Which Electric Tow Cars/Trucks Charge The Fastest?

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When towing a trailer/RV with an electric car, there is a general ‘rule’ that you should expect the range to decrease while towing by roughly 50%. The reality is the range while towing could be affected more or potentially less depending on lots of factors, such as going up lots of hills etc. However, the main point is that for this post you should expect a significant range decrease while towing with an electric car. Therefore, how fast a particular electric tow car can put energy back into the battery is very important.

Which Electric Tow Car Charges The Fastest
The faster an electric car can charge, the more practical/useable it is as an electric tow car

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Introduction To Electric Tow Car Maximum Charge Rates

Below I’ve included a table of electric tow cars/trucks and their maximum towing capacity and maximum charge rates. The links for each car/truck go to the specific article I’ve written about them.

Now, it is important to note that not all versions of a particular tow car have the maximum charge rate stated. The figure I’ve given is the highest for that particular model.

The Audi E-Tron is an example. The E-Tron 50 has a maximum charge rate of 120kW, while all other E-Tron 55 models can charge at up to 155kW.

The point is, that different maximum charge rates on different specs of a car/truck is something you need to be aware of.

Electric Tow CarMax Towing CapacityMax Charge Rate
GMC Hummer EV7,500 Lbs350 kW
Chevrolet Silverado EV10,000 Lbs350 kW *
Tesla Cybertruck14,000 Lbs250 kW + *
Tesla Model X5,000 Lbs250 kW
Tesla Model Y3,500 Lbs250 kW
KIA EV62,300 Lbs233 kW
Hyundai IONIQ 52,000 Lbs221 kW
Rivian R1T11,000 Lbs190 kW
Rivian R1S7,700 Lbs190 kW
Ford F-150 Lightning10,000 Lbs150 kW
Audi E-Tron4,000 Lbs155 kW
Polestar 22,000 Lbs150 kW
Volvo XC40 Recharge3,300 Lbs150 kW
Bolinger B1 & B27,500 Lbs100 – 150kW
Nissan Ariya1,500 Lbs130 kW
VW ID.42,700 Lbs125 kW
* Still waiting for real-world charging rate results

I’ll do my best to keep the table above up to date. However, please check out my electric tow car/truck database, which I will be updating with new vehicles/models.

Old (Used) vs New Electric Tow Cars – Differences In Charge Rates

Above, I stated how there are differences between the maximum charge rates with the same model of electric tow car depending on the specific spec/trim level.

Well, if you are considering purchasing a second-hand electric tow car, you should also appreciate that some older versions of an electric car may have a slower maximum charging rate.

As the technology in electric cars is changing pretty rapidly, year on year, there are improvements being made.

So let’s look at an example such as the Tesla Model X. Current versions can take advantage of the latest Tesla V3/V4 Superchargers, which charge at up to 250 kW.

That’s not the case for all the second-hand versions of the Model X on the market. For instance, the first Model X versions from 2015 have a maximum charge rate of 120 kW.

Even if you plug that car into a V3 Supercharger, it will not be able to charge faster than 120 kW due to the hardware limitations of the car itself.

2015 Tesla Model X
The 2015 Tesla Model X can only charge at up to 120 kW: Image – Tesla.com

Important: Electric Car Rapid Charging Rates Are Not Linear

So, the table above on charge rates shows us the maximum capabilities of each electric tow car. However, its very important to note that no electric car (currently) will achieve its maximum charge rate consistently.

Let’s presume the car is plugged into a charging station capable of meeting the car’s maximum charge rate.

Even then, no electric car based on current lithium battery technology will maintain its maximum charge rate for the duration of the charging session.

Tesla Charging Curve
An example of charge curve data and how charging profiles can change over time with vehicle updates etc: Image – GreenCarReports.com

Therefore, there is a term you will hear more about over the coming years, an electric cars ‘charging curve’.

Basically, at a certain battery state of charge, a car will typically be able to take a certain amount of power somewhere up to the car’s maximum charging speed.

Different cars from different manufacturers have different charging curves. This is due to the differences in battery chemistry, capacity, hardware and software.

Different Charge Curve Profiles

Some electric cars have a bell curve charging profile where the charging speed starts low at a low battery state of charge.

The charge rate peaks around a 50% battery state of charge and then tapers away as the battery gets closer to being fully charged, around 80%. Other electric cars have a flatter charge curve.

Potentially, with a flatter charging curve, even though the maxium rate of charge is lower, the total charging time can be shorter due to a higher average charging speed over the length of the charging session.

I cannot currently provide a charging curve profile for each specific electric tow car as much as I would like to. However, in the future, once this information is available, I will be referencing it here.

However, what I can reference is an excellent video from electric car YouTuber Bjørn Nyland, which illustrates the charging curve differences between different electric cars rather well.

At 7.49 the 10% to 90% charging race begins

The video above shows how, in terms of charging speed, the Audi E-Tron actually performs very well compared to the competition.

Hence, while the E-Tron is not a very efficient electric car, it does have the benefit of getting charge back into the battery quickly.

In the future, I hope to have more pieces of content such as this to illustrate the difference in real-world charging speeds between different cars.

The key takeaway from the above is the following. The maximum charge rate of an electric car is not a maintainable charging speed over the duration of the charging session.

Hence, potentially, a car with a lower peak charging speed that can maintain a higher average charging speed may be able to top up its battery more quickly.

Some Rapid Chargers Are More Rapid Than Others

This article is about the hardware within the electric car/truck in terms of its maximum charging rate.

However, to be able to take advantage of a car’s maximum rate of charge, it needs to be plugged into a rapid charger that can provide sufficient power.

Rapid chargers start from 50kW and currently go up to 350kW. There are many different rapid charger network operators around the US with different prices and payment options.

I’ve got a separate Guide to Rapid/Fast Charging An Electric Tow Car/Truck, which you should also read.

Conclusions On The Fastest Charging Electric Tow Cars/Trucks

So when it comes to determining which electric tow car can charge the fastest while its maximum speed of charge in kW will provide a good indication, it cannot be used as the definitive answer.

I’m hopeful that going forward, more data/testing will be available for each electric tow car, demonstrating their charging curves under specific scenarios.

For instance, just as an electric car’s efficiency can be impacted by cold weather conditions, so can its charging speed.

Hence, its why Tesla and Mercedes pre-heat (pre-condition) their battery packs before the car reaches the rapid charging station so the car can accept the fastest rate of charge possible.

I expect more manufacturers to implement this feature going forward.

Its also worth noting, as a general rule, that electric cars charge the fastest when the battery state of charge is between 10% and 80%. There are reasons for this, which I’ll get into in later articles.

The general point is, as the rate of charge decreases considerably charging from 80% to 100%, its generally not worth doing so.

However, that also means with less than 100% in the battery, the car’s full range is not available.

Which when towing as the range is effectively cut in half due to factors such as aerodynamic drag having less than 100% charge may be a significant consideration to factor into planning your journey.


Electric Tow Car/Truck Database

  • Search/compare all new BEV & PHEV electric tow cars/trucks
  • Review real-world towing test results

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