Charging Losses
What is it?
Charging losses refer to the electrical energy that is drawn from the power grid but never makes it into the vehicle's battery. This energy is primarily lost as heat during the conversion process.
How it works
When you charge an electric vehicle at home using AC (Alternating Current) power, the vehicle's onboard charger must convert it to DC (Direct Current) to store it in the battery. This conversion process is not 100% efficient. Additionally, energy is used to run the vehicle's computers and thermal management systems (like cooling fans or battery heaters) during the charging session. Depending on the weather, the charging speed, and the vehicle model, charging losses typically range from 10% to 20%. This means if your wallbox says it delivered 50 kWh, only 40 to 45 kWh actually ended up in your battery.
Why it matters
Charging losses are the hidden cost of driving an EV. If you only calculate your costs based on what the car's dashboard says it consumed while driving, you are ignoring the 10-20% extra electricity you paid for at the meter. To know your true cost per mile, you must account for these losses.
The Aximote Advantage
Most smartphone apps only see the energy that the car reports as "added to the battery." Aximote, running natively on Android Automotive OS, has deeper access. It can track the total energy drawn from the grid and compare it to the energy actually stored in the battery. This allows Aximote to calculate your exact charging losses and provide a 100% accurate picture of your true charging costs, ensuring you never underestimate your electricity bill.