Fast charging vs. standard charging of electric vehicles: advantages and disadvantages

Fast charging (DC) enables a significantly shorter charging time by using direct current, while standard charging (AC) takes longer but is often cheaper. However, both charging processes have other differences as well as specific advantages and disadvantages, which we present to you here.

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Fast charging.

With fast charging, the alternating current from the power grid is converted into direct current at the charging station and fed into the vehicle battery at high power. This allows the vehicle to charge a lot of electricity within a short time.

The electric commercial vehicles from Flux can achieve a range of 100 km within 15 minutes when fast-charging with a power output of 130 kW.

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Advantages of fast charging:

• Fast charging allows longer distances to be covered, as charging can be carried out on the move with a relatively short charging time.
• In addition, fast charging allows greater flexibility, as the vehicle can also be charged at short notice.
• The network of fast charging stations along highways is well developed.

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Disadvantages of fast charging:

• DC charging results in a higher battery load due to the high power with which the battery is charged in the shortest possible time. This can reduce the service life of the battery.
• The increased battery load can also impair and reduce the vehicle's range in the long term.

Standard charge.

If the vehicle is charged using standard charging, the current is fed in directly as alternating current and only converted to direct current in the vehicle. This is better for the service life of the battery as less power is used, but takes longer than DC charging.

Standard charging for Flux vehicles takes around 6 hours at a power of 22 kW.

Advantages of standard loading:

• Standard charging is gentle on the battery and allows a longer battery life and a greater range in the long term.
• The costs on the user side are lower due to the use of lower power. In addition, night-time electricity can be used for overnight charging, which is generally cheaper.

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Disadvantages of the standard load:

• Standard charging takes several hours, which is why it is only suitable for longer periods of inactivity (such as overnight).
• The flexibility is therefore less than with fast charging, as the charging times for longer journeys have to be taken into account and better planning is required.