Harvey Dueck Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 I'm trying to decide between a Tesla model 3 SR+ and a 2020 Kia Soul EV with 64kW battery and nominal 380km range. Both nominally can charge at up to 100kW, but if I plan a round trip from e.g. Vancouver BC to Val Marie SK, the round trip plans show ~4.5 hours total charging time for the Tesla vs 12.5 hours for the Kia Soul EV. Some of the difference is due to the Soul having sometimes to use slower 40 and 50kW charging stations, but most charging stops are at PetroCanada stations which are rated at 200 or 350kW, well above the 100kW nominal max rate for either vehicle. The plans show the Kia Soul taking much longer than the Tesla to complete a charge. For example, during the stop in Swift Current before heading to Val Marie, both vehicles charge from 10% to 87 and 89%, respectively. For the Tesla, the time is given as 27 minutes, vs 49 minutes for the Soul EV. The Tesla supercharger is rated for 250KW and the Petro Canada charger used by the Soul is rated for 200kW, so both vehicles should be able to charge at their maximum rates. Are the charge curves really so different? Or is the planner not doing a good job of modelling the charge times for one or both of the vehicles? How can I find out? The UI doesn't offer the 2020 Kia Soul as an option, so I chose "Kia Soul EV e-Soul 64 kWh". Thanks for any insight you can offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryH Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 Hi Harvey, Each carmodel has it own charging curve. So if the brochure says 100kW DC charging, that does not mean the car will actually achieve the 100kW. You are correct in selecting the e-Soul 64 kWh. Note: if a model is in beta or alpha stage the consumption and charging curves can be too conservative More info on charging curves: and: specifically e-Niro, same battery as Soul: https://support.fastned.nl/hc/en-gb/articles/360007699174-Charging-with-a-Kia-e-Niro and Tesla model 3: https://support.fastned.nl/hc/en-gb/articles/360012178313-Charging-with-a-Tesla-Model-3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Dueck Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 BarryH thank you very much for your prompt and informative response! I had seen the blog post on the charge curve for the Soul and e-Niro and the Supercharger performance post which doesn't mention the Model 3 SR+, but I hadn't managed to find any info about the charge curve used for the Model 3 SR+. Looks like the SR+ is firmware limited to charging at 100kW, so it can actually achieve that, whereas the charge curve for the Soul/eNiro actually peaks at about 75kW. The difference in the curves explains the different charge times in the route plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...