I drive for Lyft, and since my car is out of service, I rented one through their programme. They just got brand-new Niro EVs, and with discounts on rentals and charging, I figured I’d give it a shot for a week.
I’ve driven electric cars before, but I’ve never had to rely on one daily. Twice now, I’ve tried to charge at a station, but both times, the speed won’t go over 30kW, even at a 150kW or 350kW charger. From what I’ve read, the max charge rate for this model is 85kW, and it depends on battery temperature and charge level. The first time, I was at 47% after driving for a while, so maybe the battery was hot. But just now, I pulled up with 25% left after only 15 minutes of driving, and it’s still stuck at 27-32kW.
I tried Googling, but everything I find is just complicated explanations without a clear answer. I’ve seen that some EVs take time to start fast charging, but it’s been half an hour, and it’s still slow. Since I drive a lot, I expected to top up at fast chargers, as home charging overnight isn’t enough. But if it takes over an hour to charge, that’s time I’m not making money. How do other Lyft drivers make this work?
The charging station or even the whole location might be running at a lower power than advertised, either due to maintenance or other issues.
Some locations also have cables that don’t support the full speed listed.
These are the most common reasons, but there could be others. Try a different charger at the same station if you can.
Also, check the PlugShare app and look at the comments for that location. Other drivers might have tips, and you can also see if there are better charging spots nearby.
Piper said: @Zephyr
Wait, so even if the charger says it’s an Ultra Fast one, it might not actually be delivering that speed?
Yep. It might work at full speed with some cars (like ones with 800V systems), but not all.
Try another charger at the same spot if possible.
Also, only charge up to 80%. After that, charging slows down a lot at fast chargers. Try to keep your battery between 20% and 80%.
If you can, charge overnight using a regular wall outlet (level 1) or a dedicated 240V outlet (level 2). That way, you can go up to 100% without wasting time.
If you want a detailed breakdown, this video explains it well:
The Niro EV is great if you can charge overnight on a level 2 charger, but it’s not the fastest for DC fast charging.
While some EVs like the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 can go from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes, the Niro takes about 43 minutes under ideal conditions.
If it’s cold, try preconditioning the battery for at least an hour before charging. You can set a fast charger as your destination to help warm it up. I tested it at 1°C (34°F), and it made a big difference.
Yeah, charging an EV has a lot of little details to figure out. Some stations are just slow, and some cars have quirks that affect charging speed. If you’re driving all day, you might need to plan around that.
