Advice on Daily Charging for Long Commute

[Polu]

Hi Everyone, wanted to get some consensus advice on my charging set-up.
Recently picked up Model Y LR and absolutely love it!
My commute is long and is all highway, typically my one-way battery drain is anywhere from 30%(light foot) to 35%(Realistic).
I have been charging to 90%, which with fantom drain given I live in Canada leaves me typically around 14% when I get home. I am unable to install a charger at work but have lots of SC on the highway.
I have read differing opinions on the forums about frequent SC vs also dropping below 20% causing battery degradation.
I plan to have the car for a long time and given the commute many..many kms.

What's our communal thinking, from those that have had high km Teslas, for long term battery health I am better off continuously getting to 14% daily or daily stopping at an SC to "top up" so that i arrive above 20% at home?

 

[2101Guy]

Dropping to 14% regularly wont be an issue. Neither would doing scheduled charging so that the car is 100% just before you leave home in the mornings. That would put you back at home with over 20% battery.

 

[jcanoe]

Are you preconditioning the Model Y for 30 minutes, while plugged in, before you leave the house? 14% could be an issue if you get caught in bad weather, may not be enough charge to make it home without a brief SC stop. In spring, summer and fall you won't have to charge except at home. I would charge to 90%, even 95% daily before leaving home. I would avoid charging to 100% daily.

 

[2101Guy]

Also, if it helps: when asked if OK to charge to 100% nightly. Elon does in fact suggest to not charge to 100% nighty, as it would not allow the energy efficiency associated with regen due to the battery being full. If (for example) you go almost straight from home directly to highway with minimal or no braking needed...im guessing the lack of regen above 90% or so isnt an issue..


Elon Musk
@elonmusk
·
Apr 16, 2019

It’s not a big deal. Charge to 90% to 95% & you’ll be fine. At 100% state of charge, regen braking doesn’t work, because the battery is full, so car is less energy efficient.

 

[user212_nr]

What's our communal thinking, from those that have had high km Teslas, for long term battery health I am better off continuously getting to 14% daily or daily stopping at an SC to "top up" so that i arrive above 20% at home?

Supercharging is as bad as it gets for the battery, except leaving it at 100% all the time, while your concerns about going down to 14% are pretty close to nothing. Go all the way down to 1% if you need to, just leave some margin for error (5%) so you don't get stuck.

Of course it needs to be mentioned that it is fine to supercharge, roadtrip, etc. We're just talking relatively good/bad.

 

[Big Earl]

Supercharging is as bad as it gets for the battery, except leaving it at 100% all the time, while your concerns about going down to 14% are pretty close to nothing. Go all the way down to 1% if you need to, just leave some margin for error (5%) so you don't get stuck.

Of course it needs to be mentioned that it is fine to supercharge, roadtrip, etc. We're just talking relatively good/bad.

Driving down to 1% can be kind of sketchy; there are several stories of cars shutting down prior to reaching 0%, particularly as they age. I agree that running it down low isn’t bad for it but disagree that Supercharging is “the worst thing ever,” a title I’d reserve for leaving it parked in the Arizona summer sun at 100% for extended periods of time, but I’m no battery engineer.

 

[user212_nr]

Driving down to 1% can be kind of sketchy; there are several stories of cars shutting down prior to reaching 0%, particularly as they age. I agree that running it down low isn’t bad for it but disagree that Supercharging is “the worst thing ever,” a title I’d reserve for leaving it parked in the Arizona summer sun at 100% for extended periods of time, but I’m no battery engineer.

I said worst thing "except leaving it at 100% all the time," but you missed that part.

Its annoying b/c I go though the extra effort to prevent comments like yours, but its no use.

 

[Big Earl]

I said worst thing "except leaving it at 100% all the time," but you missed that part.

Its annoying b/c I go though the extra effort to prevent comments like yours, but its no use.

My apologies for the misquote. Please continue with the extra effort and I will devote time to reading more thoroughly before commenting.

 

[MY-Y]

A couple of things to keep in mind:

A stiff headwind can make a big difference in power usage. Enough to cause you an issue some days.

I've seen many folks suggest avoiding WOT when the battery gets low. The last time I got below 25% on a cold day, my car limited the acceleration to chill (at best - it seemed SO slow!), so maybe the car already protects the battery enough to not worry about it.

 

[Velcade]

90% to 14% is a lot of use in a day. What's the lowest temp you've seen thus far with your Y? I can tell you my typical usage is 20% a day when the temp is above 50'F (10'C) and roughly 40% when the temps are below 32'F (0'C). If you're using most of your battery when the weather is nice you're going to have a bad time when the temps dip.

 

[Enadler]

I've been a Tesla owner for 8 years now, on my 4th vehicle. On a daily basis I would not recommend charging 10 100%. I think your best bet is to 1- Charge to 90% and make sure you pre-condition each morning, 2- Plan to stop at one of the SC on the way home for 5 minutes or so to top off your vehicle in colder, windier weather. SC at a moderate state of charge from say 25% - %50% on a regular basis will not cause problems with your battery life. This strategy will give you peace of mind and provide for good battery health. I would not recommend driving below 10% on a regular basis. Remember very low and very high SOC is what really degrades the battery.

Good luck!

 

[AhwatukeeDad]

How far is your commute?

 

[Mrbrock]

Are you not able to even L1 charge at work? Even at 3-4 mph you’d add 25-30 miles during a typical work day which would give you the buffer you want.