Speed Kills? Not Here!
Back in July, we posted on the efficiency of electric vehicles, or EVs, using miles per kilowatt as the metric. You can see that post here.
But whose electric vehicles have the fastest charging speed?
We promised to then post on charging efficiency or charging speed when DC, or Level 3, charging. This proved to be a really difficult nut to crack as manufacturers throw numbers around that are near meaningless and mostly self serving. Whatever number makes their car or cars look good, they will use. There is no standard metric. Or at least there wasn’t until now.
The Real Pros
Enter Edmunds.com. Working with P3, they have the resources and the access to do this properly and have researched the topic which has culminated in their article, Which EVs Charge the Fastest? The link will take you there.
So we will defer to them on the topic — they will do it best, and have already done it. By all means when doing research on your next or first EV, check out their work.
They tested charge rates when batteries are at 10% charge and charged only to 80%, which is exactly how you should charge your car at a DC or Level 3 charge station. By stopping at 80% charge, you spare a battery’s overall lifespan and better maintain its long-term performance. Charging power for most, if not all, vehicles also significantly slows beyond 80% (see the charge curve and discussion below), so it’s generally best to unplug at that point. Its the best use of your time as well as the car’s battery and frees up the charging station.
We’ll make one notable observation. In our efficiency research, Hyundai’s fleet was second only to Lucid and tied with Tesla. You can see it in our previous post. Edmunds testing places two Hyundai models and one Kia — same manufacturer — at the very top of charging speed! So, not only does Hyundai come in with the best range but many of their models charge the fastest as well!
Edmund’s leaderboard is here. They use an interesting metric of miles added per hour while DC charging, leading to numbers that do not reflect range! The Ioniq 6 adds range (charges) at 868 miles per hour! This does not mean that the car will go 868 miles when done charging. It means it will hit its roughly 300 mile range and be done charging well before the rest of the field!
The next fastest charging model that is not a Hyundai or Kia is the Porsche Taycan at 690 miles per hour, a full 20% less. The first Tesla is the Model 3 at 569 mi/hr, 35% slower than the Ioniq 6.
A final note here. All EVs feature a charge curve, like the one shown below from P3. It’s a little difficult to read, but reading it is not the point (you can read it here). All of vehicles shown behave in a very similar fashion, and yours will too. They start fast and finish slow. It is the nature of today’s battery technology and stopping at 80% is best for you, the battery and the charging public. Adding another 10% could take as long as the first 70!
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
The latest models from all three manufacturers — with two exceptions — have a much simplified process. Staring with vehicle updates in the 2013 model year, simply press the Start / Stop ignition button with the Smart Key while depressing the brake to start the vehicle. We originally named this the back up start Method 6. If this does not work in your model, continue on below for a method that will.
The exceptions noted are first, an EV button (far left) in Kia EVs. It is pushed just like the Start / Stop button. The second exception is the 2021 Genesis G80, which is now a Seventh Method. This method has moved to the 2022 GV60 EV as well, and may yet be placed in other models. If the vehicle does not recognize the key fob or Smart Key, slip the Smart Key into the space behind the shifter dial and cup holders and in front of the leather of the console. See the second image to the left. Then, step on the brake and push the Start / Stop ignition button to start the vehicle as normal.
We must also add an Eighth Method, which is digital. In the new GV60, G70, GV70, G80 and G90, a registered smart phone or a pre-registered card key can be placed on the vehicle’s wireless charging pad. It is found in front of the center console storage area (left). Once in place, the vehicle can be started as normal.
The Kia Forte, Sportage, and Sorento and Hyundai Sonata (prior to 2014) use Method 1. Insert the Smart Key in the Smart Key holder, which is a slot inside the center console, then press the Start / Stop ignition button while depressing the brake. To remove the Key, press it, then pull. Check out the video below.
The Kia Magentis also uses a slot in the center console in Method 2. Insert the Key and then press the Start / Stop ignition button while depressing the brake. To remove, press the Smart Key inward past the detent and then pull it outward.
The Hyundai Genesis, built before 2014, uses Method 3, which is a slot located behind a door above the shifter. Insert the Key and then press the Start / Stop ignition button while depressing the brake. To remove the Key, press it and then pull it out.
The Kia Optima (prior to 2014) and Soul and Hyundai Equus use Method 4, which is a slot in the glove box. The slot is a little higher in the Equus. Insert the Key and then press the Start / Stop ignition button while depressing the brake. To remove the Key, press it and then pull it out.
The Kia Borrego uses the Method 5 slot, which is in the dash just below the Start /Stop ignition button. It should be readily visible. Insert the Smart Key and then press the Start / Stop button while depressing the brake. To remove the Key, release it by pressing and then pull it out.
message to Step on the Brake. Press the brake pedal very, very hard when trying to start the vehicle again to be sure that the release switch behind the pedal is engaged. Or wait a few minutes and try again.
was told that the start button is simply to be 
And adding insult to injury, there are now 11 manufacturers building cars with hidden key holes, and not one has thought to put the instructions in an app for a locked-out customer to reference. Its in the manual after all – locked in the car. The customer is supposed to remember having been shown. Once. As if anyone really learns anything that way.
Does Your Owner’s Manual Have a Troubleshooting Guide?
How Deep Is Your Owner’s Manual?
We’ve done a couple of owner’s manual rants and got to thinking about where the average driver might look in their respective manual if they ran into trouble, specifically with dead or dying key fobs.
So, we examined a sampling of owner’s manuals from BMW and Mini, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, including Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac, Honda and Acura, Kia and Hyundai, Land Rover and Jaguar, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Nissan and Infiniti, Subaru, Toyota and Lexus, Volkswagen and Audi and Volvo. And since we are adding this commentary, you can probably guess the results.
To Index or Not to Index
Next, we looked to see if there was an index to resort to. Several, BMW, Land Rover, and Ford, for instance, have no indexes at all. So if someone out there is from these companies, please consider adding that in. On the other hand, the indexes we did find were no help at all with dead key fobs.
The Honda and Acura chapters point to an issue with the key fob being weak. This may not be immediately obvious to the operator, but it would be a likely spot to check out if the car wasn’t responding.
Absolutely none of the other manufacturers point directly to the electronic keys in anything remotely like a troubleshooting chapter. To be clear, they all have the solutions shown, but the driver is left to contend with 400, 500 or 600 pages of information to get to what they need.
So for all of them, walk a mile in your customers shoes and try to think like someone who simply doesn’t understand what is wrong. Then make a Troubleshooting chapter and forget the clever titles like Handling the Unexpected or Volkswagens do it yourself chapter, which is where they keep breakdown assistance.
The closer your cars get to being rolling computers, the more relevant an actual Troubleshooting chapter will be to your customers.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY