The Balance Between Range and Charging Speed

Manufacturers are battling to find the balance between cars with enough range for drivers not to worry about running out of charge, while keeping weight and bulk down. People need the comfort blanket of a big range figure when they start driving an EV, until they get the experience to know that the range isn’t suddenly going to plunge and strand them, and until they can trust the public charging network.

Bentley CEO Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser likened it to fuel tanks, saying there’s no demand for 200-litre tanks that can go 2,000 miles between fill-ups – you reach a point where the weight, packaging and cost are counter-productive. And even when we think about charging time, Dr Walliser said that it’s maybe not necessary for recharging to match how long it takes to fill a car with petrol.

EVs can leave home with a full charge every time (as long as you can charge at home – if not, then EVs are far more tricky to justify). So it’s only when you’re trying to complete a round trip of over 250 miles that the issue of charge speed really becomes relevant. According to Bentley’s boss: “It’s not about range, it’s travel time – where is the sweet spot to get from 10-80 per cent so you can continue your journey?”