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Best charging practices ?
- Thread starter Gellie
- Start date
Yes, for daily driving needs up to 80% is fine. For trips you can charge to 90% or higher if needed but with the number of Supercharger locations (especially in the North East US) you will never be far from a Supercharger so you might start a trip with the usual 80% state of charge.
No need to adjust anything for charging at home. The Tesla vehicle and the Wall Connector will handshake and charge at the up to the maximum for the circuit. What you may want to do is set up Scheduled Departure - Charging and Scheduled Departure - Preconditioning. This is more relevant in the colder months but it is always a good idea to charge during periods when the demand on the power grid is lower. Generally after 10 P.M. and before 7 A.M. If you leave at more or less the same time during the week Scheduled Departure - Preconditioning will ensure that the Tesla vehicle's cabin is the desired temperature when you get in the vehicle and start driving.
Deutsch100
Member
I took delivery of my new 2021 Y Performance on 8/15/21. They had the car/app set to 90% charge. The delivery center said Tesla used to say charge to 80% and now they are saying 90%. Hmmmm, I wonder why the change from 80 to 90?
And how often should we charge to 100% to do a cell balancing? Thanks.
And how often should we charge to 100% to do a cell balancing? Thanks.
You can charge to 90% state of charge (SOC) daily if you need the range. Otherwise you can charge to whatever SOC you are comfortable with between 50% and 90% (many Tesla owners prefer charging to 70% to 85%.) You can periodically charge to 95% SOC and this will help the battery management system (BMS) learn the upper range of the battery. You can then drive until the battery is at or slightly below 20% SOC and this will help the BMS learn the lower range of the battery.
Only charge to 100% if you need to do so as on a road trip. The build out of Supercharger locations continues at a rapid pace. In many parts of the US and Canada you are never more than 2 hours drive from a Supercharger (120 to 140 miles) so there no need to charge above your usual maximum SOC even when taking a trip. When using a Supercharger perform your charging stops for quickest charging by charging between 20% SOC and no more than 80% SOC else the Supercharging session will take much longer to complete.
Cell balancing is something that the Tesla vehicle's BMS can perform as part of a charging session, does not require the battery to be at 100% SOC.
Set the battery display icon to display % instead of estimated range (see Display Settings or in the latest software release 2021.24.4 you can tap the number next to the battery icon to switch between SOC and Range.) The estimated range is not a good indication of the state of the battery and does not take into account your driving style, temperature, elevation changes, road conditions or wind. (When using the Tesla Navigation system and setting a route the Tesla does take into account elevation changes and posted speed limits.)
If you use Sentry Mode make sure you have Sentry Mode set to be turned OFF at your Home location. You can set the Home and Work locations using the Tesla Navigation System. When Sentry Mode is active the Tesla vehicle does not enter Sleep Mode. When Sentry Mode is active the Tesla vehicles uses ~10X more power while parked. The Tesla vehicle must periodically be able to enter Sleep Mode so that the high voltage battery pack is disconnected from the Tesla vehicle. This is required for the BMS to measure the open cell voltage (OCV) of the cells within the battery (this procedure can take several hours to complete.)
Deutsch100
Member
Thank you jcanoe, appreciated. I know I excluded walk away locking from home (I set a home address in Navigation). I did not even know this was possible for Sentry Mode, and honestly never even saw this option when setting up my new car.
Also, I am a brand new member. How do I give the thumbs up to a post, to either acknowledge a reply or to like what a member has said? Is this disabled, since I am new?
Also, I am a brand new member. How do I give the thumbs up to a post, to either acknowledge a reply or to like what a member has said? Is this disabled, since I am new?
Marcust99
Member
I always charge to 90% nightly, unless I forget to plug it in. No reason to not go as high as I can. No harm going to 90%, Tesla and Elon himself both said it's fine. The only reason not to go above 90% is that regen braking is greatly reduced.
sarahlectric
Member
Once you have six posts you unlock a bunch of features, if I recall
Deutsch100
Member
GREAT video, one of the best I have seen about battery...short, simple, factual and easy. THANK YOU so much!! I need to charge more. I have been letting the car go down to 15-20% before plugging in. Seems after watching this video, I need to charge more than 1-2 x a week.
This should be part of a new owner introductory training package for sure - would help get everyone off on the right foot and eliminate a lot of stress. There should be a separate section of like subjects, kept to a minimum, that almost everyone questions. Road trips would definitely be another.
Make it a new sub forum: NEW OWNERS START HERE!!
45thParallel
Member
As a newbie, I can't like posts. But thanks very much for a very informative and educational post for those new to EV. I am still 4 months or more from receiving my Model YLR.
I would start shopping for winter tires now as the available tire selection when you do receive your Model Y may be limited due to demand, etc. Whether you order the Long Range Model Y with the 19" Gemini wheels or the 20" Induction wheels the verdict among Model Y owners is that the OE 19" Continental ProContact RX all-season tires and the 20" Goodyear Eagle F1 all season tires are not good for driving on snow and ice. There are much better all-season tires for the Model Y for winter road conditions and of course winter tires would be best for winter driving.
One option is to order a set of wheels and winter tires. These wheel and tire packages can be purchased from the Tesla online store (the Tesla wheel and tire packages always seem to be out of stock), TireRack, Discount Tires or your local tire store. Tesla Mobile Service can come to your home and they will swap the wheels for your Tesla vehicle for a small charge.
45thParallel
Member
Thanks very much for the advice. I have never used winter tires in MN, due to the excellent snow clearing done in the twin cities area. But I do always have Michelin all seasons our Lexus SUV's. I was not aware that a Tesla would need winter tires.
I think if you are used to driving in snow and wait for the road to be plowed and treated before driving you should be ok with the OE all-season tires. Just be aware that they a lot less capable as far as winter driving than the Michelin all seasons you have on your SUV.
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