The Hyundai Ioniq can already benefit from our 175 kW chargers by charging at up to 70 kW which is 50% faster than on a 50 kW charger. This reduces the charge time from 30 minutes to around 20 minutes. We have found that for instance taxi drivers love this reduction in charge time since it enables them to take more rides per day and simply earn more money.
4. Fast charging, station capacity and economies of scale Fast charging stations will be key to charging large numbers of electric vehicles.Charging an electric car will be a mix of home charging, destination charging (at work, a supermarket, hotels, etc.), public slow charging and public fast charging.
As we move towards a larger share of pure EVs on the road, its increasingly important to think about the "total cost of infrastructure" to charge these cars, including the cost of grid connections, grid upgrades and land use. Economies of scale can dramatically lower the cost to operate a network of fast charging stations and thus lower prices for consumers.
Besides economies of scale, there are other distinct advantages of clustering fast chargers on a single site. Fast charging stations with multiple chargers and a canopy can provide great brand visibility and thus drive growth at high-traffic locations. Stations with a roof also provide cover (and can generate electricity through solar panels) and make it easier to provide additional services in the future.
Capacity of fast charging stations Stations with two typical 50 kW fast chargers can provide a — conservatively estimated — maximum of 560 kWh per day. This enables 2.800 km electric kilometers per day. I base this on the historical data we already have on fast charging behaviour of our customers:
- Fast charging stations are mostly used between 07:00 and 23:00 — 16 hours of use per day.
- A maximum of 50% utilisation during the hours of use (half of the chargers are in use during these 16 hours).
- On average an EV charges at 70% of the maximum that a fast charger can provide (not all EVs will be able to charge at full speed for the entire charge session).
In the coming years, more vehicles become capable of charging with high speeds. With more powerful chargers a single station can serve more vehicles. Now let's see what happens when we upgrade a 2x 50 kW station to 4x 175 kW or to 8x 175 kW: