Lithium-ion batteries, the most common type of battery found in electric vehicles, has seen significant improvements over the last few years. We have seen advances that have extended battery life, increased safety, and reduced the weight and price of battery packs.
Everyday manufacturers are looking at more ways to make the battery even better.
Like all pieces of technology, how you take care of them will go a long way to extending the battery life. Here are our top tips on how to extend the battery life on your electric car and alleviate that worry.
Don’t charge your EV every night
Even if you are “only topping up the battery” by a few per cent, you don’t need to or should charge your vehicle every night. Excessive charging puts stress on the battery. As a result, the capacity of the battery can be reduced by a small fraction. To avoid this compounding over time, you shouldn’t plug your vehicle in every night. This is the same practice used for your other tech like laptop.
If you only charge up when necessary, and not plugging the vehicle in as soon as you get home, you can extend your battery life.
Remember, in our last blog we told you that most drivers only need to charge their vehicles every few days. You don’t put gas in your vehicle every time you drive, do you?
Stay between 20 and 80 per cent charge
Just like you shouldn’t plug your vehicle in every night, you also shouldn’t charge it all the way to 100 per cent when you don’t have to. A lithium-ion battery is designed to store large amounts of energy with a charge that ebbs and flows. By frequently draining the cells or filling them up fully can reduce the battery’s capacity over time.
We recommend not letting your battery fall below 20 per cent and charging it up to 80 per cent for regular use. Try to never let the battery die completely.
Control the optimal battery state of charge during long storage
Leaving your EV parked for too long with a full or empty battery can also contributes to its degradation. To avoid this, plan to charge your vehicle so it sits somewhere between 25 and 75 per cent,if you’re going to spend a significant amount of time away.
There are smart charging stations available that can help make this easier for you. They will make sure your battery doesn’t go beyond these limits you set in place.
Battery anxiety is normal when making such a big change. You need to make sure your vehicle is reliable enough to get you where you need to go, when you need to go. Our Electric Certified and trained Technicians at Lacombe Quick Lane are here to make sure your vehicle can get you where you need safely and without any worry.
We are here to help answer questions and provide all the most up to date information.
Stop back to our blog soon as our next chapter looks at what happens at the end of an EV batteries life.
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