How do electric cars fare in the long haul? The P3 Charging Index measures the long-distance performance of the latest electric vehicles and, this year, looked at the American market for the first time, with four out of five top EVs being made in America.
Unlike other indexes, P3 measures the vehicles’ consumption data and charging curves to depict the time they recharge range in miles rather than comparing (stated) charging power in kilowatts. The P3CI (CI for Charging Index) is, therefore, the time required to recharge an electric vehicle to a specific range, also considering consumption in relation to the actual range. Moreover, the consultants define ideal charging behaviour, so for motorway driving, for example, the ideal Charging Index 1 would be achieved by a car able to charge enough energy for a range of 300 kilometres (km) in 20 minutes.
Now moving to US audiences and markets for the first time, P3 uses miles instead of kilometres and EPA data for standardised consumption values. The new report is the first the German-based consultancy has done with US and international markets after publishing three reports for the European market on the long-distance capability of all-electric vehicles.
The target value mentioned above for the USA, which is an ideal charging index of 1, corresponds to an electric vehicle charging 200 miles range (321 km) within 20 minutes, starting from a low State of Charge of 10% SoC.
The new US analysis only looked at electric vehicles charging via CCS and Tesla. This still enabled P3 to select 13 electric cars prominent in the US, taking into account availability for testing and sales data. The consultants also categorised the vehicles into eligible or non-eligible for the federal tax credit, essentially introducing price classes similar to its tests in Europe.
During testing, the vehicles were charged and charging power, total recharged energy and time were recorded for each SoC increment. All charging curves shown were measured by P3 experts at charging stations of the same network provider in California (unnamed), with a maximum charging power of 350 kW, so P3. Only the Tesla Model 3, Model Y and Model S Plaid in the test were measured at V3 Superchargers since Tesla models in the United States reportedly lack a built-in CCS 1 connector.
Since charging behaviour is naturally conditional and impacted by ambient conditions such as temperature and available power at the charging station, P3 says it compared the charging speeds under ideal conditions. They found said conditions in California in April and allowed each car to reach maximum charging power. This requires the battery to have a relatively low SoC and be preconditioned for fast charging. They also measured multiple charging cycles per vehicle. However, rather than “just” taking maximum charging power, which most vehicles reach only for a short term, the charging index seeks an average charging power by looking at a “charging window” between 10%-80% SoC.
To now calculate the actual recharged range, P3 uses official consumption values. In the US, these come from the EPA. Looking at the top three, Although the Lucid Air GT has the largest battery among the unsubsidised EVs with a net capacity of 112 kWh and the third largest battery in the entire US P3 Charging Index, it has a low EPA consumption of only 26 kWh / 100 mi. This is the lowest consumption among all 13 vehicles and can only be matched by the Tesla Model 3 LR AWD. Based on EPA consumption values, the Lucid Air GT consumes 15 kWh / 100 mi less than the Porsche Taycan GTS, as the Porsche has an EPA value of 41 kWh / 100 mi. The Tesla Model S Plaid consumes more than the Lucid, with 29 kWh / 100 mi. On the other side, the battery capacity is lower at 95 kWh but still higher compared to Tesla Model 3 and Model Y of the “Tax Credit eligible” category with 75 kWh each. The KIA EV6 LR RWD shares the consumption value of Tesla’s Model S Plaid with 29 kWh / 100 mi, but its battery is smaller, with 74 kWh net battery capacity.
The difference in consumption, in other words, efficiency, or, as P3 puts it, the actual distance the recharged range will take a driver in that vehicle, also makes the final results of the charging indexes.
The final ranking of the P3 Charging Index US
It leaves the Lucid Air as the vehicle best suited to long-range journeys with a CI of 1.04. Its average charging power of 147 kW was outweighed by its low consumption, resulting in 208 recharged miles after 20 minutes, so P3. The premium sedan is, therefore, the second-ever vehicle to reach a C1 higher than 1; previously, the title was held by the Kia EV 6 in July 2022, a time when the Lucid EV would not compete in Europe. As for the Kia EV6 in the US ranking, it still comes in third with a CI of 0.96, corresponding to 191 miles recharged after 20 minutes. It also sets the Kia right behind the Tesla Model S Plaid with a CI of 0.97. The KIA benefits from its high charging power above 200 kW until 52% SoC, whereas the Tesla Model S Plaid charges below 200 kW already at 38% SoC. The Porsche Taycan, with its impressive charging powers but higher consumption, ranges in fourth place at a CI of 0.77 (based on 153 recharged miles in 20 minutes) – but only in the luxury car ranking.
Taking into account the cheaper contenders, the overall ranking changes. The Tesla Model 3 and Y overtake the Porsche with charging indexes of 0.85 and 0.81, respectively, so Tesla secures three of the top five places in the 2023 P3 charging index.
Far behind, the VW ID.4 exhibits a range of 129 miles in 20 minutes with its 400 V architecture, leading to a CI of 0.65. The consultancy writes that despite a lower average charging power of 116 kW, low consumption of 32 kWh / 100 mi can still result in “satisfactory charging”.
As for the all-important pickup trucks in the US, the Rivian R1-T and Ford F 150 Lightning make for low long-distance suitability with CIs of 0.62 and 0.55. Still notably for P3, the Rivian R1T maintains a charging capacity of about 200 kW up to 35% SoC, allowing faster charging. In contrast, the Ford F-150 only charges up to 175 kW in that range, despite its average charging of 145 kW being similar to that of its pickup competitor Rivian which also has a comparable battery capacity.
Conclusion
In summary, P3 points out that while two of the leading three cars are luxury cars, the Kia
proves that non-luxury vehicles are capable of long ranges – a fact also found in the European index of 2022 that shows that the mix of battery size, consumption and charging performance counts.
For the US analysis, four of the top five cars are US models, and three come from Tesla. Here, P3 points out that while the Tesla cars have only a 400-Volt architecture and lower charging powers, their low consumption lifts their ranking. Reversely, high consumption and low charging speeds bring down vehicles like pickup trucks. This, however, may be something to look at for manufacturers since these vehicles can often be found in rural areas with longer distances and less charging infrastructure. Here, P3 suggests companies should look at improving charging performance overall, also by careful software advances and 800 V architectures rather than further increases in battery capacities as the primary way forward.
presseportal.de, p3-group.com (download report as pdf)
Keyword: First US Charging Index by P3 sees Lucid Air take #1 place