3 ms·

5 years ago, the most common EV on the road only went 84 miles to a charge and couldn't charge faster than about 45 kW. Today, you can get EVs with 500 mile ran

5 years ago, the most common EV on the road only went 84 miles to a charge and couldn't charge faster than about 45 kW. Today, you can get EVs with 500 mile ranges and charge at over 300 kW. By the mid-2030s when EVs are supposed to be the only thing on new car lots, they'll probably take less time to charge than pumping gas did.

jefftk 4y ago
You're comparing the most common EV on the road five years ago with the longest-range option available today. What you're saying could be true even if EVs hadn't advanced at all!
peteradio 4y ago
Am I computing this correctly? Assuming charger is at 120V, P = VI -> I = 300*1000/120 = 2500 Amps? That's a lot of juice...
- dangrossman 4y ago
  EVs "quick charge" at 350-1000V. The charging stations today typically go up to 350 amps.
  - peteradio 4y ago
    Interesting, wonder what the hard limits on voltage are? 350 amps @ 1000V must have one hell of a cord! Would be interesting to see what this station looks like.
    - dangrossman 4y ago
      Type "Electrify America" into Google and hit the images tab. The majority of their 788 sites include one or more 350 kW stations. The cords are probably over an inch thick, I've never measured, but no thicker than a fuel hose for a gas pump. They're liquid cooled to carry that current without overheating.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
ajford 4y ago
There's also no reason cars really need to charge that fast. Most people park their cars for hours at a time, either at home or work or a store. Imagine if every parking spot in an apartment had a slow charger that could charge your car overnight. Simply plug in and activate and it properly charges your apartment. And now your employer makes it a free perk, or teams up with the electric co. so that you could do the same at work and get charged market rates directly. Perhaps malls or larger stores provide a similar slow charger without the insane upcharge of Level 2 chargers. Heck, imagine something similar to parking validation. If you make purchases at the store or see a movie or whatever, then you get a code to "validate" your charging so you get the cost (or a portion) waived. With infrastructure like that, then you only need fast chargers when you travel long distances, such as between states or cities.
- theshrike79 4y ago
  This is the way. People need to get over their mental view of "refueling" being a thing you do when your tank is almost empty and then you fill it to the brim. It's perfectly workable to charge 50km of range while you're at the grocery store, maybe 100km while you're at work and another 100-150km overnight at home. I've got a 230V/12A capable plug on my parking spot and I don't bother to plug in every night. A full charge would take around ~18 hours (10% to 100%), but my daily drives rarely take me under 50% and I don't charge to a 100% because the manufacturer recommendation is to keep the car at 80% unless you're going for a longer trip. The only time I visit a fast charger is when I go see my family, who live a bit beyond my car's comfortable max range. I stop half way for 20 minutes to top up a bit from a 50kW charger (old car, slow charging =) ) and grab some food from the local shop while I'm at it. I don't need to charge to a 100% during the stop, 15-20% of charge is perfectly enough to get me to my destination - where I have a 230V/10A plug to charge overnight.
  - lambda_dn 4y ago
    Seems like a pain, having to top your car up all the time like an old phone. Prefer one 5 min stop a fortnight to fill the tank up, until an EV can do similar they will remain a niche product.
nonethewiser 4y ago
What EV has 500mile range?
- dangrossman 4y ago
  Lucid Air. Dream Edition trim is EPA rated over 500 miles, and achieved over 500 miles in Edmunds' real-world range testing. It's also the car that charges the fastest, I believe.

jefftk 4y ago

You're comparing the most common EV on the road five years ago with the longest-range option available today. What you're saying could be true even if EVs hadn't advanced at all!

peteradio 4y ago

Am I computing this correctly? Assuming charger is at 120V, P = VI -> I = 300*1000/120 = 2500 Amps? That's a lot of juice...

dangrossman 4y ago
EVs "quick charge" at 350-1000V. The charging stations today typically go up to 350 amps.
- peteradio 4y ago
  Interesting, wonder what the hard limits on voltage are? 350 amps @ 1000V must have one hell of a cord! Would be interesting to see what this station looks like.
  - dangrossman 4y ago
    Type "Electrify America" into Google and hit the images tab. The majority of their 788 sites include one or more 350 kW stations. The cords are probably over an inch thick, I've never measured, but no thicker than a fuel hose for a gas pump. They're liquid cooled to carry that current without overheating.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]

ajford 4y ago

There's also no reason cars really need to charge that fast. Most people park their cars for hours at a time, either at home or work or a store. Imagine if every parking spot in an apartment had a slow charger that could charge your car overnight. Simply plug in and activate and it properly charges your apartment. And now your employer makes it a free perk, or teams up with the electric co. so that you could do the same at work and get charged market rates directly. Perhaps malls or larger stores provide a similar slow charger without the insane upcharge of Level 2 chargers. Heck, imagine something similar to parking validation. If you make purchases at the store or see a movie or whatever, then you get a code to "validate" your charging so you get the cost (or a portion) waived. With infrastructure like that, then you only need fast chargers when you travel long distances, such as between states or cities.

theshrike79 4y ago
This is the way. People need to get over their mental view of "refueling" being a thing you do when your tank is almost empty and then you fill it to the brim. It's perfectly workable to charge 50km of range while you're at the grocery store, maybe 100km while you're at work and another 100-150km overnight at home. I've got a 230V/12A capable plug on my parking spot and I don't bother to plug in every night. A full charge would take around ~18 hours (10% to 100%), but my daily drives rarely take me under 50% and I don't charge to a 100% because the manufacturer recommendation is to keep the car at 80% unless you're going for a longer trip. The only time I visit a fast charger is when I go see my family, who live a bit beyond my car's comfortable max range. I stop half way for 20 minutes to top up a bit from a 50kW charger (old car, slow charging =) ) and grab some food from the local shop while I'm at it. I don't need to charge to a 100% during the stop, 15-20% of charge is perfectly enough to get me to my destination - where I have a 230V/10A plug to charge overnight.
- lambda_dn 4y ago
  Seems like a pain, having to top your car up all the time like an old phone. Prefer one 5 min stop a fortnight to fill the tank up, until an EV can do similar they will remain a niche product.

nonethewiser 4y ago

What EV has 500mile range?

dangrossman 4y ago
Lucid Air. Dream Edition trim is EPA rated over 500 miles, and achieved over 500 miles in Edmunds' real-world range testing. It's also the car that charges the fastest, I believe.