Electric car drivers don’t understand kW. Call on power horsepower!

Electric cars confuse the buying public. Because what is it about? The battery capacity is given in kWh, the charging power in kW and the power of electric motors also in kW.

Almost 85 percent of current and future EV drivers would therefore prefer to see electric car performance in terms of horsepower, according to a study by EV Jaarboek. This is a value that they already know from combustion cars and with which they can easily compare models with each other.

Fast charging time of the electric car from 20 to 80 percent

Electric cars are causing a lot of uncertainty anyway. And that’s partly down to the manufacturers. Some claim a fast charge time of 20 to 80 percent (which is half an hour for many electric vehicles), others 10 to 80 percent or 10 to 90 percent. More than a third of those surveyed would like a standard.

Manufacturers communicate excellence

Another problem is that electric cars do not charge at a constant speed. When you connect an electric vehicle to a fast charger, it often peaks at 20 to 40 percent battery charge, after which the speed slowly decreases. Manufacturers always communicate the maximum, for example 270 kW for the Porsche Taycan, but this is often only achieved for a short time.

What about gross and net capacity?

Another thing consumers don’t understand much about is the capacity of a battery. Most brands now state gross and net capacity. Only the latter makes sense, because that’s the capacity that’s actually available for driving. Four out of five respondents therefore want only the net capacity to be communicated.