Does only using the Supercharger to charge car hurt the battery?

[gambit48]

Are there any long term (or short term) effects on just using the Supercharger to charge your car?

I know speed charging your phone is supposed to damage the battery slightly, but that's an object that gets disposed of after just a couple of years or isn't too much to buy a new battery so it's not a big deal.

The battery pack on a Tesla costs a lot more and I'd like to keep the car as long as possible, so I'd want to do what I can to extend longevity for as long as possible.

My local electric company charges extortionate rates for electricity and I live conveniently next to two Supercharger stations. Financially, it's likely better for me to just go charge at a Supercharger station than to charge at home. Especially when one is right next to the gas station I use anyways. Wouldn't even really be a big change in routine.

 

[Tam]

...effects...

There are some people who have their own Tesla Supercharger station in their private home/properties.

If it is bad, Tesla wouldn't give you an infinite mile warranty for 8 years, would it?

On the other hand, Tesla does throttle down after certain numbers of Supercharging so it sounds like it does affect your battery.

But I guess that would do to the trick for Tesla's battery warranty.

 

[gambit48]

Yeah, from everything I've read, it sounds like financially, they feel they can and need to offer it on the S/X. But the sales numbers of those are really low and the owners are much less likely to hold onto the car long enough for it to be a real issue.

It's a problem they actually need to actively deal with with the M3 crowd. Things like throttling down suggest it is an issue.

 

[Troy]

Hi, @codex57. There is a Tesla battery survey and it doesn't show any negative effects of supercharging frequently. To understand the survey better, first, open this page and look at the first chart. The red trend line shows the average battery capacity vs mileage. Entries above the trend line are doing better than the average. Those below it are doing worse.

When asked about frequency of supercharging 10 people said they supercharge daily. You can see this in cell C29 here. 20 said twice a week. 42 said weekly. When looking at whether these entries are above or below the trendline, you see that most are above. For example, 7 out of the 10 people who supercharge daily are above the red line. Therefore, based on survey data, supercharging more frequently is not bad for the battery. On the contrary, the data shows that it is good for the battery.

 

[Tam]

...supercharging more frequently is not bad for the battery. On the contrary, the data shows that it is good for the battery...

That's consistent with what vandacca thought after watching the old and long video from professor Jeff Dahn who is now doing research for Tesla:

Production X Configuration Has Begun!

When charging, the reaction produces bad actors. The trick is to do it quickly so your battery don't have to endure prolonged suffering with those bad actors.

 

[RoadToLevel5]

According to Tesla, the peak-charging rate drops slightly with prolonged use of supercharging.

Does Supercharging affect my battery?

The peak-charging rate of the battery may decrease slightly after a large number of high-rate charging sessions, such as those at Superchargers. To ensure maximum driving range and battery safety, the battery charge rate is decreased when the battery is too cold, when it is nearly full or when its condition changes with usage and age. These changes in the condition of the battery may increase total Supercharger time by a few minutes over time.

Supercharging

 

[gambit48]

I can live with peak charging rate dropping slightly if it means there isn't an appreciable decrease in longevity of the battery.

 

[Tam]

I can live with peak charging rate dropping slightly if it means there isn't an appreciable decrease in longevity of the battery.

From Tesla's official statement, I interpreted the same as yours: Supercharger would automatically limit the high charging rate and slow it down (a few minutes longer) to ensure longevity, so no worries!

 

[internalaudit]

Hi, @codex57. There is a Tesla battery survey and it doesn't show any negative effects of supercharging frequently. To understand the survey better, first, open this page and look at the first chart. The red trend line shows the average battery capacity vs mileage. Entries above the trend line are doing better than the average. Those below it are doing worse.

When asked about frequency of supercharging 10 people said they supercharge daily. You can see this in cell C29 here. 20 said twice a week. 42 said weekly. When looking at whether these entries are above or below the trendline, you see that most are above. For example, 7 out of the 10 people who supercharge daily are above the red line. Therefore, based on survey data, supercharging more frequently is not bad for the battery. On the contrary, the data shows that it is good for the battery.

For those supercharging their vehicles, wouldn't those predominantly be at SCN and not at home so owners are cognizant that other users may want to use the charging station? I only asked because a few posts above, a member said owners do have the equivalent of the supercharger installed at home. Do those and the chargers on the SCN provide the same charge rate and current?

 

[cschock]

For those supercharging their vehicles, wouldn't those predominantly be at SCN and not at home so owners are cognizant that other users may want to use the charging station? I only asked because a few posts above, a member said owners do have the equivalent of the supercharger installed at home. Do those and the chargers on the SCN provide the same charge rate and current?

I doubt, very highly, anyone is doing the equivalent of supercharging at home. No home charging station is anything really close to the amperage and voltage possible with the supercharger network. The charger built into the car has two modes: AC and DC charging. The DC charging is used by the supercharger, and effectively charges the batteries directly. The AC charging which is used with the UMC and any typical charging station used in the home has to convert the AC power from the external source into DC and then that charges the batteries. Those internal chargers, even with the Dual Chargers option available on the S and X only go up to 80A. The standard charger on the S and X is only capable of 40A charging. The supercharger network is much higher power than that.

I could have all of this wrong, YMMV, never trust anything you read on the internet, and all other caveats apply!

 

[SOULPEDL]

I may be splitting hairs, but I only get 32A max charge at home with the latest charger on our M3. Is this too slow long-term? Parasitic deposits aren't "beating the heat" (ya I watched the video... interesting story there). So pay $500 for the wall charger to get more like 80A?

I was only trickle charging (couple times only @ 10A) until I saw the video - old habit from lead-acid days I guess. In reality, 32A gets me 25 mi/hr charge which is plenty! Analysis paralysis? Been known to do that a lot.

 

[TexasEV]

Model 3 long range has 48A charger, you would be wasting money to install a 100A circuit for 80A charging that you couldn’t take advantage of.

Model 3 220 mile range version will only have 32A charger. That and the fact that UMC now maxes out at 32A should answer your question, no Tesla doesn’t think 32A charging is too slow.

 

[SOULPEDL]

Oh, good point. But our 310 LR battery maxes at 32A using the provided charger (lots of discussion how this was 40A but several were melting). So I guess I could get 48A tops with the wall charger, but then maybe overheat the car's inverter, right? Guessing we're fine as you say.

 

[jamnmon66]

There are some people who have their own Tesla Supercharger station in their private home/properties.

Can you confirm that with a link or something?

Maybe someone with more knowledge about electricity can elaborate but I'm pretty sure that most residential electrical service (for the entire house) won't come close to what a supercharger puts out. Not to mention converting from 240v AC to 480v DC.

 

[gambit48]

For those supercharging their vehicles, wouldn't those predominantly be at SCN and not at home so owners are cognizant that other users may want to use the charging station? I only asked because a few posts above, a member said owners do have the equivalent of the supercharger installed at home. Do those and the chargers on the SCN provide the same charge rate and current?

I've never heard of anyone with a home Supercharger either.

I intend to use a Tesla owned Supercharger. I'm next to 2 that are within a few miles of each other. I believe the Navi tells you how busy each one is. I'd just use the less busy one. I have the luxury of being able to go out there any time of the day and it would only be once a week usually so I don't anticipate blocking people who need it.

Just not ready to pull the trigger on solar yet. We'll see when I get the car. I think if I find I end up using it a lot more than anticipated, solar might become more attractive.

 

[xyeahtony]

I highly doubt anyone has a supercharger in their home. How many private residences have 480V 3-phase commercial power being sent to their house? and for what purpose would having a supercharger in your house serve? How much are you possibly driving that you need to recharge your car in 90 minutes at your house.

 

[jamnmon66]

Looks like Tam gave up on this thread. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt & assume that he meant a HPWC rather than a Supercharger.

 

[Shock-On-T]

Nothing is really bad for the battery. Tesla's battery management system does its job well.
The only thing you can do to really ruin the battery is to leave it at 100% permanently, or let it run totally flat and leave it flat.