Optimal daily charging
- Thread starter Dr Gez
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I don't charge everyday. I don't even drive the car everyday.
As long as I have enough charge to safely travel the expected distance I need for the day, I do not need to charge. If i'm expecting to drive my usual route of 30 miles, as long as the charge level is over 60 miles I'm good to go. Then charge after that drive is over. I never charge [when using my usual daily distance of 30 miles] unless the SoC is less than 90 miles - or I'm going on a long trip the next day,
When I charge, I charge to 90%. Except when I'm making a long trip then I set to 100% for the extra 30-some miles of range. Which is rare.
Same as on my ICE vehicles where I do not top off the petrol tank daily. I don't/won't own any diseasels.
As long as I have enough charge to safely travel the expected distance I need for the day, I do not need to charge. If i'm expecting to drive my usual route of 30 miles, as long as the charge level is over 60 miles I'm good to go. Then charge after that drive is over. I never charge [when using my usual daily distance of 30 miles] unless the SoC is less than 90 miles - or I'm going on a long trip the next day,
When I charge, I charge to 90%. Except when I'm making a long trip then I set to 100% for the extra 30-some miles of range. Which is rare.
Same as on my ICE vehicles where I do not top off the petrol tank daily. I don't/won't own any diseasels.
I think that you should have plenty of change for emergencies. I also bought gas when the tank was down a third and now I plug in if the car drops below 250. Around here the most likely diaster in a wild fire, but there are possible there are risks everywhere.
It was sad to see people running out of gas while trying to evacuate the Camp Fire last year. Most of these people probably figured they had enough gas to get them where they were planning to go the next day. Plans can change rapidly.
Plugging in takes me a couple of minutes, and might save my car or my life. Easy choice for me.
You don't even need a fire chasing you. Every time a hurricane gets within 500 miles of Florida, all of the gas stations run out of fuel for days. Even if the storm never gets here! People trying to evacuate spend hours idling on the highways, and then they stop to get gas and find out there isn't any.
Meanwhile the people escaping in Teslas found all the Superchargers open with an inexhaustible supply...
Oh, and I charge to 90% regularly. Specifically because it was set that way when I picked it up, and the rep I talked to at delivery told me it would cover a one-way trip to anywhere in Florida in case I needed it.
Meanwhile the people escaping in Teslas found all the Superchargers open with an inexhaustible supply...
Oh, and I charge to 90% regularly. Specifically because it was set that way when I picked it up, and the rep I talked to at delivery told me it would cover a one-way trip to anywhere in Florida in case I needed it.
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People get WAY over hung up on their battery maintenance. I can't charge at home, and typically come home with the battery between 70 and 80% and it is left all week because I only use the car at the weekend. Almost all of my charging is supercharging (I use the occasional destination charger and plug it into an 8kw outlet at Whole Foods for 35 mins when grocery shopping...
...and the punchline?
After 9.967 miles (not a lot, I know) according to TeslaFi my battery range is 309.94 as of last weekend. It only takes readings on 'completed charges' not when you just unplug, but that's the current estimate. I've only owned the car in cold weather, as I took delivery just as the temperature started dropping in New York last October.
...and the punchline?
After 9.967 miles (not a lot, I know) according to TeslaFi my battery range is 309.94 as of last weekend. It only takes readings on 'completed charges' not when you just unplug, but that's the current estimate. I've only owned the car in cold weather, as I took delivery just as the temperature started dropping in New York last October.
Well I figured as I am finally an owner of a Model 3 (sadly, purchased used RIGHT before the March 1 price drop, though I still technically got a slightly better deal than buying new), I want to do everything I can to make this vehicle last 10+ years in my garage. It's no hatchback, but it should still serve as a very practical vehicle for just about everything.
I have the LR RWD 18-inch in Midnight Silver with lifetime connectivity, gen 2 seats, no autopilot (yet). Love the vehicle so far. Wind noise is noticeably louder than the Ioniq, but the sound system more than makes up for it.
With my Ioniq electric, I never could control the exact percentage of what to charge to. With the Tesla, I now have so much control over battery metrics I almost don't know what to do with it all.
I know these things:
-Fast charging degrades batteries long-term, especially in high temperatures
-Maintaining high SoC degrades batteries long-term, again in high temperatures more than not
-Running a battery below 30% or so for an extended period of time can also damage a battery
-Slow/trickle charging, although not as energy efficient as a Level 2 charger, is better for the battery
-Conditioning the battery via temporary charge limit change or through turning on climate control helps protect the battery during extreme temperature environments
So what I want to get some opinions on, is 80% daily limit still the norm for day to day driving? Is this irrespective of ambient temperature? i.e. Is it better in a brutal winter (sometimes gets to 10 degrees or less even in my attached garage) to have a higher SoC limit, or a lower SoC limit on a hot day? Are there other factors in play that I may not know about?
Thanks all.
I have the LR RWD 18-inch in Midnight Silver with lifetime connectivity, gen 2 seats, no autopilot (yet). Love the vehicle so far. Wind noise is noticeably louder than the Ioniq, but the sound system more than makes up for it.
With my Ioniq electric, I never could control the exact percentage of what to charge to. With the Tesla, I now have so much control over battery metrics I almost don't know what to do with it all.
I know these things:
-Fast charging degrades batteries long-term, especially in high temperatures
-Maintaining high SoC degrades batteries long-term, again in high temperatures more than not
-Running a battery below 30% or so for an extended period of time can also damage a battery
-Slow/trickle charging, although not as energy efficient as a Level 2 charger, is better for the battery
-Conditioning the battery via temporary charge limit change or through turning on climate control helps protect the battery during extreme temperature environments
So what I want to get some opinions on, is 80% daily limit still the norm for day to day driving? Is this irrespective of ambient temperature? i.e. Is it better in a brutal winter (sometimes gets to 10 degrees or less even in my attached garage) to have a higher SoC limit, or a lower SoC limit on a hot day? Are there other factors in play that I may not know about?
Thanks all.
Supercharger V3 just came out which shows the Model 3 LR can charge at a peak charge rate of 250kW when depleted to around 15%. I personally would not worry about battery degredation on a level 2 charger given that we are talking about 30x slower than what the battery can take.
My wife charges to about 75% for daily commutes regardless of the weather. The battery is liquid cooled, so it will take care of itself whether it is hot or cold. I think Elon Musk said that there was no noticeable difference between charging to 70 and 80 percent and maybe someone could point you to data on that.
To add to your list of things to keep your battery in good health, if you do charge to 100% for a long trip. Don't let the car sit near 100%. Time your trip so that you leave as soon as it gets close to 100%.
My wife charges to about 75% for daily commutes regardless of the weather. The battery is liquid cooled, so it will take care of itself whether it is hot or cold. I think Elon Musk said that there was no noticeable difference between charging to 70 and 80 percent and maybe someone could point you to data on that.
To add to your list of things to keep your battery in good health, if you do charge to 100% for a long trip. Don't let the car sit near 100%. Time your trip so that you leave as soon as it gets close to 100%.
I installed a Tesla HPWC 10 mos ago, just before my Model 3 was delivered. When the car is in the garage, it's always plugged in to the HPWC. I maintain about an 80% level of charge (60% might be even better, but the 65mi difference is significant with AC charging, since I get about 45mi per hour when connected to the HPWC --- 48A at 240V, or about 11.5KW). I've charged it to 100% a dozen times for long daily excursions (over 250mi -- several over 300mi), charging overnight and driving off in the early morning. I've never run the battery down to below 15mi so far.
I've never charged anywhere except at home since I can reach anywhere on the island and get back home on one charge.
I live on the leeward coast of the Big Island, where it's sunny year-round and day-long and the temperature never goes below 60F and stays most of the time in the 75-92F range -- not scorching southwestern temps, but pretty high most every day from 10am to 5pm, esp. in my garage, which does not have AC.
So far, over these 9mos, I have not noticed any capacity decrease when charging to the max and no change to the maximum (AC) charging speed.
I've never charged anywhere except at home since I can reach anywhere on the island and get back home on one charge.
I live on the leeward coast of the Big Island, where it's sunny year-round and day-long and the temperature never goes below 60F and stays most of the time in the 75-92F range -- not scorching southwestern temps, but pretty high most every day from 10am to 5pm, esp. in my garage, which does not have AC.
So far, over these 9mos, I have not noticed any capacity decrease when charging to the max and no change to the maximum (AC) charging speed.
Back in the early Model S days, Elon recommended keeping the car between 30% and 80%.
But with the latest battery chemistries Tesla is using, going up to 90% is quite fine. So, you're perfect!
But with the latest battery chemistries Tesla is using, going up to 90% is quite fine. So, you're perfect!
I wouldn't charge daily to 90% unless I needed it. (I don't, so I don't.) Maybe Elon and @garsh are right about the new battery chemistry, but I'm not taking chances. I charge to 76%, and recharge when it gets down to ~60%, based on lithium ion battery expert common opinion. But I have charged to the 90%-100% range for a trip where I knew I needed it.
Aren't you the guy that never got the bump to 325 miles of range?
From day 1 my 90% has been 278 miles which is 89.7% of 310 miles. When the software patch came out bumping LR RWD to 325 miles, my 90% remained untouched at 278. There is a bug that has prevented some cars from realizing the extra 15 miles of range.
