Charging networks like Electrify America, EVGo and Tesla's Superchargers allow drivers to quickly recharge and get back on the road. Contact online >>
Charging networks like Electrify America, EVGo and Tesla's Superchargers allow drivers to quickly recharge and get back on the road.
The first thing you'll want to know is what DC fast charging connector type your electric car uses. This will dictate, for the most part, what type of fast charging stations you'll have access to. For most non-Tesla EVs, you're most likely looking at a Combined Charging System, or CCS port that you can connect to networks like Electrify America (EA) or EVGo. Meanwhile, Tesla cars use their own North American Charging Standard (NACS) port that works with its Supercharger network.
Recently, Tesla has opened its charging standard and a portion of the Supercharging network to EVs outside of its brand. This led a wave of automakers (and even one electric motorcycle builder) to announce compatibility via an adapter with many going as far as announcing plans to outright switch to Tesla's NACS port in their future EVs -- something to keep in mind over the next few years.
Ford was the first of a wave of automakers to announce adoption of Tesla's NACS connector and charging standard.
Additionally, there's a third DC fast charging standard to be aware of, ye olde ChaDeMo connection. Today, the chunky port is only found on the aging Nissan Leaf EV and, when that model is phased out over the next few years, ChaDeMo will leave with it.
The next thing you'll want to suss out is the charging rate supported by your EV's onboard charger. Every electric car has a sort of electronic speed limit, measured in kilowatts, that dictates how quickly its battery pack can absorb energy from a DC fast charging station. This number isn't constant across the entire state of charge -- it's more of a charging curve that varies based on multiple factors -- but that's OK. All you really need to know is the theoretical maximum charging speed, which will dictate what stations will deliver an optimal charging experience close to what the automaker advertises.
For example, in order to take advantage of the fastest 225 kW charging on the Porsche Taycan to zip from 10% to 80% in 21 minutes or the Kia EV6's 233 kW 18-minute charge, you'll need to connect to a charging station that can reach their maximum speed. That means looking for a 350 kW EVGo or EA station. Charging at a 150 kW plug will add minutes to your charging time -- though, in practice not so much that I'd avoid them.
Most EVs on the market tend to hang out in the 120 to 150 kW sweet spot where most of the network chargers also happen to live. However, some older or cheaper EVs may charge more slowly. The Chevrolet Bolt -- the cheapest EV you can buy today -- has a maximum DC charging rate of around 55 kW, which is essentially the minimum to be considered "fast charging." Almost any station on the grid will saturate that 1 hour 10-80% speed, so there's no benefit to seeking a faster 350 kW plug.
You'll notice that I'm giving 10-80% charging times rather than 0-100%. That's for two reasons. First, ideally you'll never find yourself coasting into a charging station with a totally flat battery. Also, as I mentioned, the charging rate for most EVs varies across the state of charge and, for most cars, charging outside of the 10-80% sweet spot is significantly slower.
An EV that takes 30 minutes to charge to 80% may take up to an additional hour to reach 100%. That's why many automakers and most charging station operators recommend getting back on the road at 80% as the most efficient use of your time.
Now that you know what connector your car uses and what charging speeds to look for, you have what you need to search for and filter DC fast charging stations along your route. This can sometimes be done with the software built into your electric car's dashboard, with the most advanced systems able to automatically plan and suggest routes based on your destination and driving habits and the best of them offering live info about the charger's status and availability.
Tesla, for example, is able to offer a deep level of integration between its vehicles and Supercharger network, giving its drivers the confidence to just hit the road and trust the car and the network to coordinate to let them know when and where to charge. Mercedes-Benz also offers detailed live charger data, but the consistency of that data can vary across the multiple charging networks it supports.
Becoming familiar with your chosen charging network's mobile app (whether EA, EVGo, Blink or Tesla) is also a great way to find stations. Apps like PlugShare and A Better Route Planner, which I'll discuss later, can be helpful to aggregate station data for multiple charging networks, but you'll probably need each network's native apps regardless, to authenticate and start your charging session, and which should guarantee the most up to date info about charging rates, availability and cost.
The good news is that many new EVs include some sort of discounted or subsidized DC fast charging plan. So if you stay within the supported network, charging could be completely free. Ford, for example, offers 250 kilowatt-hours of free Electrify America charging sessions with its Mach E and Lightning, Kia offers 1,000 kWh, and Mercedes-Benz offers unlimited free 30-minute sessions for the first two years of ownership.
But what about beyond the free trial or for EVs that don't qualify? In some states, charging networks charge by the kilowatt-hour; in others, laws require charging by the minute. Either way, rates can vary by region, network or even by time of day. EVGo, for example, has different prices for on-peak, off-peak and early bird periods. Additionally, some charging networks also charge a small fee at the beginning of each session and an idling fee if you leave your EV plugged in for an extended period post-charging (usually after around 10 minutes).
My home of California is a per-kWh state with Electrify America prices in my region averaging around $0.48/kWh -- quite a bit more than the state average of around $0.30 I get at home. Which means a 20-to-80% charge in our long-term Kia EV6 test car is around $26.
Or at least, it was before I started taking advantage of EA's membership program. Some charging networks offer subscription services that, for a monthly fee, grant access to discounted charging rates. So, for $4 per month, the Electrify America Pass Plus program knocks the cost down to $0.36 per kWh or around $18 per 20-to-80% charge in the same Kia, paying for itself in just one session. EVGo has multiple membership tiers that eliminate session fees and unlock discounts and the ability to reserve a charger.
If you're the kind of person who likes to plan before hitting the road, I also highly recommend checking out A Better Route Planner.
ABRP is an indispensable tool for planning long EV road trips spanning multiple charging networks.
Available either as a web or mobile app, ABRP allows users to input their vehicle type, state of charge, starting point and destination, returning a detailed route map complete with where and how long each charging stop should be. Users can customize how low their charge can go, how much range they'd like to arrive with and what charging networks they prefer.
The basic functions of the service are free, but a paid premium subscription tier enables even more advanced route planning features and compatibility with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, bringing its excellent EV road trip planning to the dashboard. As a frequent long-hauler, I think the ease of use and peace of mind is well worth the 5 euro monthly or 50 euro annual cost (around $5.43 and $54.30 at time of publication) -- especially if you only sub for the months you'll be traveling.
An electrical current is always either AC (alternating current) or DC (direct current). An EV battery requires DC - so how does a DC fast charger work?
In the world of electric cars, you'll come across two types of chargers: AC and DC. AC chargers (such as those in your home) switch to DC using a converter in the vehicle itself. In contrast, DC fast chargers (like certain publicly available models) convert from the grid's AC before the current reaches the car.
As a general rule, DC fast chargers charge your EV much quicker than AC chargers, usually within an hour. This is simply because they use more power, forcing your battery to charge faster.
As will be explained in further detail in the next section, providing an exact figure for the speed of DC fast charging is impossible.
It depends on various factors, including the following:
Make the most of the speed of DC fast chargers by following a few simple pieces of advice:
When you use a Level 1 or Level 2 charger, it draws AC from the grid (all the power on the electrical grid is single- or three-phase AC). Storing chemical energy in a battery, ready to release it as an electrical charge, requires DC, so the alternating current must go through an AC/DC converter.
Your electric car has an AC/DC converter in its charging system. The converter has a certain power ('Wattage'), the rate at which it changes AC to DC. For example, most Teslas have an 11.5 kW converter at a max current of 48 amps. (Except for the Model 3 RWD, which has a 7.7 kW converter at 32 amps.)
In a DCFC (DC fast charger), though, the converter can be found in the charge point itself (as opposed to the car). For this reason, it can be much larger and, therefore, more powerful.
You'll find fast chargers ranging from 15 kW to 350 kW, with ongoing research and investment responsible for an ever-increasing rate of technological growth. For instance, the newest generation of Superchargers in the Tesla network have power capacities of 250 kW.
Once you connect the fast charger, your vehicle's limitations come into play.
Each model will have a different 'acceptance rate'. For example, if your EV has a maximum acceptance rate of 50 kW, it will charge at approximately the same speed and power whether you use a 50 kW or a 250 kW DC fast charger.
These acceptance rates protect the car's batteries. Generally, older EVs have much lower acceptance rates than newer models.
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