Charging methods for new energy pure electric vehicles
Currently, there are several charging methods for electric vehicles, including slow charging, fast charging, battery swapping, wireless charging, and mobile charging. However, most electric vehicles on the market only support slow charging and fast charging, and are equipped with slow charging and fast charging interfaces. Other charging methods have not yet been widely adopted.
1. Slow charging (regular charging, vehicle charging) is suitable for vehicle chargers and home wall-mounted charging piles. Its current and power are relatively small, and the charging time generally takes 6-8 hours.
2. Fast charging (ground charging, emergency charging) includes two forms: charging stations and mobile charging vehicles. It mainly uses a non-vehicle-mounted charger to directly charge the battery with a large current, so that the battery can be charged to about 80% in a short time, and can generally be fully charged in 1 hour.
3. Battery swapping involves replacing the power battery to charge the car battery. When the power battery is depleted, a fully charged battery replaces the low-charge battery pack, and the replaced battery is sent to a battery swapping station for slow charging.
4. Wireless charging involves automatically connecting to the power grid for charging and discharging via wireless charging pads embedded in roads and parking spaces, without the use of wires and cables. This charging method is convenient and safe to use, but it is not yet in mass production.
5. Mobile charging (MAC) is an extension of wireless charging. Car owners no longer need to search for charging stations or spend time charging; they can charge while cruising on the road. The mobile charging system is buried under a section of the road surface, marking out charging areas, and requires no additional space.
Will using fast charging damage the battery?
In theory, frequent fast charging should cause some damage to the battery compared to slow charging. After all, fast charging uses a current that is several times or even tens of times higher than the standard charging current. In fast charging mode, when the battery is charged to about 80%, the remaining charge will be fully charged using slow charging.
Frequent fast charging accelerates battery cell polarization, leading to lithium plating. This plating process reduces the number of lithium ions, ultimately decreasing battery capacity and impacting battery life. However, except for lithium iron phosphate batteries, allowing the battery to rest briefly after fast charging allows the lithium metal to revert back to lithium ions, and the critical temperature returns to normal. Nevertheless, frequent fast charging still reduces the battery's recovery capacity. Therefore, to better ensure the driving range of electric vehicles, owners can choose a "slow charging for daily use and fast charging for emergencies" approach, or slow charging once a week for additional charges.
Why can't my new energy pure electric vehicle charge?
The electric vehicle charging process mainly consists of six steps: physical connection, low-voltage auxiliary power-on, charging handshake, charging parameter configuration, charging, and charging completion.
When a charging station charges an electric vehicle, the first condition that must be met is the compatibility of the charging gun and the charging interface, i.e., a physical connection. If the charging gun can be inserted into the car normally, the foundation for charging is established. Low-voltage auxiliary power-on is the process of powering on the vehicle's BMS (Battery Management System). Only when the BMS is powered on can it further communicate and exchange versions with the charging station. If the versions are the same, the BMS will send detailed vehicle information and exchange information with the charging station. During the charging process, a large number of messages are generated between the two; if a mismatch occurs, normal charging cannot be completed.
Normally, if charging fails or is interrupted, the charging station will display a charging failure reason code. The meanings of these codes can be found online, but searching for codes is time-consuming. It is recommended to call the charging station's customer service or ask the station staff for the meaning of the fault code to determine whether the charging failure is caused by the vehicle or the charging station itself.
