What you should know about fast recharging to make the most of its benefits

Fast  charging in direct current has made it possible to travel in an electric vehicle as long as there is  adequate infrastructure . To obtain the maximum potential of this technology, it is advisable to follow some basic tips that will allow you to take full advantage of it. Starting the charge with a warm battery, with the lowest possible battery capacity and knowing the vehicle's charge curve are the most important factors to consider.

Thanks to advances in technology,  batteries have managed to achieve sufficient autonomy to allow any movement, but they would not be very useful if it were not for the significant progress in recharging networks for electric vehicles,  which are expanding rapidly (and also very unevenly) by the different countries of the world.

Many of these chargers today only offer power of 50 kW , the maximum that electric cars on the market allowed for up to a year, which require 80 minutes to recover 400 kilometers of autonomy. However, most second-generation electric cars will admit powers of  100-125 kW , which will reduce the time needed to recover that autonomy by less than half. The technology already exists to achieve chargers with powers of up to 350 kW that will provide compatible electric vehicles with a range of  350 kilometers in 10 minutes .

Start charging with hot battery

When the battery is hot, the chemical processes are accelerated, which means that in this state, when connected to a charger, the electricity will flow faster and recharging will be accelerated. In fact, recharging a very cold battery can actually cause damage to it .

The recharging speed is automatically reduced when the battery temperature is too low, but also when it is too high. Some electric cars on the market have a battery preheating function . In the case of Tesla , it starts automatically when there is an established route in the browser and the car approaches a Supercharger. If you do not have this system, it is advisable to go to the fast recharging point after you have been driving for a couple of hours , so that, with complete certainty, the battery will be at a high temperature.

Charge when the battery is empty: the glass of water full

Charging a battery can be compared to filling a glass of water . At first, it is possible to fill it quickly, but as more liquid enters, the process slows down, until putting the last drops becomes a very slow process.

When the recharge starts with the battery level low, the power offered by the charger is the maximum it can give during a given period of time. As the battery fills up, the power is reduced and charging slows down. This effect is reflected in the charging curve of the electric car.

The charging curve of an electric car

Each vehicle and each battery has an ideal charging range. However, in most vehicles, reaching a 70 or 80 percent charge percentage, the power that can be supported is significantly reduced. When reaching 80%, the reduction is so important that on many occasions the remaining 20% ​​takes as long as the section already recharged. This is why many drivers prefer to charge only up to 80% each time. As a consequence they will stop more times to recharge, but the total recharge time will be less .

Manufacturers do not usually give the owner the complete load curve, but only some of its most significant inflection points. Most of them indicate the recharge time needed to reach 80% capacity . They also indicate the maximum recharging power that the battery can absorb: 50 kW, 100 kW, 150 kW. But that does not mean that the car recharges at that power during the entire process. Quite the contrary. The period in which peak power is maintained is generally quite short.

In addition, charge managers have rates that take into account different parameters: kWh charged, recharge minutes, or a combination of both . Therefore, it is important to know how the vehicle is going to behave during the process in order to estimate the cost and benefit of charging longer (cost per kWh) or charging faster (cost per minute).

Types of electric car batteries lifespain

Tesla was asking $22,500 to change a battery. An independent repair shop fixed it for $5,000.

The battery of an electric car is the heart of that car. It's like the engine in a gasoline car. It is the most expensive element and the one that makes the difference with respect to rival brands and models. The cost of replacing it when it malfunctions after its warranty has expired can be enormous. Especially when it can only be fixed in an official workshop of the brand.

The latest example of this situation is given by youtuber Tyler Hoover ( Hoovie's Garage ) who, as he always does, bought a used car in poor condition. In this a Tesla Model S P 85 that after a while only had a maximum autonomy of about 80 km. Tesla asked him for $22,500 to replace the entire battery .

Thus, in the purest style of the YouTube world, he collaborated with another YouTuber, Rich (Benoit) Rebuilds , so that he -or rather his workshop, Rich Rebuilds' Electrified Garage- fixed the Tesla's battery. The nuance is important, as Rich's team didn't change his battery but instead changed two battery cell modules. These were responsible for the widespread failure.

Each module cost $1,500, plus labor, testing, and coolants and so on, bringing the total bill to $5,000 . In the end, he fell far short of the more than $22,000 Tesla was asking for.

It is striking, of course, and we already know that official workshops are more expensive than independent ones. Whether in the case of a Renault or a Ferrari, the independent will always be cheaper for a result, in principle, at least similar to that of the official workshop.

However, this video emphasizes a reality typical of Tesla and almost unusual in the car. Tesla does not let any independent workshop touch its cars , except in the case of authorized ironworkers. And it's not the publication of a basic maintenance manual (change windshield washer fluid, check tire pressure, or install a license plate holder) for the Model 3 that's going to change things.

The right to repair what one has bought

It is especially true in the United States where to fix a Tesla you have to go through an official center yes or yes. With one exception, in the state of Massachusetts where, legally, no brand can force a customer to go through their workshop.

In fact, Rich Benoit's success stems from that simple fact: residing in Massachusetts, Benoit was able to fix and salvage several Teslas. He was documenting it on YouTube and from there they began to rain requests to fix Teslas. Not without having to overcome the obstacles that the brand put on him anyway.

Things doesn't mean Tesla makes it simple for them just because the law is on your side.. For example, you can refuse to sell certain parts, specific tools or battery analysis software. And without that, no matter how much the law is on your side, you can't fix a car.

It is something that is also appreciated in consumer electronics. A broken screen is not changed, half of the mobile is changed. A faulty battery is not replaced or fixed, just a new phone is provided.

Although this attempt at control by brands is no longer legal in Europe (at least in theory), it is possible in the United States.

Hence the popular Electronics Right to Repair initiative arose . They are trying to get a law passed that gives consumers the right to have their product repaired and not just thrown away and given a new one at a cost as if it were a major repair.

Thus, while repair per se is legal and feasible, owners are often prohibited from performing repairs or hiring trusted technicians to assist them due to manufacturer limitations on access to repair materials such as parts. , tools, diagnostics, documentation and firmware.

WHAT TYPES OF CAR BATTERIES ARE THERE?, how much are electric car batteries

If the engine is the heart of the car that pumps the movement, the car battery is the lungs that allow the entire system to work. Without the electrical energy that the battery provides, it would be impossible to operate the vehicle , it would not even be possible to turn it on or to put into operation any auxiliary element related to comfort and safety, so when choosing between a type of battery for our car it is essential to know what they are and how they work.

As we have said before, the car battery is responsible for supplying electrical energy to our vehicle, allowing the engine and other external elements to work properly. 

Its main function is to promote the start-up of the starter motor and in this way the alternator comes into action. This energy supports the alternator when it is necessary to supply energy to other accessories such as ventilation, security, multimedia, driving assistance systems ...

Do not forget that the maintenance of car batteries is essential , like all the essential parts of the car. Battery life depends on many factors, including usage and weather factors. The revision of these falls within the periodic revisions that a vehicle usually has, even so its average life is usually about 4 years. Below we will see the 5 types of car batteries that exist and which ones are best suited to the type of vehicle you have and the use you give it.

TYPES OF CAR BATTERIES

There are mainly 5 types of car battery and each of them has a different maintenance.

Wet cell batteries

This type of battery is one of the most common that exists, this is due to its low price. It is usually found from about €40 onwards, and can reach hundreds of euros, all depending on the amperage and the brand. This battery design uses positive and negative polarity plates that are freely suspended in sulfuric acid.

These plates are isolated from each other, the negative plate is completely sealed in a separate place to prevent the positive plates from being damaged. In addition, it practically does not require maintenance, the battery fluid will remain until it dies, once this happens it is changed for another.

Calcium battery

The calcium battery is also a fairly common type of battery, in fact its operation is quite similar to the wet cell battery. Their main difference is that the calcium battery plates have a calcium alloy. This provides two great advantages: it prevents corrosion of the plates and it is possible to lose up to 80% less fluid , that is, the self-discharge rate is much slower.

As a consequence, its useful life is much longer than that of wet cell batteries. On the other hand, it has a drawback and that is that you have to be careful not to overload it, since it can permanently damage it. The bubbles that flow within the liquid are important, since they are responsible for mixing the different densities of the acids. As for its price, it is quite affordable, you can find them for less than €80.

VRLA battery (gel and AGM)

Its acronym stands for “Valve Regulated Lead Acid”. Its name refers to the safety valves that are pressurized in the battery box. Inside the box contains a liquid gas that, being pressurized, prevents any possibility of fluid loss . There are two designs of this type of battery:

Gel battery : These batteries use a silicone to make the acid denser, in the form of a gel. They are perfect batteries for cars with demanding electrical equipment, that is, they withstand deep discharges very well. On the other hand, they have a drawback and that is that they are not recommended at all to start the engine.

AGM battery : Popularly called "dry" batteries. These separate the leukocytes by means of glass fiber, causing little internal resistance and thus keeping them fixed. Thanks to this system you do not use gel or water. It is quite an innovative technology within lead batteries.

Deep cycle batteries

One of the main advantages of this type of car battery is that it has the capacity to provide energy for a long period of time, but at the same time it self-discharges much faster . The difference between these batteries is that they have thicker plates than the rest, thus increasing their charging capacity. 

These types of batteries are common among electric cars, since they consume much more electrical energy than combustion vehicles. It is also widely used in the renewable energy industry to store energy before it is distributed.

Lithium ion batteries

Some high-end or limited-edition vehicles offer these types of batteries. They are normally used to power electric cars , since they are much lighter and this allows their autonomy to improve. They are batteries that use lithium salt for their operation. They have a circuit built into them to guard against overloads.

Electric car recharging modes, types of electric car batteries

There are different recharging modes on the market and they have to do with the level of communication between the electric vehicle and the recharging infrastructure (and therefore the electrical network), the control that can be had of the charging process, it can be to program it , see the status, stop it, resume it, or even dump electricity to the network. In this article we are going to talk about the modes and types of recharging in the electric car market.

Mode 1: Schuko-type domestic socket without communications between the charging infrastructure and the electric vehicle. That is, it has no communication with the network. For this recharging mode, a conventional power outlet is used.

Mode 2: Schuko-type domestic socket on the wall, with pilot function systems included in the cable. The cable has an intermediate pilot control device that serves to verify the correct connection of the vehicle to the network. You have low network communication.

Mode 3: It has a high degree of communication with the network. The control and protection devices are located inside the charging point itself, and the cable includes an integrated communication pilot wire. For example, type 1 (SAE J1772), Type 2 (Mennekes, IEC 62196) connectors can be used.

Mode 4: With a high degree of communication with the network. There is a DC converter and it only applies to fast charging. For example, the CHAdeMO or COMBO DC connector.

Types of recharging electric cars.

The types of recharging of electric cars are classified according to the speed of this. In other words, they are classified according to the time it takes to recharge the battery, something that depends on the available power. There are currently five types of electric car charging.

1. Ultra-fast electric car charging : Its use is not very common, it is in an experimental state in electric vehicles tested with supercapacitors type accumulators, (for example some electric buses). The batteries can be recharged in five or ten minutes, the recharging power is very high. Lithium-ion batteries cannot withstand the high temperature caused by this type of recharging, as it seriously impairs their useful life.

2. Fast recharging of electric cars : The power demanded is very high, between 44 and 50 kW. Recharging those 22 to 24 kWh of batteries can take half an hour. The normal thing is that a 100% recharge is not made, but around 80% or 90%.

3. Semi-fast recharging of electric cars : Recharging duration ranges from one to four hours. It is carried out at a power of about 22 kW. This form of recharging is very common in Renault, its low-cost Camaleón charger, for example, which is compatible with Renault Zoe.

4. Slow charging of electric cars : This form of recharging is what we usually call normal or conventional. The batteries are usually recharged between six and eight hours and is carried out at 16 A, demanding about 3.6 kW of power.

5. Super-slow electric car charging : When the intensity of the current is limited to 10 A or less due to not having a recharging base with adequate protection and electrical installation. The complete recharging of the batteries of an average electric car, about 22 to 24 kWh in capacity, can take between ten and twelve hours.

How much replace batteries of an electric car ?

 How much does an electric car battery cost?

Without a doubt, the battery is one of the most expensive components of an electric car, not to say outright that it is clearly the most expensive. For this reason, surely you have ever wondered: how much does the battery of an electric car cost? That is something that here, finally, you will be able to discover.

According to what I have been able to investigate, with not too up-to-date data prepared by Bloomberg in 2015, the battery of an electric car accounted for 57% of its total cost . And, according to experts, in 2025 it should be only 20%, which would mean a significant reduction in the total price of battery-powered vehicles. But the interesting thing is to discover the price today.

After making a content on how to correctly charge the battery of an electric car , in which we contacted all the manufacturers that have electric models for sale in Spain, we took the opportunity to ask them other questions. One of them was precisely this: 

How much could a replacement battery cost if the original one dies?

Some brands told us that this is information that they prefer not to disclose, others that it is information that needs to be confirmed, and similar responses. A strategy that can be understood or not, but that must be respected: the electric car is mine and I will inform you of what I think is appropriate...

Several manufacturers tell us the obvious, although perhaps it is not bad to remember it: "if the battery runs out during the warranty period, the customer would not have to pay anything".

But there have been brands that have gotten wet. This is the case of Honda , which confirms that " a new replacement battery costs 20,499.07 euros ". 

And Porsche is also transparent in this regard and gives us the exact prices (without VAT): 39,958.18 euros for the 93 kWh Taycan Performance Plus , which is 33,610.07 euros if it is an exchange. In the case of the 79 kWh Performance version, the price is 33,648.98 euros and 28,303.73 euros for an exchange.

Also Jaguar , which notes the following: "It depends on the model. Complete batteries are only replaced in certain cases, such as when there is impact damage. Usually components and battery cells can be replaced independently. A Jaguar I-Pace battery can cost 37,000 euros + VAT ".  

For their part, BMW, the entire Volkswagen Group and Renault tell us that it is not necessary to change the entire battery. And, if a part is defective, only that part is replaced. This includes battery modules.

Ford tells us the following: "we expect that the prices of the batteries at the moment in which they need to be replaced will have suffered a significant cost reduction compared to the current moment, but right now we cannot quantify it".

What percentage of the total price of the car does the battery represent? 

In addition, we took advantage of the occasion and asked them to answer this other question: What percentage of the total price of the car does the battery represent? 

In this case, as in the previous one, some manufacturers do not provide this information. Others, such as Nissan say that "given the wide variety of prices and incentives for different versions of a model equipped with the same battery, it is impossible to determine this percentage."   

And Mercedes tells us something similar: "it depends on the vehicle, the battery capacity, the range, since there are vehicles with 2 batteries. We cannot establish a weight on the price."

MG does clarify something else, although what it tells us is also evident: "it depends on the PVP of the vehicle and the capacity of the battery in kWh, as well as the materials used in its manufacture." And Jaguar adds: "the price of replacement batteries is not the factory price for a new car."

But others do give us concrete figures. Without a doubt, Porsche has once again been the clearest manufacturer regarding the percentage of the total price of the car that the battery represents : "It depends on the model: between 53% (Taycan model, with 93 kWh battery) and 25% (Taycan Turbo S model)."

Others tell us about future plans: "one of the Renault Group's objectives is to achieve a cost of less than 75 euros per kWh from 2024". That means that a 50 kWh battery would cost less than 4,000 euros . 

Without a doubt, it contrasts with the current cost per kWh that Toyota has given us: "it can reach 250 euros/kWh" . This, according to the previous example, would mean that a battery with a capacity of 50 kWh would cost 12,500 euros. 

It must be taken into account that Toyota works with very low costs, because they have been investing in R&D for 25 years in everything related to battery and electric propulsion, thanks to their hybrids.