One of the freshest electric car records was set on the other side of the Atlantic - the new Kia EV6 achieved the shortest battery charging time while crossing the entire territory of the United States from the East Coast to the West Coast. While traveling 4,635 km from New York to Los Angeles, the record holders charged the battery of the electric car for only 7 hours. 10 minutes 1 sec. and thus improved Tesla's previous achievement (12 hours 48 minutes 19 seconds) by more than 5 hours.
Interestingly, the average stop to charge the batteries over a seven-day trip lasted less than 20 minutes on average. This means that the authors of the record did not fill the car's energy reserves at night when they slept, but relied on the ability of the EV6 model to charge the battery extremely quickly using the fast charging equipment.
Built on the basis of the E-GMP platform for electric vehicle architecture, the EV6 can receive up to 350 kW of charging power, allowing its battery to charge from 10 percent at the appropriate stations. up to 80 percent it can be charged in just 18 minutes, and it takes 4 minutes to cover 100 km.
Depending on the selected car version, the battery capacity can reach up to 77.4 kWh, the power of the electric motor - from 125 to 430 kW, and the maximum driving distance on a single charge - up to 528 km.
The cars are ready, it is up to the infrastructure developers to tighten them
Vitoldas Milius, editor-in-chief and publisher of Auto Bild Lietuva magazine, says that there are already opportunities to go on trips of thousands of kilometers with electric cars, but before that, you should think carefully about the route and its details. According to a well-known traveler and the author of many motoring records, manufacturers can already offer electric cars that meet the comprehensive needs of drivers, suitable for long trips with the family - only the infrastructure can cause problems.
"Whatever the EV6 is discussed: it charges quickly, can go far, is convenient to travel with, so the electric car is not likely to become a bottleneck in the journey, but the features of the infrastructure may present surprises."
When traveling abroad, you have to use the stations of different operators, which are far from unified. Therefore, it is important to understand that when crossing many countries, you may come across a system with some "unique" service nuances: from apps where there is no English language to be found, to activation traps that even experienced users cannot overcome," V. Milius notes. .
People traveling in modern electric cars around Europe can feel more and more comfortable thanks to the development of fast charging points: the possibility of using fast charging gives more confidence in the car and allows spontaneous adjustments to the route. Therefore, when planning a trip, the specialist advises to evaluate charging stations more carefully.
"Fast charging is a very good feature, but in order to take advantage of it, you need to consider the infrastructure along the intended route. It is necessary to look not so much at the number of charging stations, but at what kind of charging stations they are - fast or slower charging", recommends V. Milius.
Speed factor
Batteries are usually recommended to be charged up to 80 percent of their capacity. At the end of charging, the process slows down a lot, so those saving time on the road won't pay to lurk until 100 percent is reached. Then it is worth calculating the travel intervals accordingly, so that the possible distance to the next charging point is safe if the chosen one does not work or is heavily loaded.
"I never advise anyone to drive until the battery is dead. My advice, even for those driving only in Lithuania, is to always keep enough charge to last you until the next charging station than planned.
On longer trips, I try to additionally charge the electric car at each stop, if the opportunity arises. If you can quickly charge an additional hundred kilometers after stopping for 10 minutes, why not do it?" - thinks the experienced traveler.
According to V. Miliaus, it is also important to know that speed has a special influence on the capabilities of an electric car. If you are driving on the roads of Poland or Germany at high speed, you should be prepared to stop more often to charge the battery: there is a risk of not reaching the intended destination, because the energy consumption increases when you move fast.
According to the interviewer, drivers in Germany are used to pushing to the bottom on highways. Powerful electric cars can also reach impressive top speeds - here's the 277 kW EV6 all-wheel drive model with a top speed of 188 km/h. speed.
"When driving an electric car fast, the energy consumption increases rapidly, so eventually every driver will realize that it is not worth driving it. By choosing the right speed alone, they can be more than doubled," notes V. Milius.
Drivers planning trips are increasingly using specially designed apps that optimally calculate where and how much it is worth to charge their electric car. According to V. Miliaus, it is no less important to check whether such an option will also be available in hotels when planning overnight stays.
"Usually hotels provide charging service for free. It is especially convenient for travelers, because in the morning the car is already ready for a new trip and there is no need to worry about anything," the journalist notes.
It is natural that on long family trips, there may be more stops than planned in advance: both to exercise your legs, and to eat or go to entertainment. Therefore, when laying out the route, you should choose those entertainment places that have charging stations.
They can be found not only next to highways or regional roads, but also in various towns, recreation or commercial areas. According to V. Miliaus, the majority of new electric cars can comfortably travel 200 km, so stops can be counted at such intervals.
"To top up energy reserves, it is advisable to choose fast charging stations. It is very good if there is a cafe or shopping center near the stopping point where you can have fun.
All these things can be seen while planning trips, so it should not be difficult to find them. Most of the charging stations in Europe are installed according to this logic, so leisure infrastructure has been developed near them. Usually, such stops are better maintained and offer fewer surprises to drivers", concludes V. Milius.
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