Session time
22.5min
EV Charge Curve Simulator
Simulate a full DC fast-charging session on 15 popular EVs. Real curve data, any charger speed, any SOC window. See the whole session in one chart.
75 kWh battery, 400V architecture, peak 250 kW
10 %
0 %99 %
80 %
11 %100 %
Charging curve
Vehicle maxDelivered at this charger
Y axis: power (kW). X axis: state of charge (%). Data points are interpolated at 2% intervals.
Energy added
52.6kWh
Miles added
175mi
Average delivered
143kW
Peak delivered
250kW
Car is bottleneck
250 kWcap
Home charging for a Tesla Model 3 Long Range
The curve above is what a Supercharger does for a road trip. Most charging happens at home, where a Level 2 charger with a NACS plug fills the battery overnight with no adapter. Two common choices, based on published specs:
Lectron Nexus 40A NACS home charger
about $450
ETL listed (UL 2594), 40 A / 9.6 kW, plugs into a NEMA 14-50 outlet, 23 ft cable
No electrician needed if you already have a 14-50 outlet. NACS plug, so no adapter for a Tesla.
Check price on AmazonEmporia 48A NACS home charger
about $479
UL listed, ENERGY STAR, 48 A hardwired, Wi-Fi scheduling
The faster choice on a 60 A circuit, and its app can schedule charging for off-peak rates. Needs a hardwired install.
Check price on Amazon
Prices checked October 26, 2026 and change often. A 240 V circuit is required; have an electrician confirm your panel. As an Amazon Associate, ChargeMath earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Why Charge Curves Exist
Lithium-ion batteries accept charge much faster at low states of charge than at high. The reason is electrochemical: as the battery fills, the lithium-ion concentration gradient inside each cell flattens out and the battery management system (BMS) has to reduce current to avoid plating metallic lithium on the anode, which would permanently kill capacity. Every EV has a manufacturer-programmed curve that trades peak power for long-term battery health, and that's what you see charted here.
The 10%-to-60% Rule
On most recent EVs, half the battery goes in fast and the rest goes in slowly. The 2024 Tesla Model 3 Long Range you picked, on a 250 kW charger, goes from 10% to 60% in about 12 minutes, then needs 10 more minutes for the 20 points from 60% to 80%. On road trips, stopping at 10% and leaving at 60% is almost always faster-per-mile than stopping at 30% and leaving at 80%, even if you make more stops. This calculator lets you run that comparison numerically for your car. For the total minutes from any start level to any end level, on Level 1, Level 2 or DC fast, use the EV charging time calculator.
Why 800V Matters
Cars like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Lucid Air, and Porsche Taycan run 800V battery packs. At a given power level, doubling voltage halves the current, which halves resistive heat losses (which scale with I²R). That's why 800V cars can hold near-peak power deep into the SOC range: they're producing less waste heat, so the BMS doesn't have to taper as aggressively. A 2024 Ioniq 5 holds 220 kW or more from 5% to 50% SOC; most 400V cars see their peak power for only 10-15% of the curve.
What The Charger Cap Does
If your car's peak is 270 kW and the charger is 150 kW, you see 150 kW for most of the session, until the car's natural taper drops below 150 kW, after which the charger stops being the bottleneck. You can see this on the chart as the point where the green line separates from the orange dashed cap line. For 400V cars paired with 350 kW chargers, most of the session is car-limited.
Data Sources
- InsideEVs published 10-80% charging tests (2022-2025)
- Out of Spec Studios charging curves on YouTube
- Bjorn Nyland 10-80% tests
- Fastned network statistics (published charging data per model)
- Manufacturer spec sheets for battery capacity and peak kW
Curves are representative of a well-preconditioned battery at moderate ambient temperature. Cold starts without preconditioning can cut peak power by 40-60%; hot batteries on a second back-to-back session can also reduce the curve significantly (especially on air-cooled packs like the Nissan Leaf).
FAQ
Frequently asked
The 250 kW peak is real but brief. The Model 3 Long Range curve holds 250 kW from about 10% to 20% SOC, then steps down to roughly 180 kW by 40%, 140 kW by 50%, and 115 kW by 60%; the Model Y Long Range follows a similar shape. The 'I saw 250 kW for 30 seconds' experience is normal. That's how the curve is shaped. This calculator plots the whole shape so you know what to expect.