Charging to 90% as mentioned in Manual or 80% like others?

[TheRealDlo]

Trying to get some clarity here:

I rarely drive more then 20 miles a day so I'm trying to setup my target range of battery operation for long healthy battery life!

I'm thinking of keeping it between 30% & 80%?

I've read others that say 20%-90%?

I believe I read that Ford recommends 90% MAX for daily drivers?

So should I just go ahead & take it to 90% each time I charge?

Also, Should I charge EVERYDAY or should I just charge when it gets to like my target low 20%-30%?

Thanks!!!

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[adoublee]

Charge to 85%, always staying above winter % needed to get to nearest fast charger plus 5% should you need to make an unexpected journey. Or do what makes you happy - your battery will be fine.

 

[TheRealDlo]

Im thinking 25%-85% based on reading

 

[ExCivilian]

Im thinking 25%-85% based on reading

If you're going to only drive 20 miles per day, I'd suggest keeping the battery between 40-60% or even 45-55%. I believe you get the best longevity by keeping the battery right around the middle.

I'm planning on keeping mine in the 40-60% range for daily driving.

 

[TheRealDlo]

Cool ~ Maybe I will target 30%-80% then

 

[Tony Burgh]

Maybe 47.5% and 52.5%.

 

[beatle]

I keep mine at 90%. With as much range as the truck has, I know I'm not going to come close to running out during daily use, but I like keeping the voltage as high as is reasonable for a bit more power. The Lightning is better than my old Model S at delivering more consistent power across the entire battery, but power still drops off a bit as SoC decreases.

 

[RickLightning]

Trying to get some clarity here:

I rarely drive more then 20 miles a day so I'm trying to setup my target range of battery operation for long healthy battery life!

I'm thinking of keeping it between 30% & 80%?

I've read others that say 20%-90%?

I believe I read that Ford recommends 90% MAX for daily drivers?

So should I just go ahead & take it to 90% each time I charge?

Also, Should I charge EVERYDAY or should I just charge when it gets to like my target low 20%-30%?

Thanks!!!

So you want unqualified opinions from internet strangers instead of doing what the Ford manual says?

The manual says " With Charge Scheduling, you can improve the high voltage battery's longevity by delaying the start of charging and setting a maximum charging limit. We recommend you set your preferred charging times to be at least 2-3 hours after your typical plug in time. This allows the battery to cool before charging begins. Additionally, setting the maximum charge level to be less than 100% for everyday usage reduces strain on the battery."

The Mach-E manual said 90%, then was changed to this wording, then was changed back to 90%. I expect the Lightning manual to be changed back to 90% also at some point.

Note that Ford reserves some of the battery, so 90% is not 90% of the actual battery.

Plug in every day, let it charge to 90%. Before a trip, charge to 100% When DC charging, at 80% speed drops off quite a bit. You won't want to waste time going over 80% unless you need the range to get to the next charging location.

You can download PDFs of the manual from owner.ford.com to your phone, tablet, and PC.

 

[TheRealDlo]

So you want unqualified opinions from internet strangers instead of doing what the Ford manual says?

The manual says " With Charge Scheduling, you can improve the high voltage battery's longevity by delaying the start of charging and setting a maximum charging limit. We recommend you set your preferred charging times to be at least 2-3 hours after your typical plug in time. This allows the battery to cool before charging begins. Additionally, setting the maximum charge level to be less than 100% for everyday usage reduces strain on the battery."

The Mach-E manual said 90%, then was changed to this wording, then was changed back to 90%. I expect the Lightning manual to be changed back to 90% also at some point.

Note that Ford reserves some of the battery, so 90% is not 90% of the actual battery.

Plug in every day, let it charge to 90%. Before a trip, charge to 100% When DC charging, at 80% speed drops off quite a bit. You won't want to waste time going over 80% unless you need the range to get to the next charging location.

You can download PDFs of the manual from owner.ford.com to your phone, tablet, and PC.

I just wanted to have the convo as other pick up different pieces of articles and info.

 

[newF150]

Trying to get some clarity here:

I rarely drive more then 20 miles a day so I'm trying to setup my target range of battery operation for long healthy battery life!

I'm thinking of keeping it between 30% & 80%?

I've read others that say 20%-90%?

I believe I read that Ford recommends 90% MAX for daily drivers?

So should I just go ahead & take it to 90% each time I charge?

Also, Should I charge EVERYDAY or should I just charge when it gets to like my target low 20%-30%?

Thanks!!!

I have a Mach E currently and have it set to charge to 90% no matter what type of driving I'm doing. Typical driving is local a majority of the time. I set the charge hours from 10PM to 6AM. You also want to keep it plugged in everyday as it uses a little power to condition the battery depending on outside temp or detected temps in the battery.

 

[LightningShow]

I’ve been mostly keeping it between 50-80 in daily driving. I get free charging at work so i plug in during the week and get it back up to 80% daily, then on my last day in the office (usually Thursday) i go to 90% and in most cases i’m down to 20-30% by Monday if I don’t charge on the weekend. If i’m driving more on the weekend i will charge at home. The only time i’ve charged over 90% was the night before a road trip.

I’ve been thinking of keeping it closer to 50% during the week when i’m mostly just going to and from work. Then if i need to suddenly take a longer trip mid-week i can hit a DCFC.

 

[TheRealDlo]

Either was 3 things are true across the board.

-Don't charge it to 100% unless needed
-Don't let it get to 0%
-Don't fast charge unless needed

Those are pretty clear and universal it seems

 

[sotek2345]

I’ve been mostly keeping it between 50-80 in daily driving. I get free charging at work so i plug in during the week and get it back up to 80% daily, then on my last day in the office (usually Thursday) i go to 90% and in most cases i’m down to 20-30% by Monday if I don’t charge on the weekend. If i’m driving more on the weekend i will charge at home. The only time i’ve charged over 90% was the night before a road trip.

I’ve been thinking of keeping it closer to 50% during the week when i’m mostly just going to and from work. Then if i need to suddenly take a longer trip mid-week i can hit a DCFC.

The DC fast charge probably does more damage to the battery than keeping it at 90%. Folks stress out about this way to much. Keep it 80% to 90% for daily use, plug in every day, and go to 100% before a long trip. Relax and Enjoy

 

[metroshot]

So you want unqualified opinions from internet strangers instead of doing what the Ford manual says?

The manual says " With Charge Scheduling, you can improve the high voltage battery's longevity by delaying the start of charging and setting a maximum charging limit. We recommend you set your preferred charging times to be at least 2-3 hours after your typical plug in time. This allows the battery to cool before charging begins. Additionally, setting the maximum charge level to be less than 100% for everyday usage reduces strain on the battery."

The Mach-E manual said 90%, then was changed to this wording, then was changed back to 90%. I expect the Lightning manual to be changed back to 90% also at some point.

Note that Ford reserves some of the battery, so 90% is not 90% of the actual battery.

Plug in every day, let it charge to 90%. Before a trip, charge to 100% When DC charging, at 80% speed drops off quite a bit. You won't want to waste time going over 80% unless you need the range to get to the next charging location.

You can download PDFs of the manual from owner.ford.com to your phone, tablet, and PC.

I charge mine to 100% once a week (only drive 25 miles/day).

When I saw the actual battery capacity of the Lightning, it shows 10% more than the capacity that Ford advertises.

This means that the battery can never go truly 100% as there is an approx 10% buffer built in.

So charging to what we see as "100%" is actually less than the true capacity - it's actually about 90%.

IMO, don't waste your time and underutilize your battery as the SOC buffers never will let you get to a true 100%.

Charging to 90% will cheat you out by another 10% of the capacity (80% true charge).

ER Battery sticker showing true capacity: 143.4 kWH.

SR battery showing
107.6 kWh

 

[RickLightning]

While that is true, Ford tells people to charge to "less than 100%". Given that you rarely need 100% of the battery, I find it best to tell people to follow the manual, and only charge to 100% the night before the trip.

The reality is that no one is monitoring use and battery life to any point such that even 10 years down the road they'll be able to know the impact with any certainty. And most people, IMO, will sell these EVs well before 10 years because of changing technology and range.

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