What’s ‘NORMAL’ for L3 charging speeds?

[inmyrightmind]

I’m a first-time EV owner and still getting used to L3 charging. When it was 25 degrees (F) here, I was getting 30-45KW at a Tesla charger. Last night at 62 degrees and 41% remaining charge, after driving 8 miles, my charge session started at 118KW but kept slowing down to eventually settle near 81KW. I pulled the plug at 81% charge and went home.

I wanted to precondition the batteries, but the Tesla location was not in the car’s public charging list; however, the location was visible in the Ford App. I successfully charged via BlueOval billing.

My question for the community is this: am I seeing typical charge speeds? I thought these cars could charge closer to 180KW.

Thanks in advance for your experience and tips!

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[Billyk24]

Keep reading. The Mach E has a FORD stated dcfc kW max of 150. That means you will never see more regardless if you are on a 350kW or 250kW rated dcfc. The Ford stated 150kW rating only occurs when the big battery is warm like over 80f and only for a short time frame. When the battery is colder it does not obtain 150kW. Search and find a charging curve which tells you what happens to the kW rate as the battery is being charged. You want and need a home charging station to make an EV work well. You could benefit from one of these. Which display multiple internal values.

 

[Billyk24]

Search for what this is. Forum chews up photos.

 

[Alan Cheeto]

My L3 charging speed are very different each time I charge, especially in winter.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Winter significantly slows down charging. Preconditioning the battery via navigating to a DCFC station in Android Auto’s Google Maps or the native navigation system can shorten the charge time, particularly in cold weather. Apple maps does not have this ability except on 2026 models, and, even then, only under certain circumstances.

The Ford published charging rate of 150 kW is a peak rate. You’ll only see it briefly, and then only under the best conditions. The charge rate will taper down as your state of charge increases — particularly above 80% and drastically above 90%.

 

[E90alex]

There is no “normal”. It’s also not a flat value and will vary based on battery temperature and your charge level. Hence the term charging curve. It will be slower in the cold, especially near or below freezing. It will slow down as the battery gets more full, especially above 80% and definitely above 90%. That’s why it’s never recommended to charge over 80% at a fast charger. You will end up saving more time unplugging and charging again when the battery is lower.

You will see close to the 150kW max shortly after plugging in with a nearly dead battery in ideal temperatures (like 75°F) and it will ramp down from there.

I don’t know where you got 180kW from but the Mach-E has never been rated for that much.

 

[bearswalker]

Related question:
With a Mach-E, is there *any* advantage to using a DCFC that is rated higher than 150kW? (Other than it's the only one available.)

 

[Glen Boise]

The biggest difference between ICE and BEV cars is "fueling". When you pump gas, you are filling a single bottle. When you charge a battery, you are filling multiple battery cells.
The best analogy I have heard about the BEVs battery charging curves is to consider filling a theater before a show. The earliest arrivals quickly pick and fill the best seats. Later arrivals find the available seats are fewer and less desirable so it takes longer and longer as the theater fills to find good or even acceptable seats. You see the same thing with charging your multitude of battery cells.
Learn the basics of charging is part of the ownership experience. Once you get the basics you will be better prepared to enjoy your car.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Related question:
With a Mach-E, is there *any* advantage to using a DCFC that is rated higher than 150kW? (Other than it's the only one available.)

No.

 

[Colorado MME GT]

One thing I like about Ionna chargers is that they display the charging rate or curve over time. As others have noted, the max rate can be affected by temperature if the battery is not preconditioned, and it is also affected by the battery percentage. It's faster at 20% than it is at 70%, and dramatically slows down after 80%. This is due to battery chemistry and is designed to protect the battery from overheating. Here's my curve on a recent road trip - temperature was in the mid 30s and I was able to use Ford Navigation, so it should have been preconditioned.

 

[cheerioboy26]

Related question:
With a Mach-E, is there *any* advantage to using a DCFC that is rated higher than 150kW? (Other than it's the only one available.)

Yes. Many DC fast chargers around 200 kW and under will only have cables rated at 200 amps. Since the Mach-E nominal voltage is around 360, the theoretical maximum in this case is 72000 watts, or 72 kw. An exception I know of is EA 150 kw chargers that have 350 amp cables, so you can charge at up to around 105 kW.

In order to reach the maximum charging curve (all other things like battery temp and preconditioning being equal), you need to use a Tesla Supercharger, or any other 350 kW or higher station, as they will generally have high enough amperage cables to make the math work.

 

[devmach-e]

Keep reading. The Mach E has a FORD stated dcfc kW max of 150. That means you will never see more regardless if you are on a 350kW or 250kW rated dcfc. The Ford stated 150kW rating only occurs when the big battery is warm like over 80f and only for a short time frame. When the battery is colder it does not obtain 150kW. Search and find a charging curve which tells you what happens to the kW rate as the battery is being charged. You want and need a home charging station to make an EV work well. You could benefit from one of these. Which display multiple internal values.

I have gotten 160 kW for a brief period of time on a 350 kW rated charger. And the battery was not sitting at 80F.

 

[devmach-e]

Yes. Many DC fast chargers around 200 kW and under will only have cables rated at 200 amps. Since the Mach-E nominal voltage is around 360, the theoretical maximum in this case is 72000 watts, or 72 kw. An exception I know of is EA 150 kw chargers that have 350 amp cables, so you can charge at up to around 105 kW.

In order to reach the maximum charging curve (all other things like battery temp and preconditioning being equal), you need to use a Tesla Supercharger, or any other 350 kW or higher station, as they will generally have high enough amperage cables to make the math work.

What is your source for the assertion that the cables at a 150 kW station are only rated for 200A? Is there a marking on them stating so? I'd love to see that.

 

[Billyk24]

I have gotten 160 kW for a brief period of time on a 350 kW rated charger. And the battery was not sitting at 80F.

I posted photos of reaching 165kW in the past. As always, it was brief and quickly ramped downward.

 

[cheerioboy26]

What is your source for the assertion that the cables at a 150 kW station are only rated for 200A? Is there a marking on them stating so? I'd love to see that.

Here's a couple of examples. The EVgo pics are dated, but AFAIK still current as PS says they still have 200 kW dispensers. Edit - corrected the pic of the label

Page 6 here for ChargePoint, 250kW that does split.
https://docs.chargepoint.com/ref-docs-sec/content/pdfs/3-dc/express250/exp250-ds.pdf

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