Battery Life/ Preservation/Health

[MachSimbaaa]

Is it okay to charge to 100%? Like does it really matter if we’re slow charging it to 100%? The reason I ask is I recall watching a video on YT, someone reviewed the Hummer EV, and they said that GM is confident that, with their battery, it doesn’t matter if the owner wants to charge past 80%. Has anyone been charging to 100% frequently? Why or why doesn’t it matter with Ford’s battery?

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[RickMachE]

Manual tells you 90%. Charge to 100% if you're heading out on a trip.

Only keeping the car for 4 or 5 years? Do whatever you want to.

 

[Blue highway]

Is it okay to charge to 100%? Like does it really matter if we’re slow charging it to 100%? The reason I ask is I recall watching a video on YT, someone reviewed the Hummer EV, and they said that GM is confident that, with their battery, it doesn’t matter if the owner wants to charge past 80%. Has anyone been charging to 100% frequently? Why or why doesn’t it matter with Ford’s battery?

Two things:

1) Lithium batteries don't like being at a high state of charge, or being deeply discharged. There are a lot of factors including heat and discharge rate, but to maximize life (on the calendar) keeping the cells at mid charge is best.

https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-808-how-to-prolong-lithium-based-batteries

2) For short periods it is effect is negligible. Drive the car and enjoy it.

 

[TRP]

Another thought...............

If you are commuting in town, stop and go traffic regularly and charge to 100% you have no room for the free electrons generated from region to go resulting in heat build up in the battery

 

[SnBGC]

Is it okay to charge to 100%? Like does it really matter if we’re slow charging it to 100%? The reason I ask is I recall watching a video on YT, someone reviewed the Hummer EV, and they said that GM is confident that, with their battery, it doesn’t matter if the owner wants to charge past 80%. Has anyone been charging to 100% frequently? Why or why doesn’t it matter with Ford’s battery?

Ford said the same thing. If L2 charging, then no concern about charging to 100% displayed.
The owner's manual recommends charging to 90% displayed but that is really for people that don't drive their vehicle very often or very far. Both are subjective terms of course.
You are totally fine to charge to 100% displayed. I've been doing it for years on all my EVs and no observable degradation yet. I am pretty close to 100k miles of electric driving in total and over 37,000 miles on the Mach E.

There are lots of things to consider for improving battery life. Charge limit settings is the least of those concerns. If you are L2 charging, and your EVSE allows you to adjust the amp setting, then 32A is a very good setting. Your HVB (and perhaps energy bill) will thank you.

Manual tells you 90%. Charge to 100% if you're heading out on a trip.

Only keeping the car for 4 or 5 years? Do whatever you want to.

Even more than that. Some graphs I saw showed that charging to 100% displayed could take 20 years or more before extra deg is observed.

Another thought...............

If you are commuting in town, stop and go traffic regularly and charge to 100% you have no room for the free electrons generated from region to go resulting in heat build up in the battery

Not true. There is still plenty of room even when charged to 100% displayed.

 

[ChuckA]

I charged to 80% for the 1st two months and then 90% thereafter.

My wife won’t let me run under 40%. I’ve gone to 30% twice in eight months. Does that harm the battery life?

 

[SnBGC]

I charged to 80% for the 1st two months and then 90% thereafter.

My wife won’t let me run under 40%. I’ve gone to 30% twice in eight months. Does that harm the battery life?

No. You are fine. ?

 

[RickMachE]

I charged to 80% for the 1st two months and then 90% thereafter.

My wife won’t let me run under 40%. I’ve gone to 30% twice in eight months. Does that harm the battery life?

Why would it? When we're on a trip, we go to 10% routinely, sometimes a little lower.

 

[timbop]

I charged to 80% for the 1st two months and then 90% thereafter.

My wife won’t let me run under 40%. I’ve gone to 30% twice in eight months. Does that harm the battery life?

No. When you get below 15% or so and leave it there for a prolonged period of time is harmful, but occasionally driving it down to even 5% and then charging it immediately is OK. As @SnBGC said you can charge to 100% but if you constantly leave it there for days on end without driving it could potentially cause some damage long term.

Not mentioned by anyone is that Ford's software restricts your ability to charge to the battery's "full" capacity or discharge all the way down to truly "empty". You'll see this referred to as the "buffer", and is why the ER battery is referred to as 99KWH but there is only around 92 KWH "available". So, when the car says it is 100% charged it does not really contain 99kwh - it is more like 95 or 96kwh. When the car reads 0 there is still around 3 or 4kwh in it but the car won't let you access that. All manufacturers use the same technique because it is so harmful to charge to truly "full" and can actually render the battery inert if you discharge it completely.

 

[timbop]

The "charging to 90% max" rule is akin to the dentist telling you to floss your teeth. Lots of people don't floss and end up keeping their teeth until dying of old age. However, lots of people get gum disease and lose teeth too. Flossing is easy and cheap insurance against that.

The way I look at it: it's an easy thing to only charge to 90%, especially since you can override that when you are going on a long trip and want to start out with the maximum range. It may not make a difference, but just like tooth loss once the damage is done to the battery it is irreversible.

 

[ProximusAl]

My car is always charged to 95% so I guess that makes me a half-flosser. ?

 

[ChuckA]

The "charging to 90% max" rule is akin to the dentist telling you to floss your teeth. Lots of people don't floss and end up keeping their teeth until dying of old age. However, lots of people get gum disease and lose teeth too. Flossing is easy and cheap insurance against that.

The way I look at it: it's an easy thing to only charge to 90%, especially since you can override that when you are going on a long trip and want to start out with the maximum range. It may not make a difference, but just like tooth loss once the damage is done to the battery it is irreversible.

Unlike a battery, teeth don’t fall out at 8 years. Charging at 90% may have a positive effect, but have no down side.

 

[TRP]

Ford said the same thing. If L2 charging, then no concern about charging to 100% displayed.
The owner's manual recommends charging to 90% displayed but that is really for people that don't drive their vehicle very often or very far. Both are subjective terms of course.
You are totally fine to charge to 100% displayed. I've been doing it for years on all my EVs and no observable degradation yet. I am pretty close to 100k miles of electric driving in total and over 37,000 miles on the Mach E.

There are lots of things to consider for improving battery life. Charge limit settings is the least of those concerns. If you are L2 charging, and your EVSE allows you to adjust the amp setting, then 32A is a very good setting. Your HVB (and perhaps energy bill) will thank you.


Even more than that. Some graphs I saw showed that charging to 100% displayed could take 20 years or more before extra deg is observed.



Not true. There is still plenty of room even when charged to 100% displayed.

Sorry, My bad

 

[generaltso]

Unlike a battery, teeth don’t fall out at 8 years.

Our battery will fall out at 8 years? I better make sure I don't park over any cuddly animals on that date.

 

[SnBGC]

Unlike a battery, teeth don’t fall out at 8 years. Charging at 90% may have a positive effect, but have no down side.

The 3 main reasons why I charge to 100% are:
1. I might need the range the next day. Never really know for certain what my needs are going to be

2. My car might not charge overnight. Happens every once in a while for reasons unknown.

3. I have to remain over 50% S.O.C. in order to cool my battery while parked on plug without also allowing the HVB to charge. Another apparent programming fault.

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