Time to 80% Charge

GetOffYourGas

GetOffYourGas

Well-Known Member
I was doing some traveling this weekend (about 325 miles) and had to DC charge along the way. For those who have traveled with an EV, you know that typically you only want to charge to 80% and then move on. That last 20% can take as long as the first 80%!

The car reports time to 80% in the dash. But I know it tells the charger time to 80%. Some chargers display it on the screen, others do not. But the car knows. I wish it would display it on the dash - or at least the app!

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I’ve asked around on FB, so I think the answer is no. But. Is it possible to have the car report time to 80% instead of time to 100%?


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Estimate 2.5% per minute (0-80% SoC) if you are getting optimal DC fast charging.

So it would be 80% by around 10:15AM or later.
 
I have only used DC charging a few times when I first had the MINI (free). I found the sweet spot was actually 90%. It is only marginally slower than the under 80 rate. To 95 starts to slow, but only adds 5 mins. From 95 onwards crawl, with the last percent seeming to take an age.
 
From the data, the real sweet spot is actually just under 80%. 80-90% sees a sharp drop in charge rate. When making multiple consecutive charging stops, that extra few minutes starts to add up.

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Sure, but it’s such a small battery that the difference between charging at 49.6 kW and 36 (or even 25) is almost insignificant. I've let mine go to 96% at an EA (after using a nearby free Chargepoint 6.6 kW while having lunch to get from 20 to 40%), and it added maybe 8 minutes over stopping at 80.

The flip side is that the MINI’s peak is much fatter than on some cars that boast super-fast charging, but only ride the peak between say 40-50% and then roll off.
 
The point is that I wish the car would tell me at a glance the time to reach 80%. This is my 3rd EV and the one that doesn’t tell me this information. It already knows it. Yes I can calculate it easily enough. But I own multiple EVs and will be adding another in the not so distant future. Every EV will be different but this information will always be useful. Certainly you can understand why?

I’ve asked in a couple of places whether I could get the information from the car. It seems the answer is no. But I also seem to spur debates about whether I should even be asking for it. Curious.


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Not debating it, I see your point very well. Just suggesting that in this little car, it is of less importance than in a car with a much larger battery pack, that charges on a different curve, and which is more likely to be used for longer journeys.
 
Fair enough. I guess I’m in a small minority of owners who road trip this little car. It’s just that it is so much fun to drive, I will take the SE over the Bolt whenever I can. Even if it means stopping every 70-80 miles to charge.


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GetOffYourGas said:
The point is that I wish the car would tell me at a glance the time to reach 80%. This is my 3rd EV and the one that doesn’t tell me this information.
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MINI took the keep-it-simple approach when it comes to charging and just assumes charging to 100% SoC every time. It definitely lacks some niceties for managing charging. These easily could be addressable with software changes but, as we've seen with the app, MINI seems more inclined to dumb down SE functionality instead of enhancing it. Maybe all of their developers are ICE-only drivers.
 
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