I recently tried a Balanced EA charger and it didn’t perform as expected. Sharing my experience here.
Did you confirm it was balanced? Those speeds sound more like a cold battery issue.
Shay said:
Did you confirm it was balanced? Those speeds sound more like a cold battery issue.
@Mercilyn
Chargers should show max output and what the car is requesting. That would help identify the bottleneck.
Shay said:
@Mercilyn
Chargers should show max output and what the car is requesting. That would help identify the bottleneck.
Totally agree with that.
Shay said:
Did you confirm it was balanced? Those speeds sound more like a cold battery issue.
Yep, that makes sense!
Shay said:
Did you confirm it was balanced? Those speeds sound more like a cold battery issue.
Balanced chargers should still deliver around 175kW. The person who posted said they waited in line for 15 minutes in freezing weather and didn’t mention preconditioning. The low charge rate is likely due to the battery being cold.
Shay said:
Did you confirm it was balanced? Those speeds sound more like a cold battery issue.
It was marked as Balanced.
Shay said:
Did you confirm it was balanced? Those speeds sound more like a cold battery issue.
It was marked as Balanced.
Was someone else using the other charger and pulling enough power to lower yours?
@Shay
Yeah, someone was using it nonstop. The place was packed with EVs. I only got over 100kW briefly.
If you’re in Denver and it’s below freezing, that could be a big factor. Cold weather impacts both the car’s battery and the station.
raph said:
If you’re in Denver and it’s below freezing, that could be a big factor. Cold weather impacts both the car’s battery and the station.
It was 38°F, and the chargers were busy all morning. I waited 15 minutes before my turn, and it didn’t slow down after that.
This isn’t about balanced charging. It’s a cold battery issue. Look into how to precondition your battery.
Shan said:
This isn’t about balanced charging. It’s a cold battery issue. Look into how to precondition your battery.
It is about balanced charging because the paired stalls compete for power.
@Monroe
What was the highest charging rate you got?
The charger in your photo can provide 350kW, splitting it to 175kW each if two cars are using it. The car also tells the charger the rate it can handle. Cold batteries can take time to warm up and accept high power.
Precondition your battery. Use your navigation system to select a charging station, and the car should start preparing the battery. You’ll see an indicator on your screen showing it’s conditioning.
@Tali
I got over 100kW briefly, but it dropped when another car pulled in. My issue is Balanced chargers don’t seem as good as dedicated ones. I just wanted to try this new station.
Monroe said:
@Tali
I got over 100kW briefly, but it dropped when another car pulled in. My issue is Balanced chargers don’t seem as good as dedicated ones. I just wanted to try this new station.
The drop might’ve been unrelated. Charging curves aren’t always smooth—sometimes they change due to the car’s settings. Balanced chargers are a compromise due to grid limitations. Until more chargers are available everywhere, they work for now. Some European setups use on-site battery storage to handle demand better, but that requires more investment.
It’s not as bad as being limited to 125kW at 400V on a supercharger. If paired, that drops to 62kW and means 90 minutes to go from 10-80%. That’s even worse.
It seems like you’re blaming the charger, but it’s likely the battery wasn’t preconditioned enough. I had to precondition for 50 minutes in 25°F weather to hit 200kW almost immediately.
Val said:
It seems like you’re blaming the charger, but it’s likely the battery wasn’t preconditioned enough. I had to precondition for 50 minutes in 25°F weather to hit 200kW almost immediately.
I’m just saying Balanced chargers aren’t great. Even if I preconditioned, cars kept swapping out and affecting speeds. I only drove a mile to get there and wanted to test this new station, but it’s in a busy suburb where preconditioning isn’t common.