The new era of electromobility has already began and people are getting more interested in it every day, especially after the State’s decision of providing subsidy for buying EV and chargers. The “Kinoume Ilektrika” program has gathered a lot of attention from interested buyers, although there are a lot of questions surrounding the charging stations and the types of chargers used.
A big question that is worth analyzing is the speed of a charging session when choosing a charger and the efficiency of it concerning the battery capacity of a vehicle.
Speaking of chargers, the best-known type of charger, among drivers, is the Mode 3 Charger. However, there are different types of Mode 3 chargers in the market and each one is different. Their charging power can vary from 3.7 kW to 22 kW. Everything, from the EV’s onboard charging capabilities to the amount of power the charger can provide, all affect the speed at which your car charges and whether your car is truly getting all the power it’s capable of using.
Determining Your Charging Time
The charging speed of a EV depends on its own ability. Specifically, the alternating current (AC) charging sessions, the power is determined by the on-board charger of the vehicle which determines the Amperes that it’s going to consume.
Vehicles are becoming more sophisticated with higher battery capacity every day. For example, in todays market the most popular battery electric vehicles (BEV’s) provide the possibility of AC charging ranged from 6.6 kW to 22 kW. Earlier EV range was around 50 miles! Now range is over 250 miles in many EVs, and the Tesla Model X boasts a range of well over 300 miles.
Curious about your estimated charging time? Find it by taking the battery capacity and dividing it by the onboard charger power rating. The average EV has a battery capacity of around 36 kWH, and average onboard power rating of 6.6kW, taking around 5.5 hours to charge the EV from empty to full, with the average Mode 3 charger.
High Capacity Batteries and the Future of EVsThe Model X has a usable battery capacity of 100 kWh, while the Tesla Cybertruck TriMotor has a battery capacity of over 200 kWh. With a 7.2 kW charger and a 100-kWh battery capacity, the vehicle takes nearly 14 hours to charge completely, while the Tesla Cybertruck TriMotor would take a whopping 28 hours! On the other hand, the DC chargers can accomplish faster charging sessions channeling greater quantity of energy directly to the vehicle battery. Despite the benefits this type of charger provides, it is accompanied by a great cost. Bearing in mind the great electrical requirements and the cost, it makes it more difficult to install a massive amount of these units at ones in urban centers. Meanwhile, the constant use of DC chargers may be harmful for the EV and prematurely drain battery life.
Cars with higher battery capacity are also not getting the power they could be. The average charger offers 7.2 kW power. Some models of the Tesla X can take in up to 22 kW, and the rest of the Tesla and luxury EV market are aiming to receive a minimum of 11 kW with their onboard chargers. Let us say you buy an EV with an onboard charger power rating of 6.6 kW, if you plug into a charger that offers 22 kW, then 6.6 is all you’re going to get. Why buy a car that can handle more power if there is not a charger that can provide it? What if there were?
The Blink Chargers Just Changed the Rules
Blink Chargers can provide up to 22 kW of power which is the highest amount of power AC Chargers can provide. This way, vehicles with on-board chargers, like Tesla or Smart EQ, can be fully charged in a matter of a few hours.
Blink Chargers can be equipped with one or two plugs. Two plugged chargers make it possible for to EVs to charge at he same time, which make them ideal to install in places like malls, companies, hotels, department stores and more.
Blink is an innovator. Together with the most cutting-edge EV manufacturers, we look forward to charging into the future with more power, more range, faster than ever before.