I just had my best Supercharger session

[tnugentfl]

I wanted to share my recent experience with Supercharger charging speeds. I've noticed that Electrify America units have been outperforming Superchargers in terms of charging speed. However, this morning I had a breakthrough!

Using the A2Z adapter (instead of the Ford-approved adapter) and taking advantage of the cool early morning temperatures, I had a fantastic charging session. I went from 21% to 80% charge and averaged an impressive 133 kW, never dropping below 119 kW.

I'm unsure whether the A2Z adapter or the cooler temperatures were the main factor, but I suspect it was the latter. Has anyone else noticed similar improvements in charging speeds with cooler temperatures or alternative adapters?

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[Nikola 369]

I think part of your experience is due to ER battery size. If you look at the chart supplied by Ford, 15% to 80% on ER battery is 40min. That same chart on SR is 44min. If you factor in both trucks are set to 150KW max rate on DCFC and your battery has usable amount that is 33KWh larger………. Speaks to speed, that it finishes 4min faster. ER battery stays at high rate for longer……..it was a selling point.

 

[tnugentfl]

You are correct, but my issue has been derating on Superchargers and not on EA stations. Seems to be a handle temperature issue with the adapters. First solid session on a supercharger and I've used them frequently.

I think part of your experience is due to ER battery size. If you look at the chart supplied by Ford, 15% to 80% on ER battery is 40min. That same chart on SR is 44min. If you factor in both trucks are set to 150KW max rate on DCFC and your battery has usable amount that is 33KWh larger………. Speaks to speed, that it finishes 4min faster. ER battery stays at high rate for longer……..it was a selling point.

 

[marc_hanna]

This last week I was regularly charging on superchargers at 180kW. As much as I hate the price, they were consistently fast and reliable when crossed ng Canada.

 

[RickKeen]

Other places on the internet are reporting de-rating with the Tesla-built adapters on Rivian and better performance with the A2Z.

 

[TheBigBezo]

It's entirely dependent on temperatures. Using my A2Z adapter I've had it hold 110+kW to 80% and also derate to 80kW by 70%. The difference is that it usually derated when ambient temps were 100F. If it's cool out and you're preconditioned I imagine you'll pull full speeds the entire time regardless of adapter.

 

[RickLightning]

It's entirely dependent on temperatures. Using my A2Z adapter I've had it hold 110+kW to 80% and also derate to 80kW by 70%. The difference is that it usually derated when ambient temps were 100F. If it's cool out and you're preconditioned I imagine you'll pull full speeds the entire time regardless of adapter.

The only way to know if the adapter, or charger, is derating you is to use CarScanner.

ChgOa shows what the charger is offering.
ChgOAR shows what the truck is requesting.

I find that with Tesla, they nearly match, but with EA there is a gap.

With Tesla Superchargers in late March and early April, I saw speeds of 180kW.

In 3 years, I have never charged, or driven, in 100 degree temps.

 

[Ffxdude]

In the last week I’ve put on about 1300 mi in two separate road trips. I used the ford adapter and charged exclusively at Superchargers. 6 charge sessions and all but one pulled highs of 166-178. The one that was slower was an un planned stop for a bio break so I wasn't deep in the charge curve and that pulled 150s. Temps ranged from 65-80.

I will note that in the longer sessions that the release pin at the top was very hot to the touch.

I‘ve got another long trip on Monday with much hotter temps expected so we’ll see.

 

[Calvin H-C]

Using the A2Z adapter (instead of the Ford-approved adapter) and taking advantage of the cool early morning temperatures, I had a fantastic charging session.

Not just the early morning temperatures, but the early morning capacity and use of the charging station.

Charging stations simply do not draw what they are feeding vehicles straight from the grid, but use batteries of their own so they are either drawing a constant lower rate all the time, or altering what they take from the grid to take advantage of time of use pricing.

If you go at a time of day when fewer other cars are charging, a higher rate will be available per vehicle. Additionally, if you go at a time when there was less use prior to your arrival, the higher SOC of the station's batteries will likely permit higher charging rates. Or rather, the station likely throttles down charging rates when the SOC of its batteries drop below some threshold. Early morning may be a time of no throttling.

That's not to say that the temperature wasn't also a factor, just that the equation has a number of variables and you may have hit the sweet spot for the best result. That said, the things I've mentioned could change if more start following your practice. Mum's the word!

 

[tnugentfl]

Not just the early morning temperatures, but the early morning capacity and use of the charging station.

Charging stations simply do not draw what they are feeding vehicles straight from the grid, but use batteries of their own so they are either drawing a constant lower rate all the time, or altering what they take from the grid to take advantage of time of use pricing.

If you go at a time of day when fewer other cars are charging, a higher rate will be available per vehicle. Additionally, if you go at a time when there was less use prior to your arrival, the higher SOC of the station's batteries will likely permit higher charging rates. Or rather, the station likely throttles down charging rates when the SOC of its batteries drop below some threshold. Early morning may be a time of no throttling.

That's not to say that the temperature wasn't also a factor, just that the equation has a number of variables and you may have hit the sweet spot for the best result. That said, the things I've mentioned could change if more start following your practice. Mum's the word!

Not being argumentative, but this is not how most charging stations work. Batteries are not often employed, and dynamic power sharing is effective at not derating most users.

 

[Calvin H-C]

Not being argumentative, but this is not how most charging stations work. Batteries are not often employed, and dynamic power sharing is effective at not derating most users.

For the levels of power that DCFCs deliver, it is necessary.

If a station can charge three vehicles at 150 kW at the same time, look into the size of the switchgear needed to feed that.

I hadn't realized that until I tried an experimental DCFC near my home at a manufacturer when storage systems were a new thing. I was talking with one of their engineers who was asking me what my charge rate was. It was about 35 kW and he noted that for my car to draw that through their substation, they would have to shut down the plant. The unit had a half a megawattz hour of capacity to give me what I need while only being a small load on their supply.

 

[tls]

For the levels of power that DCFCs deliver, it is necessary.

Can you provide a source for this claim? If it were "necessary", then every DCFC station would have a bank of storage batteries. But stations with batteries are quite obvious, at least the EA and Tesla stations are, because they have very large extra cabinets of equipment, which are clearly marked for safety reasons. Of dozens of DCFC stations within 100 miles of here, I can think of only four or five that have batteries that I've ever seen.

Most stations around here are on 500KW or 1MW utility transformers. It's common practice at utilities to allow transformers to exceed their ratings for short periods of time. A 1MW transformer will handle 10 vehicles charging flat-out pretty well, with almost nobody seeing major reductions in charge rate.

 

[hturnerfamily]

I used mine several times today, and yes, not having to worry about 'which' unit might be working today, or 'if' you can find a unit to use, etc., makes the event casual and easy - just pull up, plug in, and it starts charging.

Because most Supercharger locations have anywhere from a row of 8 -16 units, there's RARELY anytime even a Tesla has to 'pause' before plugging in... they are so spoiled : )

 

[Calvin H-C]

Of dozens of DCFC stations within 100 miles of here, I can think of only four or five that have batteries that I've ever seen.

Let me clarify, I was not saying that ALL DCFCs use battery storage, but suggesting that it can be a factor in why charging rate for the same vehicle under the same conditions would experience differences. That said, even for a site without batteries, I suspect that many that are charged time-of-use pricing for the power likely throttle the rate at different times of day.

 

[tnugentfl]

Let me clarify, I was not saying that ALL DCFCs use battery storage, but suggesting that it can be a factor in why charging rate for the same vehicle under the same conditions would experience differences. That said, even for a site without batteries, I suspect that many that are charged time-of-use pricing for the power likely throttle the rate at different times of day.

This is more misinformation. DCFC stations do not throttle speed for TOU reasons.

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