Is this electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging hack a clever feature or a mistake?
The host of US YouTube channel EverythingEVs has tested an unusual trick that some Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs have claimed reduces their charging times at DC chargers.
This trick is simple: turn on the hazard lights, and watch the charge times fall.
When put to the test on this 2019 Jaguar I-Pace, the EverythingEVs host found the electric SUV held a much higher peak charge rate with the hazard lights on, increasing from about 90kW to 100kW.
Small improvements were also reported across the test, resulting in a 10 to 80 per cent charge time of 42 minutes – his fastest claimed result yet.
It was eight minutes quicker than a recent test he performed at the same charger with the same I-Pace.
It’s worth noting there can be inconsistencies between different chargers and even across different charging sessions at the same locations, though this seems to be a frequent enough occurrence that there could be something to it.
It’s unclear why this trick works.
EV owners trying to unlock faster charging is also nothing new, with Tesla owners also showing off a trick where they wrapped the end of the brand’s Supercharger charging leads with a wet towel.
This reduced the temperature recorded by the cable, providing more power, but Tesla has warned against following this practice as it says it’s unsafe.
