3 Common Mistakes That May Harm Your EV Battery - Engineering Explained

[Teslaeata]

So I should stop filling it with gas??

I’ve had in my froot a gallon of diesel and gallon of your “gas” which is not actually a gas but is liquid petrol ? and I’ve not used a drop in 77k miles?

Talk to me about economy ?

Sponsored

 

[Opa]

If we drove daily, I'd plug in nightly. But we usually only drive a few days a week (retired), so I don't leave it plugged in all the time. My usual pattern is to plug in anytime I get home under 50%, although I often to it at 60-70% anyway (charging to 90%).

Retired here as well, my friend (ain’t it grand!) ?
Still, I plug-in every night, even though my driving patterns are similar to yours. It’s like keeping a trickle charge on a boat battery or any other electrical device that uses battery power. If you can plug-in, plug-in always it doesn’t cost you but a few pennies at home and it keeps your 12 V battery in tiptop shape.

 

[Jtbuster]

Quote:
“
It's not harmful to the battery.



A charge rate of 44 kW is less than half the 1-hour charge/discharge rate for the ER battery. Battery longevity is given in terms of how many full cycles of charge/discharge can be done with a 1-hour full discharge or charge rate (called "1C") being the standard. These batteries have around 2,000 to 4,000 cycles before they will exhibit a degradation of no more than about 20% in maximum capacity.



If you're discharging and then charging 20% every day, it will take 5 days of charging to equal a "full charge cycle." If you're doing it at 50% of the 1C charge rate, that means you have a little less than twice the cycle lifetime (this gets complicated). But let's assume you're using the 1C rate (about 91kW rate for the ER battery). This would mean you have 2,000 or more weeks of use before you're likely to see <80% of original capacity.



That's >38 years.”

 

[Art]

Excellent.

 

[apwelsh]

Been saying for years. Charge charge charge. There are so many people on this forum. that wait till their battery gets to 20% or 30% to charge
no always have it charged set to 80%/90% ? after driving and keep it plug in??‍

Exactly. It’s not gas, it’s a battery — a lithium battery. The number of people today that still think NiCd battery practices apply is crazy. If you can charge, charge it. The risk of dropping to 0 is more dangerous than charging to 100% every day.

 

[Rt1AWD]

The SoH of my battery is 92.5%. I have no desire to see it go lower, and I changed my charging behavior because of that. I still charge to 100% but only right before I leave on a trip that requires it.

What do you mean no desire to see it go lower? It will neither stay flat nor it will go higher. It will keep going lower and you'll have to leave with that.
BTW at what kW*hrs your battery stops charging?

 

[Teslaeata]

Exactly. It’s not gas, it’s a battery — a lithium battery. The number of people today that still think NiCd battery practices apply is crazy. If you can charge, charge it. The risk of dropping to 0 is more dangerous than charging to 100% every day.

Certainly is when you’re in outside lane of Motorway with 0% charge?

 

[mkhuffman]

What do you mean no desire to see it go lower? It will neither stay flat nor it will go higher. It will keep going lower and you'll have to leave with that.
BTW at what kW*hrs your battery stops charging?

It has been a little lower in the winter. Back in September I saw 86 kWh at 100%. Now it is 84-85 kWh. My car sits in a fairly warm garage so at least when the charge finishes, it isn't significantly impacted by the weather. Until I start driving, of course.

So my highway range is around 85 x 2.4 = 204 miles. That's horrible. And I absolutely do NOT want it to get worse. I know it will, but I am doing what is reasonable to try to slow the loss.

 

[Just Lurking]

I doubt the “battery” in its entirety would ever need doing but if it does then so what, pay up, look happy and go another 150,000 miles plus.

If the entire battery ever needs replacing out of warranty that vehicle is going straight to the junkyard and crusher because for the cost of an entire new battery you can get yourself a brand new EV (or pretty darn close.)*

*At current prices.

 

[johnnycombo]

I don't worry about it and just do what these chuckle heads recommend. I figure they must know something about it!

 

[hedgehog99]

Honest question: does this mean I should plug my lithium battery smartphone in whenever I can during the day, especially it now has a setting to stop charging at 85%? And this is better than running it down to 15% during the day then charge it up to 85% overnight?

 

[apwelsh]

Certainly is when you’re in outside lane of Motorway with 0% charge?

Good thing there is about a 10-20 mile reserve charge for those crazy situations

 

[apwelsh]

Honest question: does this mean I should plug my lithium battery smartphone in whenever I can during the day, especially it now has a setting to stop charging at 85%? And this is better than running it down to 15% during the day then charge it up to 85% overnight?

Yes. It always has been that way. There is no point in draining your battery. Then fully charging it.. and is you charge it any chance you get, the battery will outlast the phone. Since I learned this, the have never had a battery go bad. My laptop is 4 years old and still has over 90% life.

 

[Phrozen]

Did you watch his wheel size video? Sure he uses science and complicated words, but if you understand the science and complicated words, you figure out he didn't do a thorough analysis and left out some very important factors that impact range.

I don't know if he did same thing in this video because after the wheel video I have written him off. Maybe he did a good analysis this time. I doubt it.

And, by the way, I was insulting Jason, not you. Not sure why you had to get so defensive and insult me.

I just went and found that video. Of course he's leaving out some factors--you can't thoroughly explain motion dynamics in a 10 minute video, so he simplifies it. It's also specific to EVs, despite his (I agree, misguided) point at the end about aggregate US CO2 emissions. As for the range estimates, he got those from Tesla's own reported aerodynamic figures. Pinning it all on the wheel is a simplification, but I think it's valid to assume that the tire options from the same model car are going to be similar.

Personally, I don't care for his channel. He's not my style and I have enough of a scientific background that if I want analysis of a topic he covers, I can usually find better elsewhere. But in every one of his videos I've seen, the science is there and the math checks out. In other words, he shows his work. To claim he's a "charlatan" is pretty laughable.

As for this video, from what I can tell, he's pretty spot on, if, again, simplified.

 

[mkhuffman]

I just went and found that video. Of course he's leaving out some factors--you can't thoroughly explain motion dynamics in a 10 minute video, so he simplifies it. It's also specific to EVs, despite his (I agree, misguided) point at the end about aggregate US CO2 emissions. As for the range estimates, he got those from Tesla's own reported aerodynamic figures. Pinning it all on the wheel is a simplification, but I think it's valid to assume that the tire options from the same model car are going to be similar.

Personally, I don't care for his channel. He's not my style and I have enough of a scientific background that if I want analysis of a topic he covers, I can usually find better elsewhere. But in every one of his videos I've seen, the science is there and the math checks out. In other words, he shows his work. To claim he's a "charlatan" is pretty laughable.

As for this video, from what I can tell, he's pretty spot on, if, again, simplified.

"Charlatan" my be too harsh, but when he pretends he has presented sufficient evidence to back his conclusions by presenting a lot of information that is over people's heads, when really he didn't, it is dishonest IMO. What word would you use to describe someone who does that?

Just because his math is correct does not mean he justified his conclusions. I wish he had taken the time to really evaluate the other factors like he did aerodynamics of wheel width, as it could have been worthwhile. As he did it, it was misleading and incomplete. And it is not a video people should use as proof larger wheels are less efficient. It does not prove that at all.

Sponsored