How fast can electric cars fast charge
Fast, Faster, Fastest!
What should you pay attention to when DC ‘Fast Charging’ of electric cars?
Meanwhile, DC (Direct Current) fast charging along a whole number of highways or along major interchanges the solution to providing quickly boost the battery. But what exactly is fast charging and how fast Does my electric car charge then? Range anxiety, in other words the fear of not having enough battery storage to get from destination A to B is and will continue to be a common occurrence in electric driving but is solved with a car that can charge quickly and the availability of high-power charging infrastructure.
AC / DC? What is that?
First, it is important to distinguish between AC and DC charging. Not to get too technical about this, AC charging can be categorized as destination charging, where the car often charges for several hours at the destination such as at home or in the office. Alternating current (AC or ‘Alternating Current’) is used and the charging point and the AC/DC inverter in the car are the main components that determine the final charging rate (between 3.7kW and 22kW). In contrast, DC charging, to be categorized as fast charging and mostly used to quickly gain range on a very long route. In this process the charging point, the battery voltage and the battery the main components that determine the charging rate (between 50kW and 350kW). The car’s consumption and battery capacity determine how far it can drive, but for charging speed, in fast charging, we mainly look at the battery voltage. Most of today’s electric cars have a battery voltage of 400V. This means it can charge with a load capacity of 50 to 150kW. Only Tesla goes significantly above this with the Tesla Model 3 and Y with a 400V system that can accept up to 250kW. This rather has to do with their lead in battery cell and cooling technology. With the goal of increasing the charging rate and therefore the charging rate needs to go up, car manufacturers such as Kia and Hyundai that, like Porsche’s premium model (Taycan) and the Audi e-tron GT, have developed an 800V battery system. As a result, the powers and therefore cable thicknesses do not need to be increased to achieve a higher payload and can charge at a power of more than 200kW charging.
Quick chargers are also more prominent on the streets today because they no longer blend into the crowd like a large refrigerator in a corner of a large parking lot.
What determines the final loading speed?
In practice, the charging facility in the car is the determining factor, considering maximum charging rates. For example, not every electric vehicle at a DC charging point will of 250kW – theoretically about 200km per 10min – to the maximum payload charging. The Tesla Model Y Long Range could charge 250kW at this charge point, but the BMW i3 has a maximum DC charging rate of 50kW, which means it can also charge at 50kW – or about 40km per 10min – will charge at that same charge point. The chart below shows the maximum DC charging power of the different wagons. Note that not only the model of the car makes a difference. But also the version (battery size) you choose. For example, a Ford Mustang Mach E ER (Extended Range) will charge at 150kW maximum and the SR (Standard Range) version will charge at 115kW maximum. So when choosing your next electric car, pay attention to potentially different charging speeds between versions.
However, when considering fast charging from a practical point of view, it is also important to consider the individual charging curve of different cars. This is because not every car reaches its maximum charging capacity at the same rate, so the actual battery percentage achieved is lower than the battery percentage calculated from the maximum charging rate at the charger. As shown in the graph below, with DC charging, unlike AC charging, the initial phase is important to reduce the overall charging time.
Source: Fastned
In summary, it can be seen that with a higher battery percentage in general, a lower payload is achieved. This is due to the lower energy absorption when the battery is fuller and charging more slowly from 80% full. That way the temperature increase and thus the life of the battery becomes guaranteed.
So what load capacities are available today?
Some of the largest parties are currently rolling out their fast-charging networks in full force. Some examples of installed powers:
- Shell Recharge typically installs DC chargers with a maximum power of 175kW. This in combination with 1 or 2 50kW chargers for the total station installation.
- Ionity – a joint venture of many major manufacturers – installs charging stations up to 350kW.
- Fastned already installed numerous 350kW chargers since 2018 and by the end of 2022 even their first 400kW charger was installed in the Netherlands.
- Allego also builds fast charging stations, providing capacities between 250kW and 350kW.
- Total Energies installs at gas stations both 50kW and 175kW chargers.
