[YWG_YYZ]

I'm hoping to start a new thread in the subforum with the most traffic, to gather more data so it will be more helpful for all forum members and potentially Subaru HQ of any specific country.

There is a collective concern about DC fast charge speed.

There are multiple threads on this forum such as:
Under Trouble shooting Has anyone had their Solterra pull more than 30 kW on a...
Under Techinical > Battery and charging Charging Speeds
As well as reddit under r/Solterra

Can we group ourselves together, and share information collectively on a public editable excel sheet, along with a Summary Page at the beginning of the thread, so that these information can be constructive, presentable, and useful to both forum members and Subaru HQ?

 

[perphoto]

I just did a 450 mile test yesterday. We charged at 3 stops (some we charged twice). Very long trip…time wise.

Weather: 40°F to 47°F and Sunny; Humidity stats were not collected.

We only charge to 90%
Starting SOC: 90%

1) 125 miles stopped at ChargePoint
Remaining SOC: 0%
Charged to 90%; wait time 120 minutes
(we understandbetter now)

2) 150 miles stopped at EvGo
Remaining SOC: 10%
Charged to 80%; wait time 60 minutes

3) 98 miles stopped at EvGo
Remaining SOC: 19%
Charged to 50%; wait time 60 minutes

(We contacted EvGo because a 200kW charger should have put us at 80%…they still charged us $16.80, like the other charges earlier)

Very long day. But the lessons were priceless.

 

[perphoto]

we better understand our limitations

 

[Ducatista]

I just did a 450 mile test yesterday. We charged at 3 stops (some we charged twice). Very long trip…time wise.

Weather: 40°F to 47°F and Sunny; Humidity stats were not collected.

We only charge to 90%
Starting SOC: 90%

1) 125 miles stopped at ChargePoint
Remaining SOC: 0%
Charged to 90%; wait time 120 minutes
(we understandbetter now)

2) 150 miles stopped at EvGo
Remaining SOC: 10%
Charged to 80%; wait time 60 minutes

3) 98 miles stopped at EvGo
Remaining SOC: 19%
Charged to 50%; wait time 60 minutes

(We contacted EvGo because a 200kW charger should have put us at 80%…they still charged us $16.80, like the other charges earlier)

Very long day. But the lessons were priceless.

The number 2 and 3 concern me the most here. Were those EVGo stations the same power? If they were. That’s crazy that both sessions were 60mins yet the first one (2) delivered way more energy than 3.

these charging curves definitely need an improvement and more consistency.

 

[KSchneider]

In the early 1990's I was the first faculty member at my university to use multimedia in the classroom. The phrase "on the bleeding edge of technology" was used to describe what I was trying to do. BEV's are the bleeding edge of automobile technoloty today. It gets better more slowly than we would wish. Apparently Tesla charges / kW rather than ./ time connected. Souds like EVGo charges / time. That needs to change. There are reports that DCFC rates of charge vary immensely. Do not make assumptions of public charging.

 

[md.]

In the early 1990's I was the first faculty member at my university to use multimedia in the classroom. The phrase "on the bleeding edge of technology" was used to describe what I was trying to do. BEV's are the bleeding edge of automobile technoloty today. It gets better more slowly than we would wish. Apparently Tesla charges / kW rather than ./ time connected. Souds like EVGo charges / time. That needs to change. There are reports that DCFC rates of charge vary immensely. Do not make assumptions of public charging.

In many states, only utilities are allowed to sell kWhs. Others can only charge for connected time.

 

[JayEM]

In many states, only utilities are allowed to sell kWhs. Others can only charge for connected time.

This is changing, but not quickly enough.

 

[R P]

They should charge by kWh up to 80%, and then a hefty per min charge after that.

Can you imagine filling your ICE car with gas and being charged by the minute?... haha.

 

[JayEM]

First fast charging today (odo at 363 miles)

Temperature 45 F (dry, sunny)
Starting SOC 23%
Ending SOC 53%
Starting GOM 53 miles
Ending GOM 121 miles
Typical power supplied (volts x amps) 35 kW (peak rating of unit not stated, probably 50 kW, recent users on PlugShare have reported in the mid-40s)
Charging duration 30 minutes
Energy delivered 17.5 kWh
Cost to charge $0.00 (Ameren Training Center, Pawnee IL)

 

[R P]

35 or 36kW seems like a pretty common peak for me, so far. But I still have not charged at a really low SOC.

Sure glad all my fast charging has been free so far.

 

[JayEM]

The car's reporting in the 40s were cars that peak at 150-200, so I'm thinking 45-50 was the max for that station. I need to try out one of the faster Electrify America units (not that I'll get much over 35).

I'm looking forward to fast charging when the weather's warmer.

 

[Ducatista]

I hit 44.8kw max speed on a FLO 50kw charger tonight. It was -3 deg C outside but I just drove over 100km before this so the battery was pretty warm. OBD reader showed battery was between 11 to 15 deg C min/max temp before charging.
Started charging at 5% and stopped at 30%. It was pulling 42kw to 44kw the entire time.
Took 23 mins to go from 5-30%

 

[perphoto]

The number 2 and 3 concern me the most here. Were those EVGo stations the same power? If they were. That’s crazy that both sessions were 60mins yet the first one (2) delivered way more energy than 3.

these charging curves definitely need an improvement and more consistency.

Both were EVGo stations and both were listed as 200KW. I still don’t know why…the temperatures were moderately cold (40’s). I definitely like that Subaru (and Toyota) are shooting for longevity of battery. But I really wish the car charged in 20 minutes.

The main two walk always from our trip is to plan for bad infrastructure and the other is that going from 80% to 90% is something I’ll avoid during long road trips as it took an hour to charge that extra 10%.
We bought a Dreamcase for those just in case moments where we need to rest at night.

 

[perphoto]

In the early 1990's I was the first faculty member at my university to use multimedia in the classroom. The phrase "on the bleeding edge of technology" was used to describe what I was trying to do. BEV's are the bleeding edge of automobile technoloty today. It gets better more slowly than we would wish. Apparently Tesla charges / kW rather than ./ time connected. Souds like EVGo charges / time. That needs to change. There are reports that DCFC rates of charge vary immensely. Do not make assumptions of public charging.

That is what surprised me. I learned that each charging station “sells” based on a different measure. It’s unpredictable. Charging at home seems to be the most reliable and cost efficient method.

 

[n6nl]

To get a 100% (or 90%) charge on the road (if you need it for the first segment of the day), plan for an L2 destination charger that you can leave it plugged into. You can also pre-condition the interior temp while plugged in.

Also the night before leaving home on the trip.

I normally don't charge to more than 80%, unless it's one of those two situations (or once per month to balance the cells).

 

[BinPNW]

Planning to post some DC charging experiences in the near future. In the meantime, newbie question: the Solterra is compatible with which plugs-- CCS/SAE, CHAdeMO? Trying to get my PlugShare filters configured properly.

 

[JayEM]

CCS

 

[YWG_YYZ]

Living in the Prairies, we have very limited access to chargers that are 100kW+. Most paid ones are 50kW, and you can still find a few free 25kW ones.
I have tried to learn about different effects of charging speed, and realized that the single most important factor is battery temp.

When the battery is cold ~0-5C, with 40-50% starting SOC, it is only pulling 10kW. With DCFC though (and room mode deactivated), the battery heater can work fully at 50+C. But it still takes about 30+ min at ambient -15C to heat the battery pack to ~20C. Once the battery is 15+C, it is able to pull 22+kW (so by that time can be charger limited).

The issue is that there is no easy way to reliably turn the battery heater on. Level 1 charging will heat up the pack to about 0-5C (battery heater max temp around 10C). Level 2 charging will heat up the pack to ~10C (battery heater max temp just below 30C). Level 3 charging will use the battery heater at 50+C.
When the outside is cold, driving doesn't increase the battery temp much unfortunately. I'm sure it will, but certainly not quickly (within 30-60min).

I'm now curious to know after a long drive (1+ hrs) in cold weather (<0C/32F) what's the temp of the battery, and charging speed. (as those are the most likely scenario for people on a road trip).

 

[YWG_YYZ]

Ducatista, you basically have the most ideal situation for fastest charging speed (low start SOC, reasonably good battery temp). with 44kW in a 50kW charger, the speed may likely be charger limited than the car. Thanks for sharing the info.
Trouble is that from with 30% end SOC, it will only provide realistic range in the ~50-80km? in 23 min. Hope that 100kW charger will provide better outcomes.

 

[Ducatista]

Ducatista, you basically have the most ideal situation for fastest charging speed (low start SOC, reasonably good battery temp). with 44kW in a 50kW charger, the speed may likely be charger limited than the car. Thanks for sharing the info.
Trouble is that from with 30% end SOC, it will only provide realistic range in the ~50-80km? in 23 min. Hope that 100kW charger will provide better outcomes.

Happy to share! I was going to stop at a different 150kw IVY charger about 15 km earlier to do my test there. But I had other people in the car I needed to drop off first. If I was alone, I would have gone to that one and stayed as long as needed to get to at least 50% for a better test and shared the results with you guys. Probably would have stayed till 80% actually.

Oh well, I'll try to get another one in soon.

The GOM went from 8km estimated range to 101km esimtated range after charging to 30% there. So realistic range, maybe 60km added?