Is it worth following charging guidelines?

[RickMachE]

Yep for delivery 100% SOC.

Exactly correct., and a non-issue. You seem to believe that charging to 100% is like crossing a line, and dooming your battery. It's not.

I've put on 20,000 miles across two Mach-Es in 2 years. I've charged to 100% for each trip, and when it's a multiday trip charged to 100% at the hotel (if possible). It's a non-issue.

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[SWO]

Topics like this one are why I would be very hesitant in buying an off-lease EV.

If your commitment to a car is only 3 years, there's no incentive to not just top it off at every charge.

I suppose the LFP batteries may change that.

 

[AtomicInternet]

Yep for delivery 100% SOC.

Mine too. Sales guy said "got it all charged up to 100% for you" and I cringed. They don't know any better, they charge their phones to 100% so why not the car too. As stated, Ford does not ever say DON'T charge to 100 so maybe they tell sales people to do it for customer satisfaction. I'm sure most people buying an MME come from petrol anyway, so 80% would confuse them. The start button / dual pedal drive default are certainly designed for people coming from petrol. Tesla has no start button whatsoever.

 

[troublebot]

Don't overthink it. Keep it between 10 and 90 if you're concerned. Periodically straying outside that range won't affect anything in any noticeable way.

 

[generaltso]

Mine too. Sales guy said "got it all charged up to 100% for you" and I cringed. They don't know any better

Ford instructs dealers to charge to 100% before delivering to the customer.

 

[TuxToaster]

Even if they weren't instructed to or didn't intend to, the car is simply going to charge to 100% by default since there's not a global charge limit or any way to set a limit for a location before you've charged. And setting that is enough of a pain that a dealership or shop is not likely to do anything but plug it in and move on to the next car.

 

[ctenidae]

I had to pick some number as the charge limit at home, and since 100% takes too long and 90% gets recommended, I picked 90% for my day to day charging.

I haven't seen anything that says letting it get to 20% is good or needed for the battery, and getting below 40% gets angsty and locks up grey bar jail, so I don't let it get there as a matter of course. On longer trips or if charging not available, sure. That's probably enough of a dip into low SOC to serve whatever purpose may be served by running the battery out a bit.

So, I start the day with a fresh 90%, and usually end it around 50%-60%, then on the charger overnight to do it all again tomorrow. Seems to work OK. YMMV.

 

[HuntingPudel]

I set mine to 85% of usable capacity. Taking into account the upper and lower buffers, that’s about 80% of total battery capacity. Definitely don’t over-think it, though. Just keep it somewhere reasonable for your normal use. For once in a while use on a trip, go ahead and charge it full before you leave. The car will likely only be full for a few hours, then it’ll get driven. ??

 

[dmastro]

I follow a firm guideline to never let it dip below 0% or charge to more than 100%

 

[phidauex]

I follow a firm guideline to never let it dip below 0% or charge to more than 100%

I accidentally set my home charge setting to 120% instead of 80% (whoopsie). ?????????

 

[A-A-Ron]

Does Ford have it figured out? My Ford dealer charges it to 100%.

The way you limit charging is stupid (have to get the car to recognize a new location before you can give it a charging preference) so your car will charge to 100% at the dealership unless someone goes in and adds it as a charger and sets it to stop at 90%.

Most of the dealers and their service departments know less than you do. If you're lucky, there's 1-2 sales reps and techs that might know a bit more, but most of them know nothing right now.

 

[RickMachE]

Mine too. Sales guy said "got it all charged up to 100% for you" and I cringed.

Why did you cringe? Because you believe it harms the battery, which it doesn't. And, like with a gas vehicle, the dealership is REQUIRED to "fill the tank" because you, the buyer, paid for it.

When I bought my Lightning 3 states away, the night before I made sure the salesman knew to charge it to 100% because it was at 87%. I wanted a) what I paid for and b) the extra range that 100% would give me for that first leg of driving.

It's nonsense to think that 100% charging for delivery, or prepping for / while on trips, is going to harm the battery long term. There are upper and lower buffers built in. 91kWh battery available with 98kWh total capacity. Non-issue.

 

[AtomicInternet]

Why did you cringe? Because you believe it harms the battery, which it doesn't. And, like with a gas vehicle, the dealership is REQUIRED to "fill the tank" because you, the buyer, paid for it.
It's nonsense to think that 100% charging for delivery, or prepping for / while on trips, is going to harm the battery long term. There are upper and lower buffers built in. 91kWh battery available with 98kWh total capacity. Non-issue.

Because I choose to keep it at 80%, and already a choice was made for me. I didn't blame Ford or the sales guy, and I know it's Ford policy. But I'm allowed to cringe because a choice was made for my brand new vehicle. I know the car is engineered to protect itself, and I know it's no big deal and a non-issue to you. I am not you, so don't presume what's important to me.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Ford instructs dealers to charge to 100% before delivering to the customer.

This. Neither Ford nor your dealer know where you live, what sort of terrain you’re driving over, or where you’re headed once you hand over the check. It ensures you have the best opportunity to get there. 100% charges from time to time aren’t going to do squat to your battery.

 

[evfinder]

When I picked up mine at the dealership it was sitting charging. After we had done all the paperwork it was at a little over 80%. I had a 3 mile drive home and didn't want to wait for it to get to 1005 so I drove it off the lot.

I am getting close to 1 year of ownership and just passed 5,000 miles. The car has only been on a DC fast charger 4 times on a road trip. Most of my charging is done on level 1 and I usually charge the car about once per week unless I am taking a longer drive. I try to keep the car SOC below 90% but don't hesitate to charge to 100% if I am taking a longer trip. The batteries rarely gets below 50% SOC.

I don't stress about charging the cat to 100%, the real problem is letting the batteries sit at 100% for extended periods of time. When I charge to 100% I try to complete the charge close to the time I am going to leave.

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