Charging time is an essential factor to take into account when shopping for an electric vehicle (EV). It’s a complex issue that depends on several variables.
Battery capacity, charging speed and the power of your charger all play a role in how long it takes for your phone to charge. However, there are steps you can take to reduce this wait time.
Nighttime
Most people find it convenient to leave their phone charging overnight, so that it’s ready for use the following morning. It eliminates the need to find an outlet while away from home or at work, so it’s not uncommon to do this.
But if you do this, your battery might suffer over time due to the continuous strain from charging, which raises its temperature and puts it under more strain than usual. While this may not lead to complete ruin of your phone, it could reduce its lifespan before you’re ready to replace it.
Lapping up charging an electric vehicle overnight may put undue strain on the local electric grid, since it costs more to do so at night. With more plug-in vehicles coming online, demand on this system could grow substantially.
According to Stanford researchers, rapid electric vehicle adoption could result in higher peak electricity demand than current levels in Western US. To cope with this extra demand, grid operators may need to invest in power storage – potentially powered by natural gas or costly energy storage – that can handle additional supply.
According to researchers’ model, if most drivers in Western US continued charging at home during the night, it could add 25% to the region’s peak demand and potentially surpass grid capacity by 2035. On the other hand, if drivers expanded daytime charging opportunities, that surge in electricity demand could be reduced to just 7.5 percent, helping reduce costs associated with expanding grid capacity.
Additionally, the team’s analysis revealed that if Western US switched to daytime charging patterns instead of nighttime, it could better utilize excess solar power which is strongest at night and used for generating off-peak hour demands from the grid. By tapping into that solar energy during the daytime, grid operators could save $700 million to $1.5 billion annually on energy storage costs.
Switching to daytime charging may be more practical in systems with higher dependence on overnight wind generation and low baseline demand. On the contrary, it may not be suitable for systems with high overnight demand but low dependence on wind or solar, or where seasonal effects caused by changing outdoor temperatures affect grid dynamics.
Daytime
When planning a road trip or just needing your daily charge in, timing your electric vehicle’s charging is critical. Not only does this ensure the most economical energy usage for your vehicle, but it also reduces its carbon footprint.
Stanford University recently conducted a study that suggests charging your electric vehicle at the wrong time of day could wreak havoc on power grids that must store extra energy during peak usage periods. Their calculations are based on computer models that examine how driver behaviors and available charging infrastructure will influence peak net electricity demand.
The study determined that, at a 50% electric car ownership rate, charging at home during the night would require more than 5.4 gigawatts of storage – an amount which would be costly to store over time. Conversely, changing habits to charge during the day – especially using workplace or public charging facilities – only required 4.2 gigawatts of additional power storage.
Therefore, shifting your electric vehicle charging habits to the daytime could not only be beneficial for the environment but it could save you money on utility bills as well. Many utilities provide Time of Use (TOU) or alternative Time-variable pricing (TVP) tariffs which enable you to charge your EV at off-peak hours when prices are lowest.
In addition to saving you money, daytime charging could also reduce your electric vehicle’s tailpipe emissions by up to 36 percent. This is because heavy nighttime charging produces significantly higher CO2 emissions than daytime charging does.
Charging during the day with solar production at its highest allows for the most cost-effective charging of your EV, while giving the generated electrons somewhere to go – a major energy efficiency win for the grid.
Charge your electric vehicle (EV) during the day with Level 2 or Level 3 chargers. For added convenience, fast chargers may also be used for an instant boost on-the-go.
Short Intervals
Charging time is a critical element of any workout, and short intervals are often the most efficient way to boost your fitness levels. You can do many more short intervals than long ones without damaging muscles or causing excessive lactic acid buildup.
If you’ve ever done high intensity interval training or sprints, you know it can take some time for your muscles to recover after each exercise. On the other hand, short intervals only need minimal rest between each one.
These workouts are the ideal solution for busy, time-constrained individuals. Additionally, they provide a great foundation to progress towards more intense exercises.
Short interval training such as the Tabata protocol (also known as Izumi Tabata technique) is an excellent example. This involves 20-second bursts of high intensity followed by 10 seconds of rest and can be applied to virtually any exercise.
Another effective short interval format is the 30/15 interval, which involves three sets of 13 x 30-second maximum RPE efforts with 15 seconds of recovery between each set and 3 minutes between them. Similar to the popular 4 x 5, but producing greater improvements in performance than its shorter counterpart.
In 2020, Ronnestad et al published a study which demonstrated the superior power-enhancing benefits of 30/15 intervals over 4-x-5 minute ones. They achieved this by increasing elite cyclists’ mean power output, VO2 max, and lactate tolerance through this training regimen.
These results are truly remarkable and come as a follow-up to an earlier study conducted by the same team which revealed that shorter intervals increased power in less fit cyclists.
30/15 intervals are an excellent way to add a powerful training tool to your cycling arsenal. They’re straightforward and can yield significant rewards quickly, provided that you’re willing to put in effort.
Short intervals can be beneficial for everyone, whether you’re training for an event or simply increasing your fitness levels. Just be sure to follow these tips so that each short interval yields maximum benefit.
Long Intervals
Long intervals are a type of high-intensity exercise commonly utilized in endurance training. Compared to short intervals, long intervals consist of an increased workload followed by a longer recovery period.
Athletes have the freedom to adjust the length of intervals and recovery periods in order to increase their level of difficulty and performance. The key is making sure the exercise is tailored for their fitness level, with adequate recovery afterward.
It’s essential to set realistic training objectives within your current fitness level and always take an active rest week between four-week sessions of long intervals. Doing this will allow your body to adjust to the strain of training and prevent injury.
Another advantage of long intervals is that it allows athletes to train at various intensities and durations. This versatility can be especially advantageous in sports like boxing, martial arts, cycling competitions, futsal, basketball or tennis.
In addition to building muscle strength and endurance, long intervals can also improve aerobic capacity. This is especially relevant if you are prepping for an event that demands sustained higher workloads followed by shorter rest periods such as running.
Researchers conducted a comparison between physiological responses and perceptual changes experienced during short and long bursts of high-intensity exercise. They discovered that longer intervals performed at a faster speed had more favorable overall effects on physiological and perceptual processes than shorter sprints at lower speeds (Fig. 1 ).
These results indicate that long intervals of high-intensity workouts may be effective for improving aerobic performance across different populations. It appears that a different set of mechanisms is involved when performing long intervals as opposed to short ones.
The charge/discharge efficiency of a battery charger is variable and depends on the type of battery used. Lead acid batteries typically offer 80-85% charge/discharge efficiency; on the other hand, lithium-ion cells tend to have lower capacities which will ultimately impact how long it takes for your device to fully charge.