why don't they split electric car batteries into 2 (or more)

[BlahBlahYouToo]

i may be way off here since i don't have an EE degree, but can you make the batteries separate and allow them to be charged in parallel?
IOW, 2 separate battery packs means using 2 outlets so a complete charge will take half the time?
smaller batteries charge faster right?

 

[Bignate603]

Battery charging time for car batteries isn't really an issue. For a car with a well operating charging system and healthy battery you'll replace what you used to start up the car in a few minutes.

 

[Eli]

I think he's means electric cars.

The answer to your question is that it's not worth making the electrical system of an electric car more complicated to save time on charging.

 

[JTsyo]

From what I know, the batteries are already different cells. So they might be doing that internally. Maybe the outlet isn't the chokepoint.

 

[herm0016]

the charge rate is slower because the batteries respond better to a slow charge. it really has nothing to do with how the batteries are connected.

 

[A5]

From what I know, the batteries are already different cells. So they might be doing that internally. Maybe the outlet isn't the chokepoint.

Ding ding ding. They stack enough batteries to get the voltage needed to drive the motor, then after that the stacks are connected in parallel to get the current to actually do the work. Like the guy above me said, they charge slow because that is what's best for the battery's longevity, not due to the configuration.

 

[Adam8281]

Idea: split batteries, but power can only be drawn from one of the batteries when the engine is turned off. That way, even if you leave the lights on, you'll never have a dead battery because the other battery will be used to start the motor.

 

[exdeath]

Energy is energy. Doesn't matter how big the batteries are or how many there are. All that matters are amp-hours. Fill 100 1 gallon jugs or a 100 gallon tank, its going to take the same amount flowing from the wall at the same rate to fill them.

 

[DesiPower]

It is split, its not 1 battery, there are always several units inside it all working in parallel

 

[randay]

i may be way off here since i don't have an EE degree, but can you make the batteries separate and allow them to be charged in parallel?
IOW, 2 separate battery packs means using 2 outlets so a complete charge will take half the time?
smaller batteries charge faster right?

if the goal is short charge times thats all fine and well. it would halve your charge time, however, how many 220v 40amp circuits do you have in your house? i think they are usually 20 amp. which means installing 2 of these dedicated circuits in your house.

 

[brblx]

it doesn't matter if you had more batteries. the hydrid systems are designed to use a specific voltage (and obviously your 12v system uses...12v). adding more batteries while maintaining the same voltage would just add to the capacity (amp hours like exdeath said), and the charger would not be able to work any faster. the extra cells would just be extra charge time, unless the output of the charger was increased.

 

[zerocool84]

Electric cars literally have hundreds or thousands of batteries. There is not just one big battery.

 

[brblx]

Electric cars literally have hundreds or thousands of batteries. There is not just one big battery.

it's still one battery. just multiple cells. which yes, are like individual batteries.

semantics. preferred tool of internet superiority.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

You would need two charging points, and two smart chargers - either in the vehicle or at the charging point.

Two chargers would also draw a hell of a lot of current, meaning that each charge point would need to be on a separate ring (assuming the chargers are running 30A each). Don't know what household electricity connections are rated at in the states, but in the UK the majority are 80A (240V) IIRC. Doesn't leave a lot of capacity for additional appliances.

Simpler solution is just to use a higher voltage charging station, or at least that appears to be the case based on what manufacturers are doing.

 

[randay]

it's still one battery. just multiple cells. which yes, are like individual batteries.

semantics. preferred tool of internet superiority.

yeah, seriously. even a 12v car(lead acid) battery is made up of individual cells.

the op is asking why the batteries arent "split" in half for charging purposes, to decrease charge time. I think the answer is because household 220v circuits arent capable of providing that much juice to begin with. and to double that just isnt cost effective or practical.

 

[soccerballtux]

the charge rate is slower because the batteries respond better to a slow charge. it really has nothing to do with how the batteries are connected.

+1, they could be charged much much faster if you could override all the circuitry that protects them from a super fast charge.

 

[Doppel]

Somehow people are forgetting that a Leaf, for example, can charge much faster at 240V than at 120.

The batteries in these cars consist of many cells way less than 120V. So to answer the OP, yes, if you had two charge ports to the car you could charge faster. However, then you need two ports in the car. Also, a 240 V circuit can handle far more watts than a 120V, so unless you had those two 120V on two separate circuits you're still tapping out the 15-20 amps that a 120V is going to have anyway.

So my thoughts are a) one socket is easier to deal with on the car and b) using only one wall socket ensures a person isn't overloading their circuit (well, tries to ensure); pull low watts from a 120V and higher from a 240V.

If you bought an electric car and its batteries were able to take high loads (some can take 480V I think for a very fast charge) and you wanted to customize the car there's no reason you couldn't have ultra fast charging yourself if you charged the battery with four 120V connections as long as they were on separate circuits. Battery life is impacted negatively by how quickly it's charged, so from that angle a slow 120V charge is best for it anyway even if says a 480V quick charge is acceptable.