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Daily charging if only doing 5-10 miles?

jerry33

(S85-3/2/13 traded in) X LR: F2611##-3/27/20
Mar 8, 2012
19,565
21,936
Texas
I agree, but I wanted to know what @SSedan ment by shore power and discharge cycles.....I didn't think the car discharged when it was plugged in.
Yes, it does. Check out vampire drain in multiple threads. Although the shallow kind of discharges that happen due to vampire drain don't amount to a hill of beans as far as any battery degradation is concerned.
 

Kilotango74

Active Member
Apr 2, 2019
1,332
1,128
Palmdale, CA
Yes, it does. Check out vampire drain in multiple threads. Although the shallow kind of discharges that happen due to vampire drain don't amount to a hill of beans as far as any battery degradation is concerned.
Ok now I'm really confused. What does vampire drain have to do with a battery discharge cycle. I liken this to the radios I use at work. When you put them on the charger you have the option of fully discharging them before they recharge to condition the battery. That is not what I would call vampire draining.
 

ewoodrick

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2018
5,285
3,722
Buford, GA
I really love the answers from all the "experts"

You don't need to plug it in everyday, the battery will be happy and it will last a lot longer than you'll own the car.

There are folks that seem to think that driving a the car 150 miles per day requires the same charging routine as one that's driven 20. Just simple thinking would suggest that a battery that uses 150 miles, whether a day or week is going to be similar, in number of cycles, but once a week will last a LOT longer.
And then you've got the folks who tell you to keep it at plugged in all the time, but in their next breath keep it at 50%

Most all of the data that they are basing their recommendations on data that isn't based on this battery chemistry or on data that isn't interpreted well. For example, from my research, the "Don't charge to 100% and keep it there" is based on a study where the batteries lost a few percent if left at 100% for a year.

And when you look at the horses mouth, do you see Tesla with a lot of recommendation? Nope. Even the "plugged in Tesla is a happy Tesla" is up to interpretation (is unplugged for 10 minutes harmful? 10 hours? 10 days? where is the line?)
Tesla is designing the battery so that you don't have to worry about it.

My suggestion, charge as it fits your needs. Don't drop to really low (<10) unless you need to. Set your max to 80-90% and make sure that every few months to take it to 100% to allow the batteries to balance. Don't worry about taking it to 100% if you need it. (Mines on the way tonight, since I'm road tripping tomorrow) If you need to take the battery to close to 0%, go for it. Basically, if you need the battery, use it. After all, it is rated for the range of the car. And laws require the battery to last 10 years.
 
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jerry33

(S85-3/2/13 traded in) X LR: F2611##-3/27/20
Mar 8, 2012
19,565
21,936
Texas
Ok now I'm really confused. What does vampire drain have to do with a battery discharge cycle. I liken this to the radios I use at work. When you put them on the charger you have the option of fully discharging them before they recharge to condition the battery. That is not what I would call vampire draining.
I think we have a terminology problem here. Battery discharge in this context does not mean fully draining the battery (which should be avoided). What it means is any use of the battery. As TexasEV says, the battery will discharge 3% before it starts to charge. Exception: if the HVAC is running, it will take power from the wall immediately regardless of the state of charge (SOC).
 

Stach

Member
Mar 23, 2019
441
226
Madison, WI
[QUOTE="Rocky_H, post: 3659843, member: 32731]Etc.[/QUOTE]

Not that it matters much, but I'm in a similar driving/charging situation to Rocky_H, and I support his message 100%. :)
 
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