Tom Moloughney tested the American electric vehicle at three different DC fast charging stations. The quickest station was not the most powerful one.
- Is it worth investing in a 350 kW DC fast charger when the Chevrolet Equinox EV is limited to accepting 150 kW?
- Tom Moloughney tested three different fast chargers to see if there was a noticeable difference.
- Surprisingly, the 250 kW charger had the shortest charging session, not the 350 kW charger.
The battery's focus on longevity results in longer charging times, which is higher than what is typically accepted in modern electric vehicles.
Will ultimately receive that power.
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Let's start with the 150 kW Electrify America session. The stall can deliver a maximum of 350 amps, which necessitates an increase in voltage to 430 V to deliver the full power. However, as we previously determined, the Equinox EV’s battery pack cannot reach 400 V and requires 500 amps to achieve full speed. Neither of these requirements was met by the EA charger, so the power level never exceeded 96 kW, resulting in a 10% to 80% top-up in a slow 44 minutes.
The 250 kW Tesla Supercharger was the fastest among the three, despite being in the middle in terms of power. The Equinox EV maintained its charge at over 100 kW longer than the 350 kW EVgo charger, resulting in a total charging time of 40 minutes. By contrast, the EVgo charger started limiting its power after 14 minutes of charging and dropped below 100 kW after about 16 minutes. Ultimately, the 350 kW station required one additional minute compared to the 250 kW Tesla Supercharger to reach 80% charge.
In the case of the Equinox EV, it makes sense to opt for DC fast chargers that offer over 200 kW, given that higher amperage is required to fully leverage the car's capabilities. Nevertheless, the distinctions between 150 kW, 250 kW, and 350 kW DC fast chargers are relatively minor in terms of charging times—only a five-minute difference between the slowest and the fastest.