The time it takes to add miles in the real world, which we calculated for our EV of the Year contenders, is what matters most.
Automakers contribute to the complexity of charging by making a variety of claims about peak charging rates, the amount of time needed to go from one state of charge to another (such as 10 to 80 percent), or the amount of time needed to drive a specific distance. However, there is no accepted yardstick for comparison.
Huge peak numbers are impressive, but they are not very meaningful if the power flow abruptly drops off a cliff afterward. The average charging speed and the amount of time it takes to add miles in the actual world are what really matter.
We test using the quickest equipment an EV can handle from a 10 to 90 percent state of charge. The 350-kW chargers from Electrify America are necessary for many of the fastest-charging vehicles, but they occasionally failed to deliver as promised during this year's testing. As a result, some results are lacking.
We didn't test every model equipped with the same battery pack, and in some cases we substituted a recently tested vehicle for an EV of the Year contender. Using the results of our 75 mph range test, we've reduced that data to two numbers that are displayed in the chart below: the average charging rate for the entire time the vehicle was plugged in and the amount of time it takes to add 100 real-world highway miles. The upper-right quadrant is dominated by vehicles that excel at both consuming high-power electricity and racking up miles quickly.
The Hummer EV took the longest to charge despite having the second-highest peak charge rate and a respectable 98-kW average due to its inefficiency and a battery pack that is more than 60% bigger than the next-largest.
The Lucid Air wins with its quick charging and effectiveness, topping out in only eight minutes for a 100-mile trip. The three vehicles that cost less than $100,000 are all from the Hyundai/Kia/Genesis conglomerate, though, and are among the top cluster of seven exceptional performers that can travel 100 miles in under 15 minutes. The Ioniq 5's average charge rate is more than double that of Hyundai's first-generation EV vehicle, the Kona Electric, illustrating the company's quick rate of development.
Take a peek into LUCID MOTORS mega-factory
It also demonstrates the peculiarities of fast-charging an EV: It only takes three minutes longer to charge the Ioniq 5 from zero to 80 percent than it does to go from 80 to 90 percent.
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