[SJCFlyer]

I'm confused.

While I understand doing a fast charge it's best for the batteries to only charge them to 80% (unless you're driving a long distance to the next charger).

But does the 80% apply when you're just doing the slower Level 2 at home or is it OK to go 100% then and still be OK on the battery life?

Related Question - Best to charge up each night...or try and go multiple nights to get battery down to 20% level before recharging?

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by SJCFlyer

I'm confused.

While I understand doing a fast charge it's best for the batteries to only charge them to 80% (unless you're driving a long distance to the next charger).

But does the 80% apply when you're just doing the slower Level 2 at home or is it OK to go 100% then and still be OK on the battery life?

Related Question - Best to charge up each night...or try and go multiple nights to get battery down to 20% level before recharging?

Check here:

https://bmwi.bimmerpost.com/forums/s....php?t=2098343

[RichardInCA]

There’s a great YouTube from an academic in Canada (sorry, forgot his name) who goes into great detail about how to think about battery SOC and long term lifespan with a bunch of data. To me the takeaways are the following:

1) Batteries generate power through chemical reactions - at higher temeprature chemical reactions speed up, so degradation is more significant at higher ambient temperature and higher SOC. If you’re keeping your car at higher SOC in higher temps you’ll see higher battery degradation.

2) consider your battery as being like a brittle balloon. Higher volume changes causes physical cracks in the molecular structure of the battery components for current tech. Batteries do physically expand and contract - so the less you expand/contract them the longer they’ll last - e.g. charging between 40 and 50% SOC forever will give you an epic lifespan >1M miles relative to charging 0 to 100% SOC.

3) If you don’t need to have 100% SOC why bother charging to that point? It’s not like a gas tank,

I routinely charge between 30 and 70% and will go a little higher if I need more range but am quite happy seeing my car sitting between 40 and 60% SOC without needing to charge to 90 to 100%.

[deutsch100]

I charge to 100% when I know I will drive far, but I never leave the car at 100% for more than overnight (before the big drive day). I usually do 3-4 100% charges per month, Level II BMW Wallbox or ChargePoint Level II charger.

In between big drives (200+ miles), I use the Level I charger and I keep my battery between 20% and 70%. I do not charge daily, but when I get usually down to 20-30%, I plug in.

This is how I have done all my EVs and PHEVs since 2017, and this seems to work really well for me.

[SkykingUSA]

I agree with RichardInCA and watched the following video about charging.

I think this is the video RichardInCA is referring to:

All my charging so far has been level 2 at 11 kW (48 amps). Since I don't drive far on a daily basis (usually a 20-30 mile round trip 2-3 times per week, then usually a little more on weekends) I set my max charge to 65% and charge up each time I come home. My goal is to keep the car between 50% and 65% and can usually do that easily.

Maybe once every month or two, I'll charge the car to 100% and not plug it back in until it hits about 50%, then go back to my routine. Of course, if I know I'm going on a longer trip, I might charge it up more for those special times (like when I had to drive to the airport and back).

[Scrapula]

It’s more of a don’t let your car sit at 100%, but charge it then drive right away and it won’t be at 100% for long. The electron in the outer shell of lithium is ‘happiest’ around 50%. I’ve done 100% once and 90% once a week when I go into the office.

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by SkykingUSA

I think this is the video RichardInCA is referring to

That’s the one!

[desalvorw]

I did a bit of research on charging when I purchased and was waiting for delivery.
For daily driving, I charge to 65% battery capacity and my total charging is anywhere from 10% total to 25% total daily because smaller charges are better than bigger ones(higher battery depletion before charging). That gives me the best compromise of daily needs and hopefully battery degradation. When I go on trips, I will charge to 100% for the beginning and then maximize charge routing to charge to 80-90% enroute(fastest charging and highest capacity).

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by desalvorw

I did a bit of research on charging when I purchased and was waiting for delivery.
For daily driving, I charge to 65% battery capacity and my total charging is anywhere from 10% total to 25% total daily because smaller charges are better than bigger ones(higher battery depletion before charging). That gives me the best compromise of daily needs and hopefully battery degradation. When I go on trips, I will charge to 100% for the beginning and then maximize charge routing to charge to 80-90% enroute(fastest charging and highest capacity).

Yeah - I normally charge to 70% and perhaps charge every second commute - mostly at work ($0!!) in the low 30% range.

My experience has been what I thought was going to be a source of stress (range anxiety) has become something I geek out on, and have enjoyed thinking through/learning about. Before owning an EV I was all focused on what hp I would get and how big the range would be. After owning one, I’ve come to realize how fungible range is as concept, and how it’s all about adapting to new routines that make it different from ICE ownership.