Comparison of the fast charging capability of EVs

What is also clear, is that the long-distance suitability of electric vehicles depends on more factors than one. Take the 800 V architecture, which enables higher charging power, but only has a positive overall impact on long distance suitability in conjunction with low consumption. Then compare this to vehicles with a 400 V architecture, like the Mercedes-Benz EQS450+ and the BMW iX xDrive50, which can also achieve high charging capacities, but would not be able to achieve the recharged ranges without their low consumption.

A final, decisive factor for long distance capability is the vehicle battery’s need for preconditioning. This has a considerable influence on charging performance, especially at low temperatures, and can significantly affect the recharged range per time.

An overview of the progression of EV development

Currently, the leading edge of the P3 Charging Index ranges from a P3CI of 1.03 to 0.90 across five vehicles. Looking at the P3 Charging Index over time provides an overview of the progression of electric vehicle development over the last few years. In the first release, in 2019, the peak values were ~0.7. Now, the ideal value of 1.0 is exceeded for the first time.

This improvement in fast charging capability extends across all segments. Even vehicles in the compact class segment with values ranging from 0.51 to 0.43 in the P3 Charging Index now score higher than some premium electric vehicles of previous generations, like the Mercedes-Benz EQC400 with 0.42 or the Jaguar i-Pace with 0.37.

Factors to focus on for the future development of EV’s

In the further development of EV’s both the increase in charging power and the optimization of consumption values must be considered. While expectations are that new electric vehicles will be able to achieve charging powers of more than 300 kW, the focus is shifting to consumption as the second, main area for future improvements through additional increases in efficiency. The Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX is a prime example of this. During a test drive in June 2022 it covered a distance of 1,202 km on one battery charge in real road traffic consuming only 8.3 kWh/100km.

Yes, increasing the battery capacities in the vehicles results in an improvement of the value of the P3 Charging Index. However, according to P3, it does not make sense technically nor economically to continue increasing battery sizes. Instead, the focus should be on the optimization of charging power, efficiency, and possibilities of vehicle and battery conditioning. These factors are the most important to achieve optimal performance and user-friendly electric vehicles in the future.

A work in progress

Although the P3 Charging Index Current includes vehicle updates and new versions, these are always dependent on vehicle and update availability at the time of testing. For example, the VW models equipped with ID.Software 3.0 are available with increased charging performance. This means that new values can be expected for these models. Future publications of the P3 Charging Index will mark these updates and deviations.

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