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Charge to 100%
- Thread starter Lanerboy
- Start date
LA13
Member
Ideally you want to keep your daily max charge to the minimum amount(+ 5-10% or so) that you will need before the next charge. So if you use 35% a day, set the max to 55. Keeping a battery at high states of charge without it being used for several hours tends to be worse for the battery than keeping it at a high level.
The way I think of it is that I wouldn't fill my car with petrol every day if I was only using 1/2 a tank as that half tank is money I wont ever get back. So I would suggest is observe your battery usage over time and fine tune it downwards keeping a max of say 85% if possible until then.
The way I think of it is that I wouldn't fill my car with petrol every day if I was only using 1/2 a tank as that half tank is money I wont ever get back. So I would suggest is observe your battery usage over time and fine tune it downwards keeping a max of say 85% if possible until then.
Perhaps not the best analogy in the world! I think I know what you're getting at but I can't say I've ever lost any money by investing in a full tank of petrol ... it always gets used so no money is lost.
"What should I set my daily charge limit to be?" is perhaps one of the most common, and most debated, questions on the forum. As others have observed, charging to 100% is advised only when it's absolutely necessary for a specific trip (and it's best not to leave the car at 100% any longer than necessary), because a 100% state of charge is more stressful on the battery.
Also, it's ill advised to let the battery get to a really low percentage (below 5%), most would agree.
From here is where things get less certain. Personally, I have a 10 mile commute (on days when I'm not trapped at home like a veal), so I keep my charge limit set to 60%, with the logic that keeping my battery 40-60% most of the time will prolong its life. As others will point out, my efforts may result in a trivial amount of benefit.
My wife, on the other hand, just keeps her Model S at 80% and doesn't worry about it.
Personally, I think there's not a huge amount of difference between what she and I are doing. If your commute is slight and you want to set your daily charge to 60%, that's fine. There is a possible inconvenience of that being insufficient for a spontaneous (or unexpected) trip of a longer duration, so it's definitely a personal decision.
Daily battery charge level is something that you can choose to focus on slightly or dwell on significantly, depending upon your personal taste and how much you want to geek out about the car. There's absolutely nothing wrong with saying "It's a car. I'm going to set it at 80% and not worry about it."
Also, it's ill advised to let the battery get to a really low percentage (below 5%), most would agree.
From here is where things get less certain. Personally, I have a 10 mile commute (on days when I'm not trapped at home like a veal), so I keep my charge limit set to 60%, with the logic that keeping my battery 40-60% most of the time will prolong its life. As others will point out, my efforts may result in a trivial amount of benefit.
My wife, on the other hand, just keeps her Model S at 80% and doesn't worry about it.
Personally, I think there's not a huge amount of difference between what she and I are doing. If your commute is slight and you want to set your daily charge to 60%, that's fine. There is a possible inconvenience of that being insufficient for a spontaneous (or unexpected) trip of a longer duration, so it's definitely a personal decision.
Daily battery charge level is something that you can choose to focus on slightly or dwell on significantly, depending upon your personal taste and how much you want to geek out about the car. There's absolutely nothing wrong with saying "It's a car. I'm going to set it at 80% and not worry about it."
The way I think about it is if I spend 70 quid filling a tank, and it never goes below half then there is always 35 quid in the tank regardless of the newness of the petrol. I'm rapidly finding owning a BEV is a totally different mindset which is both fun and the challenge
I'm rapidly finding owning a BEV is a totally different mindset which is both fun and the challenge
That's it in a nut shell! It's funny though because once you adapt to your new ways it becomes normal ... except when you then have to speak about it to someone who is unfamiliar with EV ways! It's only then that the mindset difference becomes apparent.
Mr H
Active Member
How long did it take to get into the new mindset?
I gonna struggle to adapt but I'm sure I will, I'm so use to keeping the tank above a 1/4 just in case of an emergency (that rarely happens, but been a few times I've been glad to just jump in the car and know I have a couple hundred miles of fuel without having to worry).
I gonna struggle to adapt but I'm sure I will, I'm so use to keeping the tank above a 1/4 just in case of an emergency (that rarely happens, but been a few times I've been glad to just jump in the car and know I have a couple hundred miles of fuel without having to worry).
MrBadger
Badger out
You cannot charge to less than 50% so that reduces the limit options to 50.
tbh, speed of charge (and/or amount of time available to charge) has an effect on usable charge limits. If you can get 40% charge into a car during charge period, leaving cars at lower state of charge is going to be more of a choice than if you are only going to get 10% in.
tbh, speed of charge (and/or amount of time available to charge) has an effect on usable charge limits. If you can get 40% charge into a car during charge period, leaving cars at lower state of charge is going to be more of a choice than if you are only going to get 10% in.
MrBadger
Badger out
The person who buys it off of you may not thankyou - it may even make your car pretty much unsellable.
The planet won't thank you either. Its attitudes like that thats contributed to the mess the planet is in in the first place.
MrBadger
Badger out
Look at the mileage vs % display to get an idea of the battery condition.
Not everyone's first thought, but in a few years time, I sure it will be common place for people to check/ask especially dealers.
Also, Tesla have the ability to nerf things if battery not performing to spec. They already have a track record on some cars having a high number of rapid DC charges.
Jason71
Well-Known Member
can you get any additional useful Info from the OBDII port? I have seen Bjorn using one with an app but not paid too much attention..
If so not a big investment given the stakes
