charging time at 7 kW, 11 kW and 22 kW covers full-charge times for each rating.
When the Gain Is Exactly Zero
- The car caps at 11 kW or less. On AC charging the car’s onboard charger sets the pace. A car that accepts 11 kW draws 11 kW from a 22 kW wallbox, so the session times are identical. Check your own car’s AC rating, because no wallbox can raise it.
- The supply is single-phase. 22 kW is 32 A on each of three phases. Without a three-phase supply the rating is not available at all, whatever the badge says.
- The session runs to full. Cars slow their charging near a full battery, so the last part of a session narrows the gap between the two ratings. Dwell time you do not use — the table’s overnight row — is speed you do not gain.
The electrical background — where the 7, 11 and 22 kW figures come from — is set out in our guide to single-phase vs three-phase EV charging. Distributors face the same comparison from the stocking side, covered in 11 kW vs 22 kW wallboxes for Europe.
The 22 kW Side of This Comparison
The EV-ACT3204PE is EVDANCE’s 22 kW wallbox: a three-phase Type 2 unit, supplied with a cable or as a socket version, with RFID and app control and an IP66 rating, CE marked. On a three-phase supply, feeding a car that accepts 22 kW, it delivers the right-hand column of the table. On any other combination it delivers what the car and the supply allow — the same honesty that applies to every wallbox in this class. For 22 kW away from a fixed post, the EV-ACS3205PE portable charger offers the same three-phase ceiling from a CEE 32A plug.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 22 kW always twice as fast as 11 kW?
For the same amount of energy, yes — while the car accepts the full rate. The gain halves in practice when the car limits AC intake, and it disappears near a full battery, where every car tapers.
My car accepts 11 kW. Do I gain anything today from a 22 kW wallbox?
No speed gain for that car: it will charge at 11 kW on either wallbox. The only gain is headroom for a future car with a higher AC rating, if you expect one.
Which matters more, the wallbox rating or the supply?
The supply is the gate. A 22 kW wallbox on a single-phase supply cannot reach its rating at all, while an 11 kW wallbox on a three-phase supply delivers its full rating to any car that accepts it.
Related Reading
- How Long Does It Take to Charge an EV at 7 kW, 11 kW and 22 kW?
- Single-Phase vs Three-Phase EV Charging: 7kW, 11kW and 22kW Explained
- 11 kW vs 22 kW Wallbox: Which Should Distributors Stock for Europe?
