Charging...

[KG2V]

OK, As I get into "Road Trip" season, and I sit here looking at ABRP, I come to a question

I'm heading from Queens to Utica NY later this summer.

IF I charge to 100% at home (call it 'Road Trip Mode') in theory, I can make Utica with 17% battery non stop. If I leave with 90%, I have to make a 1-2 minute stop (Kingston is the recommended)

Which would you do and Why?

(My answer is I might do BOTH, as the diner that 100-200 yards from the Kingston SC is pretty good, and we should be getting there at a good time for a late breakfast)

 

[hcdavis3]

OK, As I get into "Road Trip" season, and I sit here looking at ABRP, I come to a question

I'm heading from Queens to Utica NY later this summer.

IF I charge to 100% at home (call it 'Road Trip Mode') in theory, I can make Utica with 17% battery non stop. If I leave with 90%, I have to make a 1-2 minute stop (Kingston is the recommended)

Which would you do and Why?

(My answer is I might do BOTH, as the diner that 100-200 yards from the Kingston SC is pretty good, and we should be getting there at a good time for a late breakfast)

I like your answer of both. Maybe stop by Max Yasgur’s farm if it’s nearby.

 

[KG2V]

I like your answer of both. Maybe stop by Max Yasgur’s farm if it’s nearby.

About 90 minutes out of the way, I'm in that area other times.

 

[Adrien]

Which car do you have AWD, RWD, Performance? Wheels? If those are inputted correctly and you figure you actually will arrive with the correct percentage than you can even do 90% and arrive with 7% If it rains or there is headwinds sounds like at worst you are stopping for a quick charge.

Personally I would charge to 100% and just skip the stop. 17% is still plenty to run around the city in. Is it range anxiety or because charging to 100% "adds degradation"

 

[Enginerd]

I would look at the weather before and during your trip. If you're up against rain and/or headwinds, I'd plan on making the stop. I generally shoot for 15% reserve at the end of the mission, but I've had rain + wind eat up 30% additional Wh/mi.

 

[KG2V]

The "Adds degradation". The hotel I'm staying at is walking distance to city hall (which is where I need to go) and itself has 2-3 Tesla destination chargers, so that isn't a worry (besides, the SC is only 1/2 mile or so away)

As I said, might stop in Kingston "Because" - I happen to have been eating at that dinner (or it's predecessors) since it was built 50 some odd years ago, so not a real hardship to stop, except that the 200 yd walk is long(ish) for a guy with a handicap, depending on the day (good day, I can go miles, bad day, the front door is a struggle)

 

[ATechGuy]

Of course, if you CAN make it, it's all about the destination charging. If you want make it, Chill out and find the fun places to stop along the way. I like your "Both" answer. I think you'll find that most folks in this forum appreciate the stopping when there is something to stop for. What's fun with EV driving is you actually have to THINK about this. What my wife and I have found is it totally changes a road trip and we we spend more time looking around to see what is interesting along the way, rather than blowing by it. If we all could get 1K miles per charge, Road Trips would end up simply being bio and food breaks. What a shame. Take a break. Get to know the owners of wherever you go. Smell the flowers.

 

[Tron 3]

I never owned a $10,000 battery before, so I was compelled to research the chemistry, longevity, and care. What I learned is the lifespan (number of charge cycles) depends on how you charge.

The paper I read (lithium batteries in general, not Tesla) said full charge to discharge gets you around 6,000 cycles. A high state of charge (not full) down 15 to 25% discharge from where you started and back to a high state nets around 16,000 cycles. One cycle is from full to near empty.

We did a 2,800 mile trip, and I'll tell you what I experienced with supercharging. Now, this is for a LR AWD.
We generally charged to 80% and arrived at the next station with around 20% (not the next nearest one, but the next one we could reach with a comfortable margin).
From a low SOC the battery charges quickest - the full 120Kw is available. The charging curve starts to flatten around 50% and ramps down steadily from there. From about 75% to full is slow in comparison, so for time's sake, it is best to arrive at the next charge in a low state, and leave around 75-80%. On average we spent 30 minutes at each charging station.
The superchargers are not equidistant, so while you're feeding your battery, check the mileage to the next one. You will soon develop a 'feel' for what you need depending on the miles and your comfort zone.

Now charging to 100% isn't going to kill your battery, it's just not the best practice for squeezing all you can from your battery across its life. Just don't do it as a matter of routine. I never charge all the way routinely and didn't once on the trip.

@KG2V, your trip isn't going to be that long, I just threw that out there for anyone who is contemplating an extended trip, and for those who want to baby their $10,000 battery. Enjoy your trip, you have a great car for it!

 

[TexasEV]

You don’t need to baby the battery. Charge to 100% at the start of a trip.

 

[afadeev]

I'm heading from Queens to Utica NY later this summer.

IF I charge to 100% at home (call it 'Road Trip Mode') in theory, I can make Utica with 17% battery non stop. If I leave with 90%, I have to make a 1-2 minute stop (Kingston is the recommended)

Which would you do and Why?

If it was me, I would charge to 100% to have a margin of error for side-trips and any unexpected on road complications (detours, etc). That way you can still stop and recharge midway, if you feel like it, or push on through to the destination and recharge there.

Having said that, I normally charge to 80%, and try to keep the battery level from dropping below 20% during normal commuter duty. This is to minimize LI battery decay (google for more info, if interested). But for longer road trips, convenience and peace of mind take precedence over marginally increased battery degradation.

a

 

[Ol'Blue]

I’m surprised so many are saying go to 100%.

If you are planning to stop anyway, why bother to go to 100? From about 90-95+ the car is less efficient anyhow as you don’t benefit from full regeneration.

If your plan was to do the trip without a stop, I would probably still only charge to 95% personally. Minimize the potential for issues, but enough to trigger battery balancing.

In the end, it’s your car, it’s your decision.

 

[kavyboy]

I’m surprised so many are saying go to 100%.

If you are planning to stop anyway, why bother to go to 100? From about 90-95+ the car is less efficient anyhow as you don’t benefit from full regeneration.

If your plan was to do the trip without a stop, I would probably still only charge to 95% personally. Minimize the potential for issues, but enough to trigger battery balancing.

In the end, it’s your car, it’s your decision.

The loss of regen for the first few minutes of a roadtrip is insignificant.

That 5% charging at home while doing other things lessens the time actively waiting while on the road (though admittedly different amounts of time). Plus it's buffer in case of unexpectedly high consumption when it's tight anyway.

Charging to 100% and leaving soon after won't cause issues.

Balancing only at higher charge levels is no longer being done. That algorithm is no longer used and/or important. Balancing is done continuously now.

 

[KG2V]

<snip>

@KG2V, your trip isn't going to be that long, I just threw that out there for anyone who is contemplating an extended trip, and for those who want to baby their $10,000 battery. Enjoy your trip, you have a great car for it!

<snip>

Yeah. I never charge to 100%, but for a road trip, the 2-3 times a year, I'm willing to make an exception. I intend to enjoy. The 'real' trip is to Rochester (RIT) to visit my daughter, but we are stopping for a day in Utica - my wife has some relatives multiple generations back, and she wants to go to city hall and get some birth and death certificates to do the genealogy

 

[dennisvab]

The "Adds degradation". The hotel I'm staying at is walking distance to city hall (which is where I need to go) and itself has 2-3 Tesla destination chargers, so that isn't a worry (besides, the SC is only 1/2 mile or so away)

As I said, might stop in Kingston "Because" - I happen to have been eating at that dinner (or it's predecessors) since it was built 50 some odd years ago, so not a real hardship to stop, except that the 200 yd walk is long(ish) for a guy with a handicap, depending on the day (good day, I can go miles, bad day, the front door is a struggle)

Wow I know exactly the hotel you are talking about. Live not too far from it. Nice to see someone talking about Utica lol

 

[KG2V]

Wow I know exactly the hotel you are talking about. Live not too far from it. Nice to see someone talking about Utica lol

Ooh - Perfect - Restaurant for Dinner?
Good place to get a beef on a weck for lunch?
Any idea when the train street runs to the brewery?

 

[dennisvab]

Delmonico’s, Aquavino’s, and Ocean Blue (pricier) are nice and nearby.

You might need to go more west to gets a beef on Weck, as I don’t recall every having one here.

Are you asking when the train runs to the brewery? Saranac brewery?

 

[ngogas]

Don't baby your battery; you have warranty of 8 years. If it goes bad, you get a new one with better technology. So don't baby it.

 

[PittCaleb]

The loss of regen for the first few minutes of a roadtrip is insignificant.

I wish this were more openly stated. Everyone says not to charge to 100% 'cause you'll lose regen capabilities. But if i'm charging for a road trip, it's 3 miles to the highway and entirely uphill. Losing the ability to regen, and getting an additional 10-20 miles range for my road trip is a good thing, not bad.

I get the battery state preservation and all that. But it's accepted to charge to 100% in the hour before your trip and immediate depart is ok. I wish people would quit believing regen is going to get them back 5% battery before the battery drops. If you're charging to 100%, you want those extra miles more than you need the 1-2 miles you might get on regen before you drop below 95%

 

[Eno Deb]

Don't baby your battery; you have warranty of 8 years. If it goes bad, you get a new one with better technology. So don't baby it.

The battery warranty only applies if the capacity drops below 70%. So your 310 mile vehicle could drop to 220 miles and you'd not get a new battery.

 

[KG2V]

Delmonico’s, Aquavino’s, and Ocean Blue (pricier) are nice and nearby.

You might need to go more west to gets a beef on Weck, as I don’t recall every having one here.

Are you asking when the train runs to the brewery? Saranac brewery?

OK, I'll look up those 3 restaurants - I guess I'll wait till I get west for the Weck (there was one place I actually used to get them in the Catskills - oh, 40+ years ago)
I'm guessing Saranac brewery - They run the trains down the middle of Schuyler Street from Noyes St. to Whitesboro St