Charging to 100% and using DC fast charging frequently

[alexgorod]

and I have no home charger, what am I to do?

Don't buy an EV, unless you have it at work or some other place, IMO. It removes convenience and price advantage compared with ICE.

Acceleration will still be great though

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[4sallypat]

Charging to 100% on public DCFC is just rude.

After 80% the charge rate diminishes substantially.

when on public DCFC go to 80% and let the next car charge…

Not rude if you use Tesla Superchargers.

Road trips I charge to 100% on DCFC using Tesla Superchargers - no one waiting with lots of open chargers so why not - never know if there's a detour along the way or delays on a long drive.

Locally at home/work I charge to 90% on Tesla Superchargers.

In my garage, I charge to 100% on L2.

Not worried about battery degradation - will be trading her in at the 3 year warranty expiration mark.

 

[flapjake314]

i created an entire tracker to review DCFC and SOH

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...-analytics-crowdsourced-data-add-yours.38065/

i'm not an expert but it looks like there is not a lot of correlation between using DCFC and SOH

 

[lifebythemile]

Don't buy an EV, unless you have it at work or some other place, IMO. It removes convenience and price advantage compared with ICE.

Acceleration will still be great though

I flat out disagree with losing price advantage. My previous ICE car (2021 VW GLI) would get 32mpg and cost me $0.28/mi in gas. My Mach E using exclusively DCFC is costing me $0.08/mi for a 71% savings in fuel costs alone, let alone cheaper insurance, and far less maintenance costs.

Convenience, it’s 30-60min twice per week out of my day (avg 300-400mi/week) I grab a coffee/tea and use that as decompression time or time it for a dinner out. It works with how my days are organized. I admit that might not work for everyone.

 

[alexgorod]

My Mach E using exclusively DCFC is costing me $0.08/mi for a 71% savings in fuel costs alone, let alone cheaper insurance, and far less maintenance costs.

Interesting. I charged this weekend in Red-E charger for $0.50/KW, so about $0.20/mi, more than 25mpg Honda CR-V that my wife drives. Insurance is the same at best, and maintenance - let's see what the LVB replacement at 3 year mark will cost me, but I think it will be more than 3 oil changes.

 

[lifebythemile]

Interesting. I charged this weekend in Red-E charger for $0.50/KW, so about $0.20/mi, very similar to 25mpg Honda CR-V that my wife drives. Insurance is the same at best, and maintenance - let's see what the LVB replacement at 3 year mark will cost me, but I think it will be more than 3 oil changes.

I do know costs vary by region, I’m $0.26/kWh for Tesla DCFCs, I believe I saw $0.25/kWh in Portland the other day (though another one was $0.50/kWh) and $0.32/kWh in Tacoma.

Re: maintenance. How much would a new LVB be for the CRV? I bet it’s not too far off a new 12v battery for the Mach E.

 

[Tampamike]

I flat out disagree with losing price advantage. My previous ICE car (2021 VW GLI) would get 32mpg and cost me $0.28/mi in gas. My Mach E using exclusively DCFC is costing me $0.08/mi for a 71% savings in fuel costs alone, let alone cheaper insurance, and far less maintenance costs.

Convenience, it’s 30-60min twice per week out of my day (avg 300-400mi/week) I grab a coffee/tea and use that as decompression time or time it for a dinner out. It works with how my days are organized. I admit that might not work for everyone.

That $0.08/mile seems a little low. Either you’re getting awesome range or you’re paying a really low rate at that DCFC. Maybe you could show us your math on that.

As a comparison, if I pay the Pass+ rate at EA of $0.42/kw and use an in-town range of 300 miles on my 91 kw battery:
91 x $0.42 = $38.22 for a 100% charge
$38.22/300 miles = $0.1274/mile

Edit - I see you’re using a Tesla rate of $0.26/kw, so that part works out, but,

For your ICE VW, 32mpg and let’s say $3.30/gal, $3.30/32=$0.103/mile. Your number of $0.28/mile at 32mpg would give $8.96/gal for gas. Is it that expensive in Vancouver?

I realize that this is all public math, so correct me if I’m wrong.

 

[Sikkun]

Not rude if you use Tesla Superchargers.

Road trips I charge to 100% on DCFC using Tesla Superchargers - no one waiting with lots of open chargers so why not

While this has been your experience, Tesla superchargers can in fact be full and have lines.

All depends on where and when.

Especially if it’s a layout where a Mach E is taking multiple spots.

And unless there are 0 other charging options, you are spending double the amount of time going 90-100%, it would be much faster to stop at another charger 200 miles down the road.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Thanks. I get that, but it seems from those articles / studies that the rate of degradation is not actually different whether I charge to 100% (for LFP battery) or not, or whether I use a lot of fast charging or not.
And that makes a difference for me, especially the 100% full charge part. I normally park on the street... using my charger at night requires "effort". - I guess for most people who pull into a garage every night that doesn't really make a difference... But me, the difference is that I only have to pull into the courtyard where the plug is every 8-10 days, if I charge full every time. Makes driving an EV a whole lot more comfortable!

If you are thinking about battery life, the most important thing about charging to 100% is to drive it right away (that day, not that instant). Damage is more likely if you leave the car sitting around at 100%.

Remember that Ford built a bit of buffer into both ends of the battery. You can't drain to a full 0% and you can't charge to a full 100%.

 

[lifebythemile]

While this has been your experience, Tesla superchargers can in fact be full and have lines.

All depends on where and when.

Especially if it’s a layout where a Mach E is taking multiple spots.

And unless there are 0 other charging options, you are spending double the amount of time going 90-100%, it would be much faster to stop at another charger 200 miles down the road.

Along the west coast from Vancouver to San Diego there are literally hundreds of Tesla supercharger stalls per metro area. All but for maybe a couple I have yet to see actually full and a lineup. Even on highways through major holiday routes they were only ever half full.

 

[lifebythemile]

That $0.08/mile seems a little low. Either you’re getting awesome range or you’re paying a really low rate at that DCFC. Maybe you could show us your math on that.

As a comparison, if I pay the Pass+ rate at EA of $0.42/kw and use an in-town range of 300 miles on my 91 kw battery:
91 x $0.42 = $38.22 for a 100% charge
$38.22/300 miles = $0.1274/mile

Edit - I see you’re using a Tesla rate of $0.26/kw, so that part works out, but,

For your ICE VW, 32mpg and let’s say $3.30/gal, $3.30/32=$0.103/mile. Your number of $0.28/mile at 32mpg would give $8.96/gal for gas. Is it that expensive in Vancouver?

I realize that this is all public math, so correct me if I’m wrong.

The GLI drinks Prem, which hovered around $2.059/L for a long time around when I traded it in. I averaged 8.2L/100km which is actually closer to 30mpg for a cost of $0.17/km * 1.62 = $0.275/mi

My Mach E averages 5km/kWh according to my “fuel” tracking app and lines up with what the in car display says. I pay $0.26/kWh which works out to a hair above $0.05/km * 1.62 = $0.081/mi

 

[ChasingCoral]

I flat out disagree with losing price advantage. My previous ICE car (2021 VW GLI) would get 32mpg and cost me $0.28/mi in gas. My Mach E using exclusively DCFC is costing me $0.08/mi for a 71% savings in fuel costs alone, let alone cheaper insurance, and far less maintenance costs.

Convenience, it’s 30-60min twice per week out of my day (avg 300-400mi/week) I grab a coffee/tea and use that as decompression time or time it for a dinner out. It works with how my days are organized. I admit that might not work for everyone.

Interesting. I charged this weekend in Red-E charger for $0.50/KW, so about $0.20/mi, more than 25mpg Honda CR-V that my wife drives. Insurance is the same at best, and maintenance - let's see what the LVB replacement at 3 year mark will cost me, but I think it will be more than 3 oil changes.

Location matters. So does your choice of charging stations, sometimes time of charging, and if you have a discount plan.

 

[Sikkun]

Along the west coast from Vancouver to San Diego there are literally hundreds of Tesla supercharger stalls per metro area. All but for maybe a couple I have yet to see actually full and a lineup. Even on highways through major holiday routes they were only ever half full.

Even in that case, going to 100% makes even less sense if you have plenty of options.

 

[Sinclair63]

I charge my 2023 GTPE(Purchased 7/2023) twice a week to 100% and travel over 200 miles for a work commute each time. The rest of the week I charge to 80%( which last until I need to travel again). I use a 50 amp Juice Box home charger and almost never charge at a public charger. I have close to 18k miles on the car so far and have noticed no change in battery degradation, expect for really hot or really cold days, which is normal. I plan to keep the car for 4 to 5 years and then hopefully trade in for new technology. I use the car as a tool during work days and don't worry about the battery. Its a blast to drive fast and I think it looks great. I say charge and drive the way that fits your lifestyle. I'm probable jinxing myself, but I have had ZERO issues with my GTPE. Gives me more time to work and drive my 65 Mustang convertible. Just my 2 cents...

 

[ryano7700]

Most dcfc’s around me are about $0.50/kwh. I average about 3miles/kwh. So $0.167 per mile. Kinda pricey. Much better to charge at home for $0.13/kwh. Or $0.043 per mile.

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