There’s a lot of things that you could be doing wrong with your EV battery.
Today REV is going to tell you How to keep your EV battery in the best health!
It’s very important to know what kind of battery your EV contains. Because different
batteries have different chemistries. The way you treat them needs to be different.
Teslas come with mainly two types of Lithium ion batteries.
One is the Lithium Iron Phosphate battery, usually found on all single-motor models.
And then there’s the Nickel Cobalt Aluminium battery, usually found on dual motor models.
And how you treat these two batteries is different. Because my car has an NCA battery, I
need to follow the guidelines for this particular battery type, which includes avoiding charging it
to 100 percent all the time. But this isn’t the guideline for every single battery out there.
And it’s not necessarily what applies to the LFP battery, and might not apply to Tesla’s newer 4680
Tabless Battery either. So, you really need to find out what your EV’s battery chemistry is.
In an ideal world, each manufacturer tells you clearly exactly how to treat your battery. But
if you haven’t managed to figure it out, following the unwritten
10 to 80 percent rule, should keep the battery in good health.
In the case of my car, which has an NCA battery - charging it to 100 percent regularly reduces the
battery’s life cycle. This is because when the battery is fully charged, the battery voltage
is higher, and at higher voltages the electrolyte begins to corrode the electrodes. In the same way,
letting the battery drain all the way to zero also damages it and reduces its life cycle.
Manufacturers do have a safety margin built into the battery because the usable capacity is less
than the gross capacity, but if your battery remains between 10 to 80 percent charged, it
should remain in good health. Of course, like with everything, there are exceptions to this rule.
So now you’re wondering, when is it allowed to charge your battery to 100 percent. I only do
it when I drive off immediately after it’s fully charged. So a fully charged battery,
meeting your departure time is the right way to do it.
Like I already explained, it’s not good to keep charging your EV battery to 100 percent. But
it’s even worse to have a fully charged EV sitting around without moving it for ages,
because then you’re just increasing the chances of battery damage. In my experience,
charging all the way to 100 percent only makes sense at the start of a long road trip.
As stated earlier, batteries are made of chemical compounds, and chemical
compounds react to temperature. Which means if you live near the Polar circle,
or if you live in the middle of the desert, your battery might need some extra attention.
So you should also know about your battery temperature limits. In my Tesla Model 3
Performance, for example, the battery’s limits are plus 60 degrees and minus 30 degrees.
So leaving the car in extreme heat or extreme cold will definitely damage the battery.
Of course, most EVs do have some sort of battery management system to protect the battery from
extreme temperatures, but you can also do your bit to help the battery. Some manufacturers recommend
plugging the EV into a charger to ensure the battery management system is drawing power from
the outlet instead of from the battery itself. And, if your car has been standing out in the
sun for a long time, moving it into the shade and allowing it to cool down before charging it
will help preserve the battery. If your car’s been in the freezing cold, drive it around for a bit to
warm the battery up, and then charge it to make sure the battery is in good health. Otherwise
your battery is in danger of something called Lithium plating, which reduces its life cycle.
The Tesla’s battery management system kicks in even when the car isn’t on or plugged into a
charger. And there’s the Cabin Overheat protection which switches on above certain temperatures to
help preserve the car’s electronics and also has a passive influence on battery temperature.
Like a lot of things in life, EV charging is also all about balance. My advice is
charge as slow as possible, and as fast as necessary. Of course on long road trips you
can use a fast charger, but in your daily commute, use 11kW and you will be happy.
Modern EVs do precondition the battery, to make sure that it's
ready to accept energy at an accelerated rate, protecting it a little.
This is what I’ve learned about how to treat my EV’s battery right. What I recommend is - don’t
be lazy - read the user manual and find out what’s best for your own EV battery.
And watch out for the next episode where I’ll tell you how to drive energy efficiently in your EV!
If you have any tips on how to keep your EV battery in best health,
let us know in the comments below? And if you liked this video, subscribe to DW REV.