Ideal home charging practices...Daily? What %?

[AlvinShen]

Hey Guys, been having a cordial discussion with other newer owners on best recommended practice for charging our vehicles at home. I've read some information from Tesla but can't pinpoint and verify if this is the best way to do it.

My Understanding: Plug in your car at home nightly if possible & top up anywhere 60% to 90% is best to maintain healthy battery life.

My Dad's M3 he does not regularly charge it and I am trying to convince him otherwise.

Thanks in advance everyone for your feedback.

 

[PoitNarf]

Directly from page 122 in the Model 3 manual, https://www.tesla.com/content/dam/tesla/Ownership/Own/Model 3 Owners Manual.pdf

Model 3 has one of the most sophisticated battery systems in the world. The most important way to preserve the Battery is to LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE PLUGGED IN when you are not using it. This is particularly important if you are not planning to drive Model 3 for several weeks. When plugged in, Model 3 wakes up when needed to automatically maintain a charge level that maximizes the lifetime of the Battery.
Note: When left idle and unplugged, your vehicle periodically uses energy from the Battery for system tests and recharging the 12V battery when necessary.
There is no advantage to waiting until the Battery’s level is low before charging. In fact, the Battery performs best when charged regularly.
​

As for what percent to charge to you’ll hear various opinions on that from people here. I always charge to 90%. I do this because I want the maximum amount of range possible. You never know when an emergency situation may come up where having maximum range would make a difference. With charging to 90% regularly I’ve only seen about a 1.5% battery degradation in 18 months of ownership.

 

[tuoncan]

85% for me

 

[woodisgood]

80% here. Doesn't go below 30%.

That has resulted in a fairly minimal 2.2% degradation after 13 months and 32K miles. (100% charge is 318).

 

[insaneoctane]

Tesla has done a good job of engineering their system and thus have been able to mostly shield their users from having to overthink this. Technically speaking, maintaining a charge level as close to 50% offers the best li-ion lifespan, but that is usually not very practical. It's also not likely to have enough benefit to be worth it. Period. Tesla has advised against SOC of 100% except as needed for a trip. Leaving your battery at 100% is probably one of the worst things we can do to our packs. The lowest charge setting that fully meets your needs/ objectives (including some margin for error or unforeseen circumstances) is the best advice. The balance between best longevity and convenience is where you want to be, and with Tesla's batteries, you don't give up much when you error on the side of convenience. If you don't charge to 100% all the time, anything you do is probably just fine.

 

[Sklith]

I charge to 70%, and plug in at 50% daily. On weekends, I charge up to 85% if I know I’ll be taking my family somewhere.

 

[ewoodrick]

I'm pretty sure that this is one of the most talked about items on the forums. You should easily find a 100 threads on the subject.

 

[jjrandorin]

I'm pretty sure that this is one of the most talked about items on the forums. You should easily find a 100 threads on the subject.

Probably more than 100. Some version of this question is posted every 1 to 1.5 days or so and has been since I got here last november.

 

[AlvinShen]

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the input. I think I can show this to my Dad now to convince him to plug in daily.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

My Dad's M3 he does not regularly charge it and I am trying to convince him otherwise.

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the input. I think I can show this to my Dad now to convince him to plug in daily.

It is unwise to discuss religion, politics, or charging habits at the dinner table.

But, good luck!

 

[AlvinShen]

It is unwise to discuss religion, politics, or charging habits at the dinner table.

But, good luck!

Pray for me man... should I just wait till Thanksgiving dinner??? LOL

 

[Bobg5124]

A lot of different thoughts on M3 charge habits out there, all from "reliable" sources. Here's some background that I found helpful.

 

[Trips]

I'm pretty sure that this is one of the most talked about items on the forums. You should easily find a 100 threads on the subject.

You must not have been around for the good old days with the HUD and trunk opening discussions. I think there are still people convinced that Model 3 will have a HUD as the speed on the screen will not work.

 

[StellarRat]

You'll get the best life if you keep the battery around 50% of true capacity (and at room temperature), but like all EVs the Tesla only shows you the % of usable range you have. I don't know how that translates into an actual 50% of the true battery capacity. As far as I know all EVs have an upper and lower safety margin that the computer won't let you exceed because it would cause rapid degradation or even damage to the battery pack. I charge mine to 70% daily unless I'm planning on a long trip. That's still way more than I'll need 99% of the time. Like others have said, trust the car. Tesla has systems to handle every type of controllable battery degradation problem. The only thing you can't mitigate is the battery simply getting old. They all breakdown internally over time just like people.

 

[StellarRat]

I think there are still people convinced that Model 3 will have a HUD as the speed on the screen will not work.

I still think a HUD would be better, but the screen works for me. The HUD would be ideal for showing speed, charge/range, and navigation information. You could also show a low light camera and radar picture of road ahead for night and bad weather conditions. I'm assuming Tesla decided it was too expensive or unreliable.

 

[M109Rider]

90% daily at home.
Had the AWD NonP a year now.
52,000km’s / 32,000Miles
5% degradation now and holding.

No one likes degradation, but we know batteries degrade. How much depends on how mean you are to your battery.

Im happy with my degradation. I did monitor and manage it a lot in the beginning. I still take care of it as best I can. I also enjoy managing and checking things all the time.

However, I also know when to just drive it, and not worry about the battery.

 

[zyzz]

LikeTesla is too cringey

 

[kavyboy]

I still think a HUD would be better, but the screen works for me. The HUD would be ideal for showing speed, charge/range, and navigation information. You could also show a low light camera and radar picture of road ahead for night and bad weather conditions. I'm assuming Tesla decided it was too expensive or unreliable.

Since the original topic has been answered, I'll threadjack.
I'm surprised there hasn't been a popular third-party HUD option or a bolt-on behind-the-wheel instrument cluster.