Lv 1 vs lv 2 charging.....not your typical question

[nvesprini]

Looking for some input regarding longer term lv1 vs lv2 charging. Not interested in efficiency or speed, etc. ...those topics are discussed at length all over. I charge at a cottage on a lv1 for most of the summer and am looking more to longer term wear and tear, especially since the car often charges for 24hr or longer.

Since the car is awake and charging longer on lv1 is there any additional wear/tear on the car I should be worried about? Not sure if they run while charging but thinking maybe coolant pumps/fans....or anything else really? Just wondering if there's something that I should be concerned about if I'm frequently charging the car for long durations. TIA!

 

[SageBrush]

Just wondering if there's something that I should be concerned about

No

 

[GtiMart]

A coolant pump does run, and the "computer" is awake. These things are meant to work for years, I wouldn't be worried. If that's what you need to do then do it.

 

[Resist]

Since Level 1 charging is a slower charging speed, that's actually better for your battery health.

 

[GtiMart]

Always a bit funny to hear... Even L2 is very gentle to the battery, no need for L1 or reducing amps.

 

[nvesprini]

Since Level 1 charging is a slower charging speed, that's actually better for your battery health.

Not concerned about the battery...more concerned about a pump, fan or something else dying since it's running for days at a time while the car slowly charges.

 

[Resist]

Not concerned about the battery...more concerned about a pump, fan or something else dying since it's running for days at a time while the car slowly charges.

Those things are designed to work for the life of the car. Kind of like headlights and tail lights are now, I can't remember the last time I replaced one of those.

 

[Perscitus]

Prolonged L1 charging, especially if the wiring to the cottage is dated and/or subject to spikes, surges, etc - is not great.

The old mantra 'a plugged-in Tesla is a happy Tesla' is flawed, as much as leaving your cell phone on a wireless charger or plugged in at all possible times (even if battery charging pauses at 75-85 SoC).

Check if you have any notifications about L1 sessions. They might be informative.

Best to mix it up and do some L1, L2, L3 sessions once in a while and also let the car deep sleep in an unplugged state for extended (12-24-48+ hr) periods of time at various SoCs.

 

[jjrandorin]

Since Level 1 charging is a slower charging speed, that's actually better for your battery health.

No, level 1 charging is not better for battery health than level 2 charging. ALL home charging (level 1 and 2) is "slow" as far as the car is concerned. If the OP needs to charge at level 1 charging speeds, there is nothing wrong with that, but it is NOT "better for battery health" in any way, shape or form.

 

[Rally]

Disclaimer, I'm new to the EV sector. The only issue I can think of is if you are on a level 1 charger while the car is outside in freezing temps. It's possible you battery may go dead. I'm sure someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but the battery uses more power to keep itself warm than what a level 1 charger can replace.

 

[095179005]

Prolonged L1 charging, especially if the wiring to the cottage is dated and/or subject to spikes, surges, etc - is not great.

The old mantra 'a plugged-in Tesla is a happy Tesla' is flawed, as much as leaving your cell phone on a wireless charger or plugged in at all possible times (even if battery charging pauses at 75-85 SoC).

Check if you have any notifications about L1 sessions. They might be informative.

Best to mix it up and do some L1, L2, L3 sessions once in a while and also let the car deep sleep in an unplugged state for extended (12-24-48+ hr) periods of time at various SoCs.

The only reason you do that is because of BMS guess-o-meter drift.

Charging for +24hrs and leaving it plugged in even when it's done charging has nothing to do with harming the pumps/fans or any additional wear and tear.

Disclaimer, I'm new to the EV sector. The only issue I can think of is if you are on a level 1 charger while the car is outside in freezing temps. It's possible you battery may go dead. I'm sure someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but the battery uses more power to keep itself warm than what a level 1 charger can replace.

Once you get cold enough yeah that happens.
Can't remember the exact temperature but it's somewhere around the -15C to -20C mark.

Charging on 110v outlet and cold weather

Does charging on a standard 110v outlet become impossible in cold weather. I’ve noticed over the last week when I’ve been plugged into a standard 110v and temperature dips into the 30’s that charging basically doesn’t happen. My car is currently 87% charged, but the app is telling me it’s...

teslamotorsclub.com

If you let the battery cold soak it'll take even longer - another reason to keep it plugged in.

 

[Perscitus]

I wasn't thinking about pumps, fans... simply prolific L1 charging (especially if that is the only method the car is charged).

Slow charging with 'dirty' electricity (likely in a cottage) is not great for the on-board charger and/or the battery.

 

[Lephturn]

The only reason you do that is because of BMS guess-o-meter drift.

Charging for +24hrs and leaving it plugged in even when it's done charging has nothing to do with harming the pumps/fans or any additional wear and tear.

Once you get cold enough yeah that happens.
Can't remember the exact temperature but it's somewhere around the -15C to -20C mark.

Charging on 110v outlet and cold weather

Does charging on a standard 110v outlet become impossible in cold weather. I’ve noticed over the last week when I’ve been plugged into a standard 110v and temperature dips into the 30’s that charging basically doesn’t happen. My car is currently 87% charged, but the app is telling me it’s...

teslamotorsclub.com

If you let the battery cold soak it'll take even longer - another reason to keep it plugged in.

I live in Ottawa Canada. It has to be below -20c for the car to not charge much at all or to very slowly lose charge. Even at that point, if you plug it in with a warm battery after driving you will get a decent charge until the battery cools down too much. It was only an issue for me on the coldest of nights when I had to charge outside for 12+ hours. It’s about -25 C and below where L1 doesn’t cut it if The battery is cold soaked.

 

[GtiMart]

Right. The important thing is to plug when you arrive with your already warm battery in such a situation.

 

[Rally]

I live in Ottawa Canada. It has to be below -20c for the car to not charge much at all or to very slowly lose charge. Even at that point, if you plug it in with a warm battery after driving you will get a decent charge until the battery cools down too much. It was only an issue for me on the coldest of nights when I had to charge outside for 12+ hours. It’s about -25 C and below where L1 doesn’t cut it if The battery is cold soaked.

That's good to know, thank you for your post.

 

[nvesprini]

thanks everyone. glad to hear the pumps wont be overworked with 24+ hr charge sessions. power/wiring is in good shape (but thanks for pointing that out just in case) so it was more about keeping the car awake for so long while trickle charging.

 

[095179005]

CPU and electronics use about 300W.

If you use third-party apps that pull data from you car, you'll see that level 1 charging is about 80% efficient in the AC/DC conversion, while level 2 is routinely +90% efficient.

The difference is purely from the 300W the electronics pull.

 

[Darkmann]

Looking for some input regarding longer term lv1 vs lv2 charging. Not interested in efficiency or speed, etc. ...those topics are discussed at length all over. I charge at a cottage on a lv1 for most of the summer and am looking more to longer term wear and tear, especially since the car often charges for 24hr or longer.

Since the car is awake and charging longer on lv1 is there any additional wear/tear on the car I should be worried about? Not sure if they run while charging but thinking maybe coolant pumps/fans....or anything else really? Just wondering if there's something that I should be concerned about if I'm frequently charging the car for long durations. TIA!

Don't know what year you have. The Owners Manual for the 2022 Model 3 States (under High Voltage Battery Information). Hope this helps.

Model 3 has one of the most sophisticated battery systems in the world. The most important way to preserve the high voltage 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.

Note
When left idle and unplugged, your vehicle periodically uses energy from the Battery for system tests and recharging the low voltage 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.

Note
If you allow the Battery to discharge to 0%, other components may become damaged or require replacement (for example, the low voltage battery). In these cases, you are responsible for repair and/or transporting expenses. Discharge-related expenses are not covered by the warranty or under the Roadside Assistance policy.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

If you use third-party apps that pull data from you car, you'll see that level 1 charging is about 80% efficient in the AC/DC conversion, while level 2 is routinely +90% efficient.

Actually can be as low as 75% for L1. 92% or so seems to be about the peak efficiency possible (some of the third-party apps don’t calculate it correctly for reasons related to the buffer (off by about 4.5%)).

Tesla gets 89% efficiency in EPA testing. Not clear if that is with 32A or 48A charging. My guess is 32A since it is not really different on the vehicles limited to 32A but I don’t know.

But OP is not concerned about efficiency so that is good.