Top Gear has listed the fastest charging electric cars in the world, with a European car topping the rankings
Recent weeks have seen car manufacturers report a surge in public interest in electric vehicles, driven by the impact of the Iran conflict on petrol prices.
Historically, one of the primary barriers preventing people from purchasing electric cars has been the lengthy charging times required.
While petrol and diesel vehicles can be refuelled in mere minutes, some electric cars still take around 20 minutes or longer to charge. The charging speed of an electric vehicle is measured in kW (kilowatts).
Yet recent technological breakthroughs mean electric cars are rapidly narrowing the gap with their fossil fuel, synthetic fuel and hydrogen-powered rivals. With this in mind, experts at Top Gear have compiled a list of the world’s fastest-charging electric vehicles.
Topping the list is a 1,340bhp four-door saloon from Mercedes called the GT XX, capable of charging at up to 1,041kW, with an average of 850kW, reports the Express.
While primarily a test vehicle, such cars are typically developed with the aspiration that the technology could eventually be rolled out into mainstream production models.
In terms of range added, Top Gear explained that this translated to more than 200 miles in under five minutes. They said: “In testing it recorded a 1,041kW maximum charging speed, averaging out at around 850kW — that’s 250 miles of range in five minutes. Merc has also partnered with Alpitronic, a specialist in high-power charging, to devise units capable of handling such speeds.”
Taking second place behind the Mercedes was the BYD Han L SUV, boasting a charging speed of around 1,000kW — equivalent to approximately 1.2 miles of range per second via its Super e-Platform. The platform is due to feature in upcoming models, including the Denza Z9 GT.
Rounding off the top three was another Chinese electric vehicle, the Li Auto Mega — a people carrier capable of charging at speeds of up to 520kW.
Top Gear’s rankings come at a time when appetite for electric car ownership is growing rapidly. In response, motoring organisations have been working to give the public a clearer picture of what life with an electric vehicle actually looks like, particularly in relation to charging speeds.
The RAC, for instance, has moved to dispel common misconceptions around charging times, stating that electric cars do not “take forever to charge”.
In a Facebook video, the RAC featured James, a Business Director at Zapmap, who shed light on why long charging times are not the norm for all electric vehicles. He argued that, when factoring in the total time spent at a typical service station, electric cars are far more comparable to petrol and diesel vehicles than most people realise.
He explained: “Most EVs charge while their owners are sleeping, meaning it actually takes less time for the owner to plug in and unplug their car than it does for, say, a petrol driver to go to a petrol station and wait while their vehicle fills up.
“If you have to charge your car while out on the road with an ultra-rapid charger, some of those can charge in as little as twenty minutes.
“So by the time you’ve gone into the service station, grabbed a coffee, gone to the loo, and come back outside to send that final WhatsApp message, your car is already charged.”
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