Video: Primer on electric vehicle charging. How long does it really take?

[Administrator]

Here's a great primer on charging electric vehicles. Not all of the info is applicable specifically to Tesla vehicles and superchargers, but since we have many members here new to electric vehicles, this is a helpful intro to the world and lingo of EV charging.

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[Devix]

Nice video.
After 2 years of Model S, let me say: it depends!!!
You will never (or a few times) get home with 0% battery and never need 100% the morning after.
When you travel and charge at Tesla Supercharger stations, mostly you don't need to charge up to 100%, but you need the charge to reach the following Supercharger or your destination. Max charging speed is up to 50%, than it still remain good up to 80%. Over that point, if you don't really need it, you'd better go.
www.abetterrouteplanner.com is a nice tool to learn how to manage your charge.
Nothing difficult, you'll get used to very quickly.

 

[Saskateam]

This week I drove 525 km on Wednesday and 492km Thursday at -30C with a wind and no supercharger on route. I do this regularly and will need to get from almost 0 to 100% at least once per week with the CT. I hope to have a super charger where I live so I can stop and charge for 20-40 minutes before going home to top up to 100% as needed. My plan is to keep the CT around 80% for the rest of the week.

 

[ajdelange]

I find it very helpful to think of your electric vehicle's energy requirement in the same way you think of your ICE vehicle's gasoline (or diesel) requirement. If you need to go 325 miles and your car makes 20 miles per gallon you will need 325/20 = 16.25 gallons and you'd better have that much in the tank (plus reserve) before setting out. If you don't, then you had better put it in. If the tank is empty and you live way out in the country on a farm you will probably have a gas tank on the farm and you will go to it and start pumping gas. The length of time it takes to put the 16.25 gal in depends on how many gallons per minute the pump can supply. The situation with a BEV is exactly the same except that the "fuel" unit is the kilowatt hour (kWh), the fuel consumption is the kilowatt hour per mile (kWh/mi) and the pump speed is in killowatt hours per hour or just kilowatts (kW).

Now most of us don't live on a farm. We just "fill 'er up" when the gas gauge gets below 1/4 as the pumps at the gas stations are fast enough to fill most vehicles in a few minutes. Operating a BEV makes refueling easier in that you don't have to go to the gas station. You just plug your car in at home from time much as you do your cell phone (as Elon likes to point out). You really don't have to think about this most of the time any more than you do about your cell phone but a prospective first time owner of a BEV is totally justified in asking how long will it take to charge his car. The answer is the same as it is for an ICE vehicle i.e. the number of miles additional range required multiplied by the amount of fuel used in going a mile divided by the speed of the pump. For example of Saskateam needs to go 325 miles (525 km) in a vehicle that uses 0.5 kWh to go a mile (CT) he'll need 162.5 kWh. If his pump (the charger really is, in fact, a pump) supplies 11.5 kW (60 amp circuit) then it will require 162.5/11.5 = 14.1 hours. If his pump is a Super Charger rated at 150 kW it will take 162.5/150 = 1.08 hr (ignoring taper).

Once you know the energy consumption rates of your vehichle it becomes a pretty simple matter to work out charging times. With driving experience you will learn what those requirements are under various driving conditions.

 

[Ehninger1212]

This week I drove 525 km on Wednesday and 492km Thursday at -30C with a wind and no supercharger on route. I do this regularly and will need to get from almost 0 to 100% at least once per week with the CT. I hope to have a super charger where I live so I can stop and charge for 20-40 minutes before going home to top up to 100% as needed. My plan is to keep the CT around 80% for the rest of the week.

Is that for your job? Normal commute with errands in between? I think the temp will be your biggest factor. You will be able to preheat vehicle before you leave which will help. Would your employer allow you to charge while at work?

 

[Saskateam]

It is for my work. My employer is the electric utility. I hope I can charge at work but at this point not likely. I am going to be getting adaptors so I can charge from just about any plug in I find on route if I cannot make it on a full charge.

 

[ajdelange]

The practical range for these vehicles in 80% of the EPA range. Thus a 500 mile rated TriMotor has a practical range of 400 mi (642 km). That goes with a rated consumption of about 500 Wh/mi (309 Wh/km). Rain alone is sufficient to increase consumption by 33% and thus reduce range to 3/4 and the practical range of the CT comes down to 300 mi (482 km). Cold weather, grade, dirt roads, headwinds etc. all reduce range even further. It is clear if one needs to drive a CT 525 km a day that some type of charging will be required during the day. Fourteen hours of charging at home overnight might be a problem too. The 14 hours calculated above is the best that could be done with the current chargers in Tesla cars. If they go back to 72 Amp chargers that would drop to 9.4 hrs. I suppose tge "good" news is that you have plenty of time to figure out what you might do.

 

[ReddykwRun]

I find it very helpful to think of your electric vehicle's energy requirement in the same way you think of your ICE vehicle's gasoline (or diesel) requirement. If you need to go 325 miles and your car makes 20 miles per gallon you will need 325/20 = 16.25 gallons and you'd better have that much in the tank (plus reserve) before setting out. If you don't, then you had better put it in. If the tank is empty and you live way out in the country on a farm you will probably have a gas tank on the farm and you will go to it and start pumping gas. The length of time it takes to put the 16.25 gal in depends on how many gallons per minute the pump can supply. The situation with a BEV is exactly the same except that the "fuel" unit is the kilowatt hour (kWh), the fuel consumption is the kilowatt hour per mile (kWh/mi) and the pump speed is in killowatt hours per hour or just kilowatts (kW).

Now most of us don't live on a farm. We just "fill 'er up" when the gas gauge gets below 1/4 as the pumps at the gas stations are fast enough to fill most vehicles in a few minutes. Operating a BEV makes refueling easier in that you don't have to go to the gas station. You just plug your car in at home from a time much as you do your cell phone (as Elon likes to point out). You really don't have to think about this most of the time any more than you do about your cell phone but a prospective first-time owner of a BEV is totally justified in asking how long will it take to charge his car. The answer is the same as it is for an ICE vehicle i.e. the number of miles additional range required multiplied by the amount of fuel used in going a mile divided by the speed of the pump. For example of Saskateam needs to go 325 miles (525 km) in a vehicle that uses 0.5 kWh to go a mile (CT) he'll need 162.5 kWh. If his pump (the charger really is, in fact, a pump) supplies 11.5 kW (60 amp circuit) then it will require 162.5/11.5 = 14.1 hours. If his pump is a Super Charger rated at 150 kW it will take 162.5/150 = 1.08 hr (ignoring taper).

Once you know the energy consumption rates of your vehicle it becomes a pretty simple matter to work out charging times. With driving experience, you will learn what those requirements are under various driving conditions.

Thanks A.J., you always know how to explain it so knuckle-dragging, mouth breathers like me can understand. Pretty sharp skill exchanging information so the recipient can see the light. Look forward to your replys on various topics.

 

[Mule Ferguson]

Nice video.
After 2 years of Model S, let me say: it depends!!!
You will never (or a few times) get home with 0% battery and never need 100% the morning after.
When you travel and charge at Tesla Supercharger stations, mostly you don't need to charge up to 100%, but you need the charge to reach the following Supercharger or your destination. Max charging speed is up to 50%, than it still remain good up to 80%. Over that point, if you don't really need it, you'd better go.
www.abetterrouteplanner.com is a nice tool to learn how to manage your charge.
Nothing difficult, you'll get used to very quickly.

Also: when you are charging at a SC if it get's charged enough to go to the next SC it will warn you how many minutes you have to unplug before you will get charged Idle Fee. It ain't cheap$$$$$$$$ I"m guilty.

Nice video.
After 2 years of Model S, let me say: it depends!!!
You will never (or a few times) get home with 0% battery and never need 100% the morning after.
When you travel and charge at Tesla Supercharger stations, mostly you don't need to charge up to 100%, but you need the charge to reach the following Supercharger or your destination. Max charging speed is up to 50%, than it still remain good up to 80%. Over that point, if you don't really need it, you'd better go.
www.abetterrouteplanner.com is a nice tool to learn how to manage your charge.
Nothing difficult, you'll get used to very quickly.

Warning. Idle Fee

 

[ajdelange]

How long does it take? Long enough that you will be bored if the SC is at a convenience store but not long enough that you can settle in for a nice leisurely dinner if the SC is adjacent to a nice restaurant.

In trying to wrap my head around what a 50 stall (Shanghai, Beijing) or 40 stall (Kettleman) super charger must be like when busy I perceive a business opportunity. Pull up to reception, tell the valet how much charge you want, hand him your key or fob and wander off to coffee shop, restaurant or shops. When you return go to the pickup spot and collect your car/truck. Considering the number of Teslas on the road now (tiny percentage) and the density of charging stalls it looks pretty plain that the Kettleman model is going to be more prevalent as time marches on.

 

[dempster]

How long does it take? Long enough that you will be bored if the SC is at a convenience store but not long enough that you can settle in for a nice leisurely dinner if the SC is adjacent to a nice restaurant.

In trying to wrap my head around what a 50 stall (Shanghai, Beijing) or 40 stall (Kettleman) super charger must be like when busy I perceive a business opportunity. Pull up to reception, tell the valet how much charge you want, hand him your key or fob and wander off to coffee shop, restaurant or shops. When you return go to the pickup spot and collect your car/truck. Considering the number of Teslas on the road now (tiny percentage) and the density of charging stalls it looks pretty plain that the Kettleman model is going to be more prevalent as time marches on.

Well, for cars that will inevitably be driving themselves in the future, I envision a future where the cars will automatically leave the charging locations once your charging is complete...

Self driving cars + maybe these?

 

[ajdelange]

Well I thought the video a little obscene but yes, something like that. It's being done experimentally in Europe I believe.

With something like that or the valet model you improve but do not solve the problem. After charging when the robot leaves or the valet moves your car to a parking spot it is still consuming a resource: the parking spot. A parking spot may not be as valuable as a parking spot with a charging stall but is still valuable. I suppose this means we could pay a parking fee much less than the idle fee and people ought to be comfortable with that.

 

[Mule Ferguson]

https://www.fastcompany.com/90347555/this-electric-road-charges-your-car-while-you-drive

 

[Saskateam]

How long does it take? Long enough that you will be bored if the SC is at a convenience store but not long enough that you can settle in for a nice leisurely dinner if the SC is adjacent to a nice restaurant.

I see a business opportunity for a food truck or hot dog stand or ice cream stand at a super charger station.

 

[ajdelange]

At the Joyce Kilmer Rest Area (I think that I shall never see, a place as lovely to stop and pee...) on the New Jersey Turnpike the SC is right next to Nathan's Famous Hot Dog's (famous in the NY metropolitan area, that is). There are lots of other food vendors there too but the place is so mobbed that it's even a rush to get a burger or dog before the car is finished charging.

The Coaticook Dairy (in QC) has retail ice cream sales and their product is so good that it is also mobbed (in the summer) but they have only a Destination Charger and your charge is hardly complete by the time you waddle back to the car having taken on more joules in your person than the car has.