Filling up your car on the road is something every car driver has done many times. In the case of combustion cars, filling up a full tank and paying the bill takes literally a moment. Unfortunately, in the case of electric cars, charging the battery takes much longer, sometimes much longer than the manufacturers predict.
The actual power of the chargers is lower than the declared one
According to Stable Auto, which helps U.S. networks decide where to build new infrastructureat US public charging stations for electric vehicles promising charging speeds of 100 kW or higher, the average delivered charging power was just 52 kW in 2022. – Bloomberg reports.
“The truth is that there really is no fast-charging infrastructure right now,” David Slutzky, CEO and founder of Fermata Energy, a startup that builds vehicle-to-grid charging systems, told Bloomberg. He added that at almost all of the stations that have been launched, the maximum available power in the socket drops off quite quickly.
There are many reasons why Public chargers rarely operate at maximum efficiency. Charging a battery is a more complex process than pouring fluid into a tank, and various internal and external factors influence charging time.
Technical limitations of batteries extend charging time
The first thing that slows down the speed is the technical limitations of the batteries themselves. Electric car cells can only absorb electrons to a certain extent. According to Bloomberg, Of the 55 electric models currently available in the United States, half claim charging capabilities above 200 kW, and only five can charge at 350 kW.
Electric vehicles charge at different rates, with charging slowing as the battery fills up. Here’s how many miles you can add in 20 minutes. / Bloomberg
Of course, the maximum charging speed is specified for ideal conditions, but when it is very hot or very cold, these speeds are compromised. Extreme temperatures can damage a lithium-ion battery, which is why car manufacturers program their cars to Charging was slower at certain temperatures.
In addition, please note that Electric vehicle charging slows down as the car’s battery approaches full chargeto prevent the battery from overheating. The details of the charging curve are unique to each car, and are kept secret. Brands are cautious about sharing these details, even with people who buy their products. However, Tesla’s example shows that car batteries have relatively steep charging curves, meaning the “fast” part of the charge doesn’t last very long.
Charging grids restrict electron flow
Another problem is created by the charging networks themselves, which restrict the flow of electrons. First, on a hot day, the local network can be maximally loaded not only by charging stations but also by other users who have air conditioners and other electrical devices on.
In addition, many stations share power between cars, which allows them to install more wires with the same electrical power. In other words,A 200 kW charger becomes a 100 kW charger when someone uses its other cable.
Charging time, a problem that slows down electric vehicle adoption
In the US, loading speed has become a marketing metric. Automakers like to brag about how quickly their cars can go from 10 percent or 20 percent charged to 80 percent. Public charging stations tend to display maximum charging speeds, but not average or expected rates. This gap threatens to undermine electric vehicle adoption in the U.S., according to BloombergNEF data. In the US, about 17% of public chargers are 100 kW or more, compared with 10% in the UK and 2% in the Netherlands.
Public charging stations in the US / Bloomberg
“We still see a big gap between what the customer expects and what they see on the ground,” says Anthony Lambkin, vice president of operations at Electrify America, which operates nearly 1,000 stations across the U.S.
Consumers are a little less optimistic. Tesla’s 103,000 charging sessions showed average charging speeds of 90 kW, less than half the maximum, according to Recurrent Auto, a battery-tracking startup.
In a recent JD Power study Electric vehicle owners rated public charging speeds near the bottom of the 10 categories studied. Brent Gruber, executive director of J.D. Power’s electric vehicles division, believes that consumers’ expectations are disappointed when they see numbers (kilowatts) on the charger when the actual values are lower.
Maximum charging speed is a deciding factor for EV buyers
Car manufacturers have also realized that maximum charging speed is a decisive factor for car buyers and they increase it in new models“There will be catch-up on the technology side, which should catch up on the charging curve side,” Lambkin says.
But for now, the best way to deal with the unpredictable is to prepare for it, Bloomberg notes. Before you set off on your electric car journey, have a detailed plan. Plug your destination into a route-planning app, research charging network apps and check out Plugshare, a crowdsourced charger review platform. And set aside extra time for the unexpected (like busy charger plugs).
