Charging an electric vehicle will keep developing to the point where it’s as fast as refuelling a vehicle powered by petrol or diesel fuel, even if only to give drivers reassurance and not because they actually need the functionality, according to the boss of the new Hyundai European development centre, Tyrone Johnson.

“The expectation from customers is that it will take three minutes to fill a car, the same as it does with an internal-combustion engine,” Johnson told AutoExpress. “It’s maybe perception rather than reality, but they worry about range anxiety and whether they will suddenly need to drive 200 miles. The goal is to get to the same speed as ICE.” 

Johnson also said that people who can’t charge at home need to know they can quickly replenish their EV. He believes the challenge for manufacturers, however, is to deliver fast charging without just adding more batteries, which increases weight and reduces space inside electric cars.

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The managing director of the new Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre, which has been built at a cost of 200 million euros (A$360 million), also called for patience in establishing a bullet-proof charging infrastructure. 

“The ICE industry has had over 100 years to develop something as simple as filling a car with fuel, and there are still some rare occasions where the fuel filler won’t fit in the car,” he said. “EV is a gigantic challenge and what we are expected to deliver is immediate. Give us a minute – it will work, but as an industry it’s going to take a minute.” 

To charge at the rate being targeted will require a step-change in battery tech, according to Johnson. In the lab, Hyundai is working on 400kW charging tech that offers potential efficiencies that mean longer ranges can be achieved without requiring larger batteries but could also bring charge times down closer to a traditional petrol fill-up.