We often test electric vehicles in public on DC fast-charging systems. In most cases, we are disappointed. Our reports, while factual, are picked apart in comments by EV advocates (EVangelists) who feel that we are somehow manipulating the circumstances and results of the test to paint EVs in a bad light. Here are some of our previous stories on EV charging, most of which are based on our data and real-world experience.

How we conducted this test

• We looked for the most powerful DC fast charger in our area and found one labeled “Hyper-Fast 350 kW.”
• We started our charging process at a state of charge of 50% (SOC), right in the sweet spot of the charging curve.
• We used a $70,000 (expensive) 2025 model year vehicle that is advertised as capable of up to 350 kW of input power.
• The vehicle’s battery is advertised as having an “800-volt battery system for ultra-fast charging.” The vehicle can be “charged from 10 to 80% in 18 minutes,” according to the advertisement.

DC “fast charging” is anything but fast
As you can see, the electric vehicle movement desperately wants you to believe that DC “fast charging” is not just fast, but, in the charger manufacturer’s words, “hyperfast.” In the automaker’s words, “ultrafast.” These adjectives are designed to make you believe that charging is not just fast, but crazy, evil and incredibly fast. But that’s not the case. It’s one of the slowest ways to add energy to a modern green vehicle.

The test scenario
Our 2025 Hyundai Ioniq Ioniq 5 N media test vehicle was specifically chosen because it’s a new model and has the fastest charging specs. We LOVE this vehicle. In our full review of the Ioniq 5 N, we went into detail about why it’s the best 4-door sport/muscle car you can buy today. It’s almost surreal how fantastic it drives. If we had a $70,000 budget for a 4-door sport car, this is the model we’d choose.

We chose the station because it offered the fastest charging speed we could find in the Boston metropolitan area – 350 kW. If you look closely, you can actually see in the small print on the signage that “up to” is written in small type above the large print number 350 kW. Hmm. Unfortunately, that turned out to be true.

We chose to do the charge on a Thursday during the summer holidays in the late morning so we would have access to the charger. We got the last free spot and another Ioniq 5 owner came to wait until we were finished so he could charge his own car.

We chose a state of charge well below 80% so that the test wouldn’t be spoiled by being in the wrong part of the charging curve. The charging curve is an under-advertised reality of charging. EVs do not charge at their full rate from 0% state of charge (SOC) to 100% SOC. The charging specification displayed often only applies to part of the SOC range. As you approach 80% SOC, the rate at which the car can accept charge drops dramatically. This is why you see “…to 80%” in manufacturers’ specifications. This is also why it’s considered good etiquette to stop charging at 80% so other EV owners don’t have to wait for you to finish trickle charging to 100% SOC.

We chose a charging time of exactly 10 minutes for two reasons. First, that’s about twice as long as it takes to refuel a green vehicle like a hybrid electric vehicle using liquid fuel. Second, it’s about the same time as going to the bathroom if you run. In fact, we had one person run to the nearest bathroom and back, and that took the entire 10 minutes.

The test results
The vehicle had a SOC of 50% when we arrived, and after 10 minutes the SOC had increased to 66%. So we gained about 16% SOC in ten minutes. That’s about 75 kilometers of additional range if you divide the total battery capacity of 84 kWh by the added energy, which the charger showed us on the screen and via our app as 18.1 kWh. We’ve added a screenshot of the charging session summary below this story.

We paid $0.64/kWh. The total cost was $12.30 including tax and $11.58 excluding sales tax. We did the math and came up with about 24 cents per mile for energy. That’s more than three times the cost per mile to power a vehicle like a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid or a Hyundai Tucson Hybrid. Another way to think of it is that it’s about the same as if gasoline cost $10 per gallon. In the Greater Boston area, gasoline currently costs about $3.15.

Comparison with refueling an environmentally friendly vehicle with liquid and electric propulsion
Adding just 75 kilometers to a vehicle’s range in ten minutes is one of the slowest ways to charge a green vehicle. Compare that to adding power to a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid or Toyota Venza Hybrid. It would take about 1 to 2 minutes to add about 3.8 liters of liquid fuel. So charging a battery-powered electric vehicle on a DC “fast charger” takes about ten to twenty times longer than adding power to a hybrid electric vehicle.

The big lie – we never saw 350 kW
During the charging process, we stayed at the station and monitored the power output. Instead of the expected “hyperfast” or “ultrafast” charging, we saw a maximum output of 145kW, but it was well below 100kW for most of the charging process. We expected this, as we have charged other cars at many DC “fast chargers” of various brands and none of them have ever delivered the full power they promise in any of our numerous tests.

Summary – Why lie about electric vehicles?
Battery electric vehicles offer many advantages. These include:

1. Better torque for the money
2. Smoother drivetrains
3. Quieter drives
4. A satisfying driving experience
5. The ability to charge at home
6. The possibility of obtaining electricity from your own solar system at home

Ioniq 5 owner reports on his charging experiences
While we were charging, we spoke with the owner of the 2023 Ioniq 5 Limited who arrived and waited to charge. He was the person running to the bathroom and back. We asked if lower than expected charging rates and longer than expected charging times were common in his experience, and he confirmed this. Our observations are not unusual.

Let’s not blame the car
Although Hyundai uses the term “ultra-fast,” we have no issues at all with the Ioniq 5 N’s charging times. Hyundai is a leader in electric vehicle technology, and the company has released cars that can take a charge faster than charging companies can deliver it. In our experience testing EVs on public “fast” chargers since about 2021, you can’t rely on the public EV charging network to charge quickly when you want it to. This is exactly why we don’t show up with 20% charge remaining. We’re afraid of letting the car’s SOC drop too much because charging is unreliable. One more note about the Ioniq 5 N. It can take the full 40 amps of current output from our Emporia Level 2 home charger. Many modern EVs we test can’t. As a result, the Ioniq 5 N charges faster in our garage than many other cars (the Nissan Ariya is just one example).

Why do electric vehicle proponents overpromise?
Why do evangelists feel the need to invent benefits that don’t exist? Why is super-slow energy delivery in the form of DC charging called “fast” when it is orders of magnitude slower than fueling other green vehicles, such as hybrid electric vehicles? Why do EV advocates feel the need to pretend that electricity is a more cost-effective energy source than liquid fuels (gasoline and ethanol blends) when that’s simply not the case in many parts of America where EVs are popular?

Who cares about public charging with direct current?
Public charging of any kind is a “charging of last resort” for many EV owners who enjoy the luxury of their own home charger. We get it. I have two Level 2 chargers (NACS and J-Plug) in my garage, and also a portable L2 charger with each of the two ports. I only charge publicly to test chargers and EVs and report the results. I just don’t bother taking battery EVs to places where public charging is REQUIRED. It’s not worth the hassle and extra cost. However, many car buyers who can’t charge at home require public charging stations to own a battery EV. About 43% of residences in America are multi-unit dwellings, condos, or apartments. These resident car owners may not have the ability to charge their EV at home. Additionally, many EV owners drive outside of their vehicle’s range from the home charging station. Since level 2 charging on the go is absolutely useless, they have to use DC fast charging. That’s why we are discussing this topic.

Expert conclusion: Public charging in DC is super slow and incredibly expensive
My credentials as an EV expert are available on LinkedIn. I have the education, experience, and access to new electric vehicles to make certain judgments based on first-hand facts and testing. My conclusion is that DC charging is overrated and will never match the benefits of liquid fuels in green vehicles. Please add your own thoughts in the comments section below. We’re sure we must have violated one or more of the myriad rules and best practices related to public charging, and we’re always happy to learn more about the topic.

If you would like to add a comment to this story, please note that our comments section is back and appears in bold red at the bottom of the page.

John Goreham is a veteran member of the New England Motor Press Association and experienced vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high tech, biopharmaceuticals and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news editor. In addition to his 11 years at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews with American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on automotive topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work on our X-channel. Please note that stories with John’s name never AI-generated, but he uses the grammar and punctuation software Grammarly for proofreading.

Photos by John Goreham.