Charging Time/100km


Wolfgang Fahl

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E-Mobility: Why Charging Time and Costs are More Important than Range[edit]

"Recently, on a trip to Munich, I was asked again about the range of my electric car. But that's not the important issue," - as a long-time EV driver, I reply, "What's more crucial are the charging time and costs per 100 kilometers."

This experience highlights a widespread misunderstanding in the discussion about electric mobility. Two key factors determine the future:

  • Charging time/100 km
  • Costs/100 km

These parameters make it easier to compare EVs and combustion engine vehicles.

Our old Skoda diesel, for example, had a charging time/100km of 30s, assuming 5 min refueling time and 1000 km range. The costs/100km were 7.50 EUR at 1.50 EUR/l and 5 l/100 km consumption. Back then, the process was still called "refueling".

What Combustion Engine Drivers Often Misunderstand[edit]

  1. Charging characteristics: Batteries don't charge linearly. Up to 50% is quick, beyond 80% becomes significantly slower.
  2. Charging strategy: Often, it's more efficient to make several short charging stops instead of "filling up" once.
  3. Home charging: For many users, daily charging at home or work is sufficient and cheaper than public charging.
  4. Total costs: Besides electricity costs, time expenditure and comfort must be considered.

It's not the battery size that matters, but how quickly the battery can be charged! What good is a 100 kWh battery that can theoretically reach 1000 km at 80km/h after a full charge, if I can only charge it at 22 kW from household power? Then I need about 5 hours for charging, which corresponds to 30 minutes of charging time per 100km.

It's much more sensible to half-fill a 40 kWh battery in 6 minutes at a 400 kW charging station - this results in 3 min/100km as charging performance at 120 km/h and 20 kW required power. Although this is 6 times slower than diesel, it changes the total travel time less than the question of how long a bathroom break or traffic jam delays the journey, even on long-distance trips.

Comparison of Example Trips[edit]

The following table shows some vehicles and trips for illustration:

Route Vehicle Battery
(kWh) 		Max.
Charging
Power
(kW) 		Avg.
Charging
Power
(kW) 		Consumption
(kWh/100km) 		Electricity
Costs
(€/kWh) 		Charging
Time/
100km
(min) 		Costs/
100km
(€) 		Max
Speed
(km/h) 		Avg.
Speed
(km/h) 		Σ h Δ h
Hamburg - Munich (780 km) Luxury EV 75 175 100 25 0.50 15 12.50 200 120 7.5 +1.5
Cologne - Frankfurt (190 km) Mid-range EV 50 100 70 20 0.45 17 9.00 160 100 2.2 +0.3
Cologne - Düsseldorf (40 km) City EV 22 50 40 16 0.30 24 4.80 130 80 0.5 0

Explanation of Table Columns[edit]

  • Battery: Capacity of the battery
  • Max./Avg. Charging Power: Maximum and average charging power
  • Consumption: Energy consumption per 100 km
  • Electricity Costs: Price per kWh (varies by charging location and time)
  • Charging Time/100km: Time needed to charge for 100 km of driving
  • Costs/100km: Total costs for 100 km of driving
  • Max/Avg. Speed: Maximum and average speed
  • Σ h: Total travel time including charging times
  • Δ h: Time difference compared to a combustion engine vehicle

Analysis of Example Routes[edit]

  • Hamburg - Munich: Despite higher speed and range, the Luxury EV needs at least one charging stop, resulting in a total travel time of 7.5 hours - 1.5 hours more than a comparable combustion engine vehicle.
  • Cologne - Frankfurt: The Mid-range EV can complete the route without an intermediate stop, but needs a charging break for the return trip.
  • Cologne - Düsseldorf: Ideal commuter route for the City EV, no charging needed en route.

Economic Efficiency and User-Friendliness[edit]

  • Commuter routes: Charging at home or work is significantly cheaper and more convenient.
  • Long-distance routes: Fast charging stations are more expensive but time-efficient. Optimizing charging stops is crucial.

Necessary Improvements for the Future[edit]

Expansion and Improvement of Charging Infrastructure[edit]

Measure Metrics
Expansion of charging network
  • Charging points per 1000 registered EVs
  • Charging points per 100 km of highway
  • Charging points per km² in urban areas
Performance of charging stations
  • Average charging power in kW
  • Proportion of fast charging stations (>150 kW) in the overall network
  • Maximum charging power of top models
Reliability and availability
  • Availability rate of charging stations
  • Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
  • Repair time for malfunctions
Reservation systems
  • Proportion of reservable charging stations
  • Advance booking time for reservations
  • Cancellation rate
Billing processes
  • Number of accepted payment methods
  • Average duration of payment process
  • Customer satisfaction with billing process
Integration of renewable energies
  • Proportion of renewable energy in charging electricity
  • CO2 footprint per kWh charged
  • Number of charging stations with own solar system
Charging comfort
  • Proportion of covered charging stations
  • Availability of sanitary facilities
  • Provision of catering options
Standardization
  • Number of different plug types
  • Compatibility rate between vehicles and charging stations
  • Degree of interoperability between charging networks

Target Values and Current Status[edit]

Necessary Improvements for the Future[edit]

Economic Efficiency
Metric Status 2024 Goal 2026 Goal 2030
Avg. costs/100km ? ? ?
Avg. costs/kWh at fast charging stations ? ? ?
Performance
Metric Status 2024 Goal 2026 Goal 2030
Avg. charging power/100km ? ? ?
Fast charging points per 1000 km highway ? ? ?
Fast charging points per 1000 EVs ? ? ?
Avg. power of fast charging points ? ? ?
Reliability
Metric Status 2024 Goal 2026 Goal 2030
Availability rate ? ? ?
Proportion of reservable fast charging stations ? ? ?
Proportion of automatic pay-by-plug ? ? ?
Comfort
Metric Status 2024 Goal 2026 Goal 2030
Proportion of covered fast charging stations ? ? ?
Proportion of fast charging stations with toilets ? ? ?
Proportion of fast charging stations with catering options ? ? ?
Sustainability
Metric Status 2024 Goal 2026 Goal 2030
Proportion of renewable energy in charging electricity ? ? ?
CO2 footprint per kWh charged ? ? ?

Conclusion[edit]

Focusing on charging time/100km and costs/100km as main criteria will drive e-mobility forward.


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