Charge speed is measured in kW and is determined by a number of different factors.
At our stations, you can find 50kW, 75kW, 150kW, and 350kW chargers but its important to note that the kW figure shown is the maximum power the charger can deliver.
If you notice that you're not getting the maximum charge rate, it might be due to the following reasons:
1. Your vehicle's maximum charge speed
Provided that the charger has the right connector for your vehicle, you can use any charger (even one with a higher maximum charge speed than what your vehicle supports). However, despite using a charger with a higher max charge speed, the charge speed will be limited to what your vehicle supports.
For example, you drive a car with a maximum charge speed of 50kW. You can use any of our chargers (i.e., a 350 kW charger), but you will not be able to charge faster than 50 kW.
It is also worth noting that while your vehicle's maximum charge speed may be 50kW, most vehicles are not capable of receiving their maximum charge speed for the entire duration of the charge.
2. Your battery percentage
A key factor is the vehicle battery percentage (also know as State of Charge). The charge speed will start to drop as your vehicle battery gets closer to 100%. Your vehicle's battery management system determines the power it will accept and as a result it will be different for each vehicle at different states of charge.
The graph below is an example of a charge curve. It demonstrates the charge speed (vertical axis, expressed in kW) depending on the battery percentage (horizontal axis).
In this example, the charge speed starts to drop when the car reaches 70% charge. It can also be seen that the drop is steeper once the battery reaches 80% + charge and therefore, the charge speed is significantly affected. As a result, it is less effective to fast charge once your vehicle hits 80%-90% charge.
It is important to note that the charge curve is different for each vehicle.
3. The temperature of your battery
The temperature of the battery is another factor that can significantly influence the charge speed. A battery performs optimally when the temperature is between 20° C and 30° C° (and in some cases 40° C for certain cars).
In winter the battery can get very cold (especially when parked outside). This can cause a slower charging speed. Warmer weather can also cause the battery to become too hot and result in a slower charging speed.
The level of influence weather has on a vehicle depends on the vehicle model. Some models are equipped with thermal management for the battery meaning it can be cooled or heated as a mode of intervention.
Fun fact - fast charging is an effective way to heat up your battery.
4. How busy the site is
Many of our chargers can charge two vehicles at the same time. This will be easily visible as two parking spots will share the same charger. In this case, on some occasions, your charge speed might be reduced as power is shared between two vehicles.
5. A charger issue
If you are receiving a slower than expected charging speed it is possible that there may be an issue with the charger. If none of the above factors seem to be contributing, it may be necessary to contact Evie Support.