FAST ENOUGH FOR YOU ?

Fast charging has become a household term and has been ingrained in the minds of people for a long time since it was first introduced. But it’s sort of old tech now. Superfast charging is the new fast. Whether it’s electric cars or smartphones, everyone is betting on fast charging because that’s where the money and demand are.

For phones, fast charging really started to appear on the horizon around 2018. But technology has quickly progressed since then and now it’s common to hear 120W charging speeds. The very definition of ‘fast’ has changed. We are increasingly becoming more dependent on fast charging to ease our lives.

It is a convenience feature that is deeply regarded by both the users as well as the company. Since batteries have grown so big, they require high-wattage chargers to be juiced up pretty quickly. That’s where superfast charging comes in. It’s really now aiming for the ‘instant charge’ category considering what companies have been trying to do.

Superfast charging essentially allows you to charge your phone mostly in under 15 minutes. To make this possible, manufacturers split their battery into two, introduce thermal cooling, try to dissipate heat, and also include a huge charger in the box. Superchargers do not always get the job done under the claimed time.

This is because they require very reliable conditions to deliver peak performance. Even the slightest deviation in temperature and atmospheric conditions can slow down speeds. This holds true for both fast and superfast charging. But there are a few key differences separating the two. As it is obvious, superfast charging reduces the time of charging significantly and operates on wattage often thrice the fast charging wattage level. There are settings in phones such as Samsung to enable either. For the S22 Ultra, 45W is superfast but the standard 15W is fast. This synchrony is also there in the case of cars. Like phones, cars are also rated mostly on their ability to charge up to 50% or 80%. The faster, the better.

Tesla even has their own supercharging network which Tesla cars can make use of and they are one of the fastest in the business. They can add up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes. That’s blisteringly quick and goes a long way to build customer satisfaction, assurance, and belief in the brand. Other automobile brands such as BMW, Audi, and Mercedes have also launched high-battery capacity electric vehicles which can charge quickly. The problem arises when these vehicles are plugged in at home into normal wall sockets. Those can take up to 10 hours or even a lot more depending on the vehicle.

Superfast charging is convenient but harms the battery and cannot be sustained over very long periods of time. You may appreciate the Tesla supercharging network on a road trip but it slowly chips away the cells and battery health. This leads to a systematic reduction in the amount of charge a battery can hold. Fast charging is better in this aspect as it does not have the same harsh impact on a battery’s longevity. But the field is continuously evolving and developing. Phone and car manufacturers are always innovating new ways to reduce the ill effects of superfast charging by introducing new in-house developed battery technology and materials.

A few months back, Tesla also launched a pilot programme to let electric vehicles of other brands 'refuel' at their supercharging stations. I believe it goes a long way to open new doors and makes buying and maintaining an EV a lot more accessible and affordable. It also paves way to standardization of the charging pins plugged into cars. But, at the same time, I also feel that Tesla is giving up some of its leverage that makes its cars a Tesla. When buying an EV, a lot of people prefer Tesla over anything else because of the robust charging infrastructure and availability. But conducting this pilot programme is so very 'Tesla'. Tesla is known for being an open book much like its CEO Elon Musk. Tesla's patents can be accessed and used by anyone and they do not mind drones hovering above their manufacturing facilities. Quite queer indeed.

What you require as a consumer depends on your needs. If you are always on the move and spend a lot of time out and about then a superfast charger is right for you. It will fill up your phone in whatever little time you get near a charging socket. It’s also perfect for situations when we are in a hurry and only have time to charge the phone during breakfast or shower. Standard fast charging however is what serves most right. It is just fast enough when you want it to me. And let’s be honest - most of us charge our devices when we sleep or after getting back from work. So, it isn’t really a deal-maker or breaker for the majority. You should also pay attention to the fact that phones which support superfast hyper charging generally do not have a battery bigger than 4000 mAh. On days of heavy use, you may be troubled to have your phone last a whole day. Superfast charging also produces a lot of heat.

One cannot ever imagine the words 'iPhones' and 'fast charging' together. That is how bad the situation is. I mean I want my phone to charge quickly but at the same time, I want to preserve the battery health and longevity. After burning $1500 on a phone (and charging brick), I do not want to spend another $70 2-3 years down the line to get my phone's batter replaced. What are you waiting for Apple? It is time for you to show your magic and innovation the same way you launched multi-touch touchscreen.

This topic is hotly debated but people are coming out to talk about it. New technologies such as gallium batteries promise to make this less of an issue.

As it is well known, heat is the single biggest enemy of a battery. It speeds up the wearing of the battery which is the last thing you would want to happen to your new phone. So, the next time you are in the market to buy a new electric car or smartphone, ask yourself - Is this fast enough for me?

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