If you want to recharge a full 300-mile Li-Ion battery in 5 minutes, you need to supply 1200 kW (1.2 MW) of power.
Which is why cloning the traditional centralised ICE refuelling station concept doesn’t work with EVs.
The United States struggles with 4.8 kW home chargers and 150 kW superchargers.
With an average daily usage of 20kWh for a 60 mile commute in a mix of stop and go and highway traffic, a 4.8 kW charger can top off your EV battery at home in 4 hours. A 2kW charger can do it in 10 hours.
That’s the mindset that needs to change. You shouldn’t have to visit an external charging station every few days to cram another 100kWh of power into your battery. You put a charge into your battery at home every night. It’s fully charged again every morning for your commute. The mega charging stations are then only used for long distance travel.
So, just like we built ICE refuelling stations dotted all over the place, we need to put in the infrastructure for localised EV charging at homes. Colder climates have the advantage already, as parking lots are already full of engine block heater connections and in a lot of euro countries they’re used for EV charging. It can be done, it’s just a change.
Lots of people live in apartments where charging is much more difficult. Hopefully some day we see lots of slow chargers available at apartment complexes. It’s a little chicken-and-egg, but I think we’re moving in the right direction.
Which is why cloning the traditional centralised ICE refuelling station concept doesn’t work with EVs.
With an average daily usage of 20kWh for a 60 mile commute in a mix of stop and go and highway traffic, a 4.8 kW charger can top off your EV battery at home in 4 hours. A 2kW charger can do it in 10 hours.
That’s the mindset that needs to change. You shouldn’t have to visit an external charging station every few days to cram another 100kWh of power into your battery. You put a charge into your battery at home every night. It’s fully charged again every morning for your commute. The mega charging stations are then only used for long distance travel.
So, just like we built ICE refuelling stations dotted all over the place, we need to put in the infrastructure for localised EV charging at homes. Colder climates have the advantage already, as parking lots are already full of engine block heater connections and in a lot of euro countries they’re used for EV charging. It can be done, it’s just a change.
Lots of people live in apartments where charging is much more difficult. Hopefully some day we see lots of slow chargers available at apartment complexes. It’s a little chicken-and-egg, but I think we’re moving in the right direction.