Charging Time/100km

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

"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

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

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

• 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

• 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

• 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

Expansion and Improvement of Charging Infrastructure

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

Necessary Improvements for the Future

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

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

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