Tesla’s Supercharger network is the world’s most famous system, but, as Finbold research reveals, it is far from the most efficient.
The new megawatt flash charging of China’s electric vehicle company BYD promises to provide 400 kilometres of driving for only five minutes of charging. BYD’s new chargers offer a rate of 80 kilometres per minute plugged in.
In contrast, under optimal conditions, Tesla’s Superchargers provide enough power for 275 kilometres of driving for every 15 minutes at the outlet, for a ratio of 18 kilometres per minute.
Furthermore, Tesla is not only behind BYD in terms of efficiency. Out of the seven EV manufacturers Finbold examined, five ranged above Elon Musk’s car company.
Aside from BYD’s new chargers, the ranking showed in descending order that Li Auto, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Hyundai are faster than Tesla’s technology are faster than Tesla’s technology.
“While being behind the biggest electric vehicle maker in the world isn’t particularly damaging to Tesla’s reputation, the fact that Elon Musk’s firm took the penultimate place among the seven companies Finbold research examined is somewhat unexpected,” said report co-author Andreja Stojanovic.
Only Lucid scored below Tesla, as its vehicles can drive 17 kilometres for each minute of charging.
Though the optimal condition charging positions BYD’s novel megawatt flash charging as the fastest available option, a closer examination reveals a more nuanced picture.
As is frequently the case, the devil is in the details, and there is a substantial variance in the actual speed between the differing outlet types, whether it is a slow or fast charging station or even atmospheric conditions.
The differing results drivers can expect based on geography are also evident in the fact that most EV makers don’t operate their own infrastructure, and even those that do, such as Tesla, can be plugged into most chargers with the appropriate adapter.
Lastly, China emerges at the top spot once again in terms of the available station network, as the majority of charges available worldwide are located in that country.
However, in terms of density, certain Western nations, such as the Netherlands, are strong competitors for the top spot.
