How low do you go?

[tomas]

Waiting to fill up is from driving an ICE and filling when it reaches 1/2 or 1/4?

Very perceptive, Sigmund... er, Lloyd. I think it is also from suspicion that Tesla is over-simplifying and owners need to be active in battery management or the thing will go to crap. It CAN'T be as simple as just pick a daily charge level 90% or below and just plug in every night, right? BUT IT IS!

 

[ftlum]

Elon had said 80-30, when he was asked. One of Tesla’s consultants recommends 70%.

 

[ceekz]

I plug in Daily and charge every night as recommended by Tesla. I do not wait for a specific charge level of drain to initiate a charge. You leave with your set charge level every day. Waiting to fill up is from driving an ICE and filling when it reaches 1/2 or 1/4?

Definitely a learned behavior, it seems. From ICE car driving and cell phone charging, apparently.

 

[stayfocus18]

plugging in everyday isn't an option for a lot of people.

 

[whatthe2]

plugging in everyday isn't an option for a lot of people.

Maybe not, but doesn’t change the fact it’s recommended for those that can.

 

[tomas]

Elon had said 80-30, when he was asked. One of Tesla’s consultants recommends 70%.

I suspect most of the threads that reflect learning from the first 4-5 years of Model S are archived or buried under all of the new activity in the forum. But, basically, I think the findings are:

1) A normal battery loses about 5% capacity in the first year, and very little more after that. Way <1% per year.
2) Some batteries retain range better than others. The capacity range people report is probably ~ +/-3%. e.g., 90% on a 5 year old Model S P85 may range from ~218 to 230.
3) There are SOME batteries (very few) that actually develop bad cells. Those will have much more severe loss of range, and are generally obvious.
4) Owner approaches have ranged from active battery management (lower than 90% daily charge, target discharge rate before charging...) to "just ignore it"... charge to 90% every night. Owner approach does not seem to correlate to loss of range.
5) Rated range (what you see on your display) can creep down over time if you do not occasionally charge to >=90% so the BMS will balance your pack, and occasionally run your range down well below 50% so the calculation can re-calibrate. Occasionally means occasionally... not weekly. Lower rated range seldom means that you've actually lost battery capacity, so don't sweat this.

Battery geeks, when pressed, will certainly give you recommendations for battery health. And, they will vary all over the map. By actively trying to manage your battery, you may retain 1-2% of range more over the life of your car. Or, you may lose 1-2% more. Why? Well if you jump through all kinds of hoops to have larger discharge/charge cycles just so your rated range appears better, you may actually be negatively affecting the long term battery health.

So, my approach (and I think most long term S owners) is leave it to Tesla's Battery Management System. I charge to 80% every night normally. 90-100% before long drive. 60% when I'm leaving for more than a few days. If I notice rated range significantly off from what it should be, I will maybe run it down to 30 and recharge between 90 and 100.

 

[outdoors]

90 winter 80 summer. Try to limit time below 50. As @TexasEV said. Try to stop worrying about the battery.

More fun for the OP to just drive the car on the short commute. As one other person sorta said. Charging maximization doesn't equal better battery health on the long term that is verified. So all the tinkering may yield over taxed brain cells. However working with something cool and unique might yield fun and enjoyment as well.

Rack on some miles! Enjoy that car it's fun to drive.

 

[RangerRick]

(really interested in that premium litter box, btw)

No joke, these are stupid expensive but amazing.

 

[ewoodrick]

I think that there are a lot more back seat battery chargers in this forum than is really needed.
Yes, Tesla does indicate in the manual to leave the car plugged in. And they have the default max to 90%. They also nag you when there is multiple Supercharger chargings in a row. I think that's about as far as the Tesla recommendations go.

But there are a LOT of reality checks that can be considered in all of this. Remember, not all driving conditions are the same and a "general" recommendation may not be the best for everyone.

From my viewpoint, I believe that the factors that help the battery (but in no way are required)

• Keeping the battery charge level away from the extremes is best (10%<Optimum Charge<90% or maybe even 20-80%)
• Use 100% when you need to, just preferably not all the time.
• Stay away from 0%, that does hurt the battery

If you are driving 20 miles a day, I don't think that continuous plug in is needed. If you are travelling 100 miles a day (and this is common for Tesla workers), than it would definitely be recommended.

The big thing that everyone seems to forget is that the older and more used batteries are still holding up very well at this point. And many of these have definitely been abused. So it seems that most all of the "recommendations" really don't matter as much as some people seem to think.

I know that the folks at Tesla really don't want you to worry about the battery, they want you to enjoy a maintenance free, long lasting car. It's the same Model 3 batteries that will be going into the Semi and that will be pretty harsh conditions and they seem to feel good about it!

 

[TexasEV]

Yes, Tesla does indicate in the manual to leave the car plugged in. And they have the default max to 90%. They also nag you when there is multiple Supercharger chargings in a row. I think that's about as far as the Tesla recommendations go.

No, the car does not give a warning when there are multiple supercharging sessions in a row. Perhaps you are thinking of the alert when the charging level remains set at 100% for three days in a row.

 

[mike123abc]

When I drive my work route 2x per week I charge to 100%, (AWD non P model about 310) it will be about 30 miles left at the end of the 230 mile route (8-10%). I think I will have to put in a charge stop during the winter. The rest of the time I just do 90%. Most of the driving is 75MPH speed limit.