When it comes to fast charging, new research from Finbold revealed that Tesla's Supercharger is no longer so "super."
In fact, Tesla ranked sixth out of seven automakers, and its top charging speed of around 11 miles a minute was dwarfed by BYD's claim of 50 miles a minute. Finbold's analysis stacked up BYD, Tesla, LI Auto, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Hyundai, and Lucid's publicly reported maximum charging speeds under optimal conditions.
While BYD's charging prowess has stolen headlines, it is somewhat surprising to see Tesla at the bottom of the list, only edging out luxury EV maker Lucid. Rounding out the podium behind BYD were LI Auto and Mercedes-Benz. The news isn't all bad for Tesla, though.
With over 60,000 Superchargers globally, its fast charging is more visible, available, and utilized than anyone else's. Finbold noted that 4,000 ultrafast BYD charging stations are set to sprout up, but that number will still fall well short of Tesla's footprint in the space.
Similarly, Mercedes, Volvo, Hyundai, and Lucid all have a wide range of partnerships with Tesla or other charging-station brands, allowing drivers to charge conveniently around the world. Stateside, more brands, like Hyundai, are adopting the NACS port, which will give drivers access to Superchargers in the U.S.
While the report might not be the best development for Tesla, increased competition in the charging space and more charging options are undoubtedly good news for drivers. Range anxiety is one of the biggest concerns among drivers weighing a switch to EVs. As competition ramps up for faster charging, some of those fears can be put to rest.
Widespread EV adoption is a net positive for the planet compared to gas-powered vehicles, despite one major flaw: resources used in mining for battery materials. As scientists and companies address those concerns, they can widen the gap even more. Collectively, more EVs mean less tailpipe pollution and less reliance on dirty energy that exacerbates the warming of the planet.
Finbold did note that there are some caveats to the increasingly fast purported charging speeds. For one, the data was collected under pristine conditions with fast chargers. Many chargers at stations worldwide are slower chargers that can't reach these speeds.
On the positive side, efforts are underway to revolutionize EV batteries with solid-state options.
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