Calculate EV Charging Time: How to Calculate the Charging Time of Any Electric Vehicle Using 1 Simple Equation

With a simple method, you can calculate your EV's charging time with any type of charger.

Calculate EV Charging Time: How to Calculate the Charging Time of Any Electric Vehicle Using 1 Simple Equation
Calculate EV Charging Time

The one significant disadvantage of using electric vehicles, at least from the standpoint of the user, is the time it takes to charge their batteries. For a global population accustomed to filling up a tank of petrol or diesel in minutes, waiting for hours to top up their car's gasoline can be a no-go. It is therefore critical for electric vehicles and two-wheelers to have a very particular charging time, ideally as short as feasible.

EV manufacturers are not immune to this problem. Many companies have attempted to increase the charging rates of their EV solutions. "Fast charging" is one of the resulting technologies that has taken off in the EV market. Even if your new electric car takes hours to charge from 0 to 100%, it can charge for a large amount of it in minutes. Of course, this enormous gain is contingent on a variety of conditions.

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So, how does one select when to charge an electric vehicle? With so many charging sources and varying charging rates available, it might be difficult for some to manage their EV's daily charge. Here, we attempt to permanently resolve this quandary.

The solution stems from basic science, which determines the flow of electricity through circuits. You only need a few components and a number of formulas to determine the exact charging time for your vehicle, depending on the charging type you select. So, without further ado, here's how you always calculate the charging time of your electric vehicle.

The Science of EV Charging

To further grasp the mechanics of EV charging, let's go over the equation's keywords again. Don't worry if you're new to this; there are only a few things to remember.

Battery capacity – the overall charge capacity of a battery Kilowatt-hours, or kWh, are the units of measurement.

Charging power – the rate at which a battery may be charged by a charger Kilowatts (kW) are the units of measurement.

And some basic ones –

Voltage – It is the difference in electric potential between two points.

Current – It is the rate of flow of electric charge.

There are only two calculations you will need to apply to calculate the time it will take your EV to charge. The first step is to calculate your charger's power based on its voltage and current readings. This is how it works:

Formula 1: Power = Voltage x Current

The voltage reading of the charger can be found by attaching a Volts or "V" unit to it. Similarly, current readings are represented by the unit Ampere or "A."

So, after you've determined the wattage of a charger, determining the charging time is as simple as –

Formula 2: Charge time = battery capacity / Power (x power factor)

The power factor indicates how well energy is delivered from the charger to the EV. It is the ratio of apparent power to real power, which is used to account for energy losses during charging. This is normally around 0.8 for AC chargers and around 0.9 for DC chargers.

You can club both these equations to make –

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Charge time = battery capacity / (Voltage x Current x power factor)

For more clarity, let us see this with an example.

Tata Motors' most recent EV, the Nexon EV Max, has a 40.5kWh battery. It includes a normal 3.3kWh AC charger as well as a premium 7.2kWh wall-mounted AC charger. We just use – to determine the charging time for Nexon EV Max with both of these chargers.

Charging time 1 = 40.5/ (3.3kWh x 0.8) = 15.3 hours

Charging time 2 = 40.5/ (7.2kWh x 0.8) = 7 hours

Using a 3.3kWh charger, the Nexon EV Max could charge from 0 to 100% capacity in slightly over 15 hours. Similarly, a 7.2kWh charger will fully charge the car in 7 hours.

It should be noted that certain chargers contain voltage and current specifications. Then, using Formula 1, calculate the Power of the charger, which should be a more accurate representation of charger power than the presented number (in this case, 3.3kWh).

You will be able to use this to determine the charging time for your electric vehicle using any sort of charger. We will continue to share more EV tips like this, so follow MySmartPrice to stay up to current on these and other news.