Wondering how fast an EV SUV charges? As an EV SUV owner, you’ll need to understand charging times when planning your daily drives. It helps to know how long it takes to charge Chevy EV SUVs at home compared to a public fast-charging station.
Keep reading to find out how quickly these different methods can charge your vehicle.
How Fast Does an EV SUV Charge?
Public DC Fast Station
Public fast-charging stations recharge significantly faster than home charging. The difference is a matter of minutes vs hours or days. The speed depends on the charging output of the station, your car’s model and battery size, how full the battery is, and other factors, but generally speaking, most EV SUVs can recharge from 10 to 80 percent in 20 to 40 minutes at a public fast-charging station.
What Makes Public DC Charging So Fast?
DC fast-charging stations use a powerful 480-volt connection, which isn’t possible at someone’s home. This is one reason for the faster charging, but the real difference comes down to how the grid’s AC current is converted into the battery’s DC current.
AC vs DC Power
The electrical grid uses AC power, but all EV batteries use DC power. At home, you’re pumping AC voltage directly into your car, which must convert it into DC power for the battery to store; this in-vehicle conversion process slows things down significantly.
In contrast, at a public DC fast-charging station, the grid’s AC power is converted more efficiently into DC power inside the station. This DC power is then pumped directly into your car’s battery, which is much faster.
Home Station
By contrast, 120-volt home charging will typically only replenish 3 to 5 miles of battery range per hour, which means many hours and sometimes days are required to reach 80 percent full. More powerful 240-volt chargers can sometimes be used at home. With a 240-volt charger, you might expect to reach 80 percent in 4 to 12 hours, which is a considerable improvement, but still nowhere near as quick as a public DC station.
How to Make Your Battery Last Longer In Chevy EV SUVs
Some EV drivers believe public DC fast-charging deteriorates the battery. However, studies have found that this deteriorating effect is negligible. Fast charging only increases battery degradation by about 0.1 percent.
If you want to preserve your battery’s lifespan, it’s more important to focus on avoiding extreme heat and cold. Also, try to avoid either fully depleting or fully charging your battery. EV batteries degrade more rapidly at both 0 and 100 percent charge. Keeping your battery between 20 and 80 percent is ideal for longevity.
For professional help maintaining your Chevy EV SUV, come to Airport Chevrolet GMC in Medford, OR. Since 1993, our family-owned and run dealership has been proudly serving drivers in Ashland, Central Point, Eagle Point, and White City.
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