Why is the charge rate lower than advertised? Can I speed it up?
Does your charge point give a higher rate of charge than the one your currently experiencing? There could be a few reasons for that
Most charge points on the Clenergy EV Network will charge at a rate of 22kWh, and this is classified as a fast charge. However, only fully electrical vehicles will charge at this rate. PHEVs will never charge at 22kWh, usually maxing out at 3.7kWh.
This is due to the battery cell in hybrid vehicles being relatively small. If it took in a charge at a speed any higher, it would overheat the battery and likely render it unusable long term.
A fully electric vehicle has a larger battery than PHEVs, so can take a full charge easily, without harming battery life. However this charge rate can still be dependent on a few different factors, as detailed below:
Direct Charging refers to the electricity supply directly charging the battery. It doesn't need converting or "alternating", like on an Alternate Charge (AC).
Direct Charging refers to the electricity supply directly charging the battery. It doesn't need converting or "alternating", like on an Alternate Charge (AC).
There can be two main reasons for this:
- Is your battery at 80+% charge? If so, the car's battery management system (BMS) will now start to limit the charge rate. This means your car will only charge at a slower rate - so you may be better off finishing your charge there and then, and moving on to the next one. The first 80% of your charge could end up being quicker than the final 20%. Therefore you should get going when you hit 80% if you're in a rush.
- Some vehicles simply can't make use of the higher ultra-rapid speeds. The UK's most popular EV, the Nissan Leaf, can only charge up 50kWh - regardless of what the advertised charging speed is.
Some ultra-rapid chargers are being installed with 350 kWh capabilities - but these won't be powering electrical vehicles up to 350 kWh just yet, as no car is capable of this charge (as of writing).
Are you still having trouble? Clenergy EV have a 24/7 support for any EV driver stuck at our charge points, available on +44 (0) 3330 129095.