So, here is my general charging routine, as a relative newbie. I drive to/from work each day, a 70 kms (44 mile) round trip. I charge using a normal 13A plug, dialed down to 10A, overnight at home. Charging from around 10 PM to 7 PM puts back in the 70 kms I used the day before.
So, I charge overnight to around 70%, drive 35 kms to the office, at which time the battery is around 55%. The car is then parked in secure underground parking from around 8 AM to 8 PM standing at 55%. By the I time get home, the battery level is around 40%. I plug in after dinner, and the car charges back from 40% to around 70%, ready for the next day's trip.
I don't use the car at the weekends, so on Friday night through Sunday night, I leave the car at 40% (she seems to lose next to no charge sitting for 2 days), then charge Sunday night for Monday morning, per the above.
So, the car is never charged above 70% or below 40%, and mainly sits at 55%.
It seems ok, but is there something I should perhaps do differently, assuming I have no other charging options?
I had a couple of thoughts:
1. Should I instead charge up to 80%, let the car sit at work at around 65%, never going below 50%? Just a little concerned that I have seen a couple of people suggest on this site that you shouldn't push it when the battery charge is below 50%. I may perhaps do that on the run home :biggrin:. Sometimes. But is letting the car sit for 12 hours at 65% worse than letting her sit at 55%?
2. I tend to unplug the car in the morning, when she is at 70%, and drive straight off. Should I unplug an hour earlier to allow for balancing? Or does that only happen if you fully charge the car?
3. Is it good for the battery for it to be balanced from time to time? If so, how is it best to do this - fully charge the car from time to time? I could do that at the weekend, quite easily, if it is better for the car. Does the car need to be fully charged for balancing to take place, or will this automatically happen from time to time?
As you can see from these questions, I still have much to learn. So, apologies in advance for my uninformed questions. I stand ready to be enlightened.
Thanks, in advance.
Volta