What is a fast charger and what are its advantages?

E-mobility is becoming increasingly popular. More and more people are opting for electric driving, which is why more and more charging stations are available. One of these solutions is a fast charger, or also called a supercharger. But what exactly is this?

What is a rapid charger (DC charger)?

A quick charger, or DC charger, stands for Direct Current (DC) and is used to charge electric cars at higher voltages than AC charging points. This charging is usually done through a CCS connection, which allows power to be fed directly to the car's battery. As a result, battery capacity and driving range can be recharged to 80% in a short time. This makes it possible to continue driving within a short time.

Superchargers

These superchargers are especially well suited to EVs with high power (25 to 375 kW) and high efficiency, allowing an EV to be charged faster. Because DC chargers are more expensive than a regular AC charger (up to 22 kW), they are particularly interesting in places where the average car, van or truck is parked for a short time but needs to be charged quickly. Think, for example, of public places such as at a hotel, shop car parks or, for example, transport companies.

They are therefore called superchargers, you may also know them from Tesla who have placed Tesla Superchargers in many places in Europe especially for Tesla drivers.

Advantages of a quick charger

One of the advantages is that the charging process is many times faster than at AC charging points.

There are also other benefits, such as:

• The payload can be adjusted according to need;
• Charging stations are often located in practical public places, so you don't need to have a charging station at home;
• Less frequent charging is needed, as more energy can be supplied in a short time;

Alternatives to fast charging: AC charging

Besides DC chargers, there are other alternatives for charging electric cars. For instance, there is AC charging. This is charging with Alternating Current (AC). This charging method is mainly seen as home charging and delivers a lower voltage than a DC fast charger. A Alfen charging station is an example of a charging station that can offer this power and is suitable for any electric car.

The big difference between AC and DC charging is that the latter form of charging is much faster, hence, of course, the name fast charging. A full battery can be charged in about 8 hours with an 11 kW AC charging station at home. This time depends on the capacity and type of car you have.

AC charging is also cheaper than fast charging, but there are some drawbacks. For instance, charging takes much longer and you cannot use extra features such as heating the battery. Also, it is not possible to charge a car with AC charging when you are on the road.

Conclusion

Fast charging is a common way to charge electric cars, where power can be fed back to the battery in a short period of time. There are several advantages to fast charging, such as the fact that it requires less frequent charging and that the power can be adjusted based on need. However, as mentioned, you will mostly come across these fast chargers in public places and not so soon at home at someone's wall. This is mainly due to the high cost of purchase.

So as an alternative, there is the well-known AC charging station which is usually used in home situations. The main difference is that these charging posts charge at a lower capacity and are cheaper per kWh.