Does Fast Charging Really Damage Electric Car Batteries?

YOGYAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The use of fast charging for electric cars certainly helps the charging process because it can charge the battery faster than normal charging. However, some electric car owners still believe that using fast charging too often can accelerate battery damage and reduce its performance. So, is it true that fast charging can cause electric car batteries to degrade quickly? “Fast charging is still needed, especially in public places or during emergencies, but this should not be done too often. Occasionally, it should still be safe to maintain the battery’s lifespan,” said Jayan to Kompas.com, recently. According to Jayan, using fast charging can indeed accelerate battery degradation because the large electric current causes the battery temperature to rise more quickly during the charging process. “If the battery is often hot, the battery cells will quickly degrade, so its health decreases, and the range becomes shorter,” said Jayan. Therefore, electric car users are advised to regulate their charging patterns and trips so as not to rely too much on fast charging, especially for daily use. “For example, if the car will be used in the next few days, consumers can charge the battery with a low electric current from today, so that on the day of use, the battery is full and does not overheat,” said Jayan. Meanwhile, Product Planning and Strategy at GAC Indonesia, Iqbal Taufiqurrahman, said that fast charging for electric cars is basically safe to do repeatedly because modern vehicle systems are designed to anticipate this. “Current electric cars are equipped with a Battery Management System or BMS which functions to regulate and protect the battery, starting from charging, temperature, to electrical pressure. So, repeated fast charging is safe as long as the system works normally,” he said to Kompas.com. Iqbal explained that the Battery Management System (BMS) functions as the main battery controller which will adjust the charging speed according to the actual condition of the vehicle’s battery. If the temperature increases or the battery condition is not ideal, the system will automatically reduce the charging power to maintain safety and also maintain battery life. In addition to the BMS, the battery cooling system is also an important factor in maintaining the safety of fast charging. Currently, electric cars generally use two types of cooling, namely air cooling systems and liquid cooling systems.