To find out whether a faster-charging EV will save you time, compare how long each car takes to add the same amount of energy over the same state-of-charge (SOC) range. Use each car’s charging power across the session—not just its advertised peak—and keep charging-stop time separate from total trip time.
Start with a fair comparison
Choose the same starting and ending SOC for both vehicles, such as a hypothetical 10% to 60% session. That range is an example for comparison, not a universal charging recommendation. Also hold the charger scenario constant: the station must be compatible with both vehicles, and its available output must be sufficient to test the cars’ differences.
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Record the usable battery capacity for each vehicle and the charging power it can accept through the chosen SOC range. Charging time also depends on battery state and type, the vehicle’s onboard charging limits, and the charging equipment and electrical service, as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) explains. The effective charging power is constrained by the applicable limits of both vehicle and charger; a station’s nameplate rating is not a promise that the car will draw that power.
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Estimate energy added and charging time
Calculate the energy for the chosen SOC interval
When usable battery capacity is known, estimate the energy added in kilowatt-hours (kWh) as:
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Energy added (kWh) ≈ usable battery capacity (kWh) × SOC change
Write the SOC change as a fraction: a rise from 10% to 60% is 0.50. For example, a hypothetical 75-kWh usable battery would need about 37.5 kWh over that interval. This is an estimate: usable capacity, the car’s displayed SOC, and any battery buffers are vehicle-specific.
Use a constant-power estimate only as a baseline
If charging power stayed constant, the basic estimate would be:
Charging time (hours) ≈ energy added (kWh) ÷ charging power (kW)
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That relationship follows the AFDC’s formulation of energy delivered as charger power multiplied by charging time. But actual sessions are not necessarily constant-power: charging curves and electricity losses make the simple result an approximation. The AFDC’s explanation appears in an electric school bus planning guide; it is useful for the basic calculation, not a passenger-EV-specific time estimate.
Account for the charging curve
For a better estimate, use a vehicle-specific charging curve or a comparable manufacturer-supported session estimate for the same conditions. If power changes during charging, divide the session into small energy increments and estimate the time for each as energy increment ÷ corresponding charging power; then add those times. A peak-kW figure alone cannot supply that curve.
A U.S. Department of Energy and NREL report on road-trip charging says power depends on SOC, BEV type, and model year, and generally falls significantly around 80%–85% SOC. That is a broad pattern in the report, not a claim that every EV tapers at exactly the same point. Its modeled vehicle-class curves are not specifications for a current named retail vehicle.
Compare the two vehicles at the stop
Once you have estimated the session duration for both cars over the same SOC interval, calculate:
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Estimated charging time saved = slower vehicle’s session time − faster vehicle’s session time
For example, if your estimates for a particular scenario were 35 minutes and 25 minutes, the estimated difference would be 10 minutes at the charging stop. Those numbers are hypothetical; without matching vehicle-specific charging curves and conditions, they are not a result for any particular pair of EVs.
Keep charging time distinct from total time spent at the stop. Add connection, payment, queue, or detour time only when you have estimates for those items. If one vehicle reaches the target sooner but both incur the same queue, the difference in total stop time may differ from the charging-time difference.
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Check whether the stop-time advantage survives on a trip
A quicker charging session does not automatically mean a quicker journey. Estimate route energy use and account for conditions such as speed, temperature, and terrain, which affect the SOC at each stop and how much energy the vehicle needs to add. Then compare the planned stops, their placement, detours, charging time, and any known waiting or access time for each car.
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Use the same route and comparable driving assumptions for both vehicles. A car that charges faster at one stop may need more stops, or arrive at a charger with a different amount of energy remaining. Without route-specific energy and stop assumptions, the calculation can support a stop-level comparison but not a net trip-time claim.
Use public charging averages only as context
A DOE summary of a self-selected nationwide data set from June 30, 2020, through June 30, 2023, reported 1,412,050 paid DC fast-charge sessions averaging 22.0 kWh and 42 minutes, and 957,265 free sessions averaging 40.7 kWh and 78 minutes. The data excluded Tesla Supercharger sessions. These are mixed-session averages, not a head-to-head vehicle test or a prediction of how long a particular EV will take to charge. See DOE Fact of the Week #1319.
What to gather for a useful estimate
- The same starting and target SOC for each car.
- Usable battery capacity and the resulting estimated kWh added.
- Vehicle-specific charging curves or comparable session estimates for that SOC range, with temperature and battery-conditioning assumptions where available.
- Charger output and connector compatibility for the planned stop.
- For a trip comparison, route energy demand, stop locations and count, detours, and driving conditions.
- For total stop time, actual or estimated queue, connection, and payment overhead rather than an assumed universal value.
For real fleet use, the DOE Federal Energy Management Program notes that telematics can capture session date and location, charging time, beginning and ending SOC, and kWh added. Those measurements can help assess observed sessions, but do not substitute for comparing equivalent routes or charging conditions. See FEMP’s guidance on measuring fleet EV electricity use.
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