A 350kW charging claim looks terrific in an advertisement. But peak speed is exactly that: the peak. It tells you the fastest moment of the charge, not necessarily how long you'll be standing beside the car.
Think curve, not headline.
An EV doesn't normally charge at one constant speed from empty to full. Charging power rises, peaks and then falls as the battery fills. Temperature, battery chemistry, state of charge and the charger itself all affect what happens.
So two cars can both claim a 250kW peak and deliver noticeably different road-trip experiences. One might reach that number briefly and taper early. Another might hold strong power for much longer.
That's why everyone talks about 10–80%.
The middle of the battery is usually where DC fast charging is most useful. Below that window you don't often need to be; above roughly 80%, charging commonly slows as the battery protects itself. On a long trip, another short stop can be quicker than waiting for 100%.
The question isn't “How fast can it charge?” It's “How quickly can I get enough range to leave?”
Preconditioning matters too.
A battery has a preferred temperature range for rapid charging. Good EVs can warm or cool the battery before you arrive at a fast charger — often automatically when the charger is entered as a navigation destination. Arrive with a battery that's too cold or too hot and that impressive peak figure may never appear.
And the charger gets a vote.
A 350kW charger cannot make a 150kW car charge at 350kW. Equally, a car capable of 350kW won't achieve it on a 150kW charger. Then there are shared power cabinets, charger faults, battery state and other variables. Welcome to charging.
Peak kW is worth knowing. A real 10–80% time — and the average power delivered across it — tells you considerably more.
What WattCar wants to know.
We'll look beyond the maximum number: how quickly the car reaches peak speed, how long it holds useful power, the actual 10–80% time, how well preconditioning works and, most importantly, how many useful kilometres can be added during a normal stop.
Because if a car flashes 350kW for a few seconds and then spends the next half-hour slowing down, the headline was technically correct. It just wasn't particularly helpful.