Chinese EV maker NIO today announced the availability of its 20kW home charging pile, which is comparable to a small "fast charger" that can greatly reduce cars owners' charging time at home.
The new home charger has nearly three times the charging power of its previous second-generation 7kW home charger and is expected to reduce charging time to one-third.
Compared to the original 7kW charger, it saves up to 6.5 hours by charging a 20% capacity battery to 90% capacity.
When used with the 100kWh battery pack, this fast charger takes only 3.5 hours to fully charge.
This 20kW home charger from NIO, released at Nio Day in late 2019, is a joint product of NIO and Shenzhen-based GOS Power.
However, due to the higher power, this charger requires three-phase power support. Therefore, car owners should first make sure, when shopping for one, that their parking spaces are equipped with a three-phase power supply.
NIO owners can get NIO's second generation, 7kW home charger for free when they purchase their car.
With the launch of the upgrade, customers can upgrade their previous charger to the latest 20kW home charger by paying for the upgrade. New installation will cost 16,800 yuan ($2,450).
For those who have a charging station at home, although it is more convenient to charge at night, because of the limited power of the home charging station, the charging time can be too long, and it may even happen that you go to charge at night and find that it is not full when you drive in the morning.
The new high power home charging station can reduce the charging time and enhance the car owner's experience.
Analysts say NIO-led battery swap wave coming for China's electric cars
The question is, if the 20 kw charger - used on a daily basis - will be bad for battery life as slow charging is better for car batteries.