So I’m finally seeing more of those new public chargers popping up, which is great, but I’ve noticed something odd. The last few times I’ve plugged in, my car’s estimated charging time jumps all over the place for the first ten minutes before it settles. It makes planning a quick stop pretty frustrating. Has anyone else run into this with the newer fast charging stations?
Totally feel that. With fast charging stations the first ten minutes are a roller coaster and it wrecks my quick stop plan.
The car and the charger negotiate a current profile early in the session. The pack needs heat and the system may claim high power then back off as temperature and state of charge rise.
I used to think the app was just guessing the time. Maybe the stall is doing load balancing and pulling different amounts of power as more cars show up.
I doubt the estimates in the first minutes. The algorithm might not know how the car will behave once it starts charging.
Maybe the real issue is how we plan around uncertain times. If fixed minute goals feel fragile maybe set flexible windows and treat the stop as extra buffer.
I pick stops with a rest area where I can stretch and then check the readout again after a few minutes.
Thermal throttling is a concept you may hear about and it does apply to fast charging stations and battery behavior.