EV Range Vs Quicker Charging: Tesla Model 3 and Nissan Leaf Owners May Prefer Faster Charging

"I would prefer faster charging over range. With the range I have, it adds over 3 hours to my driving time to visit my parents stopping to charge both ways. Stopping once for 6 hours of charging in one shot wouldn't make it better. Now I can stop and grab a bite to eat or shop and cover most of the charge time. For the day to day there really isn't anything I need changed though, I use less than 20% of the range and charge overnight. Great fit for my normal use," commented a user named Tony, in Fiat 500e group on Facebook.

Indeed, fast charging becomes equally an issue to EV range.

Why I Didn't Buy an Electric Car

Recently I wanted to buy an EV. I went to Nissan's dealerships and saw a nice looking Nissan Leaf at a very good price. I really wanted to buy that car. However, while it's great for my city driving, each Sunday we go to church which is 70 miles away. My minimum round-trip is 140 miles. Current Nissan Leafs obviously cant make that range, but if there was a ultra fast charger somewhere on the way, I wouldn't mind stopping for extra few minutes, charge the Leaf and continue my journey either way.

EV Challenge: Make Long Trips Possible

I think the electric car industry will experience a huge boom if they make longer trips a real possibly. Right now electric cars have short range and slow charge. We need either longer range or much faster charging, which would make longer trips an actual possibility. I am glad to see that Tesla Model 3 and the 2018 Nissan Leaf (rare glimpse) are changing that.

"I use my car in the city quite a bit so quicker charge would be preferred. Having said that more charging station are another variable," writes another EV user.

I think 5 min per 50 mile range would be nice charging speed. Technically Tesla Superchargers already can do something close to this. Once I read that in six minutes a Tesla Supercharger added more than 50 miles of range to a Model S. Thus, asking 5 min. charging for 50 mile range on a smaller vehicle like Model 3 or Nissan Leaf is not out of the question in my opinion.

Faster charging would change a whole lot for EV owners and compel more people to buy electric cars. It's theoretically possible with some modifications some day. Changing the range of an existing car is a lot more work. May be utility companies could start doing some research and development on this topic. They are already in the game. Utility companies already realize that more EV adaption means more sales of electric power. In fact, recently two utility companies announced Nissan Leaf group buys for their customers, virtually cutting the price of Nissan Leaf into half.

What would be more important for your electric car:

1. Range?
2. Quicker charging?