Top battery off to 90% every day?

[TaxmanHog]

Typically use 30-40 Kilowatts a day.

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[Jim Lewis]

Jseis said:
Typically use 30-40 Kilowatts a day.

Even better, kWh per day. One could interpret 30-40 kW per day as 30x24 to 40x24 kWh. Which would almost be a MWh!

 

[sdingeldein]

Thanks for all the information. This forum is sooooooo useful to a new owner.

 

[TaxmanHog]

In the past 15 months that my new exclusive electric service to my garage has been active, I've hit 10.604 MWH of energy, includes heating and lights.

Of that, the Lightning has drawn 4.495 MWH from 12/1/2022 to 12/24/2023

 

[Hammick]

In 15k miles our Lariat ER has seen a lot of DCFC. At a couple of locations we have to charge to 95% when it is cold to comfortably make the next DCFC. When at our main home we charge it to 70% about every other day and take it down to around 35% SOC. It is powering our house daily from around 8 am to 11 pm. CarScanner is showing 97.5% SOH. I was hoping that SOH would have gone up after our module replacement but no such luck.

We usually don't keep cars longer than 3 years (usually 2) but the Lightning will most likely be around for 5 years since it's value is in the shitter. Will probably lease the next one unless EV values level out. We leased our replacement Ioniq 5 (first one totaled) after I discovered it's value had tanked.

 

[LightningCanuckNB]

Rules of thumb

- It is best to keep battery between 30% and 80%-90%.

- Every time you charge a cell it loses a little life. Charging needlessly is something to be avoided.

- Conditioning battery for a brief period is better than running or charging it cold. If the battery is warm then preconditioning does nothing.

- DCFC is harder on battery than L2 charging at home.

Work within those rules and apply them to how you need to use the truck.

As an example... I have an ER with a daily short commute and always park in the garage which is kept above 10 degrees C. As such, I DO NOT charge every night because it would put needless wear on the battery with no benefits. I generally use the truck all week then charge it from around 35% back up to 85% on the weekend. I charge to 100% whenever going on a longer trip, as well as once every few weeks, whichever comes first.

If you don't have a garage then this doesn't apply. If you have a longer commute this doesn't apply. Etc. Use your head and work in those rules of thumb, don't try to take someone else's situation and clone it as everyone is different.

 

[RickLightning]

Charging from 80 to 90% 5 times vs from 40 to 90% once is basically the same thing.

ABC - always be charging
Keep plugged in in cold weather as the manual tells you.

 

[csukoh78]

Hello. This is a collection of all the official guidance put together by me to answer questions like this. Please do not trust anecdotal stories; this is the official Ford guidance.

To answer your question yes it should remain plugged in at all times and daily charge to 90%. It has a very large buffer and Ford has figured out that 90% is the best. Only go to 100% prior to long road trips.



F150 LIGHTNING CHARGING CHEAT SHEET

I get more questions about my Lightning from ICE F-150 owners than any other group. Posted this is r/fordlightning but might be helpful here as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Got charging questions and want a single OFFICIAL source for answers? Here ya go. The following guidelines were taken *directly* from the owners manual, the F150 lightning FAQ from Ford's website, and official Ford press releases.

This is NOT the place for stories, anecdotes, YouTube videos, personal experiences, "Well my buddy Jimbo gets blah blah blah" etc. Post that elsewhere. This is what Ford says. Hopefully this can cut down on a lot of the misinformation that's being spread around.


#F150 CHARGING CHEAT SHEET

1. AC home charging is the preferred method of charging.



2. Ford recommends 90% for everyday driving and 100% for travel. Charging to 90% daily helps prolong the life of your battery.



3. Ford recommends ending DC Fast charging at 80% while traveling.



4. CHARGING RATES-
150kW+ DC fast charger, the SR 98kWh pack can charge from 15-80% in about 36 minutes. (260mph). The ER 131kWh pack can charge from 15-80% in 41 minutes. (305mph). 120V home charging cable = (2mph). 240V home charging cable = (13mph). 80A Ford Pro 15-80% in 8 hours (26mph).


5. Keep your F-150 Lightning plugged in when parked. Keep it garaged if possible.



6. ALWAYS push the center padlock button on the light ring before removing the charging cable from the vehicle charge port when DC fast charging. Not necessary with AC charging.



7. If setting a departure time, do it while plugged in. By using energy from the cable while plugged in, battery temperature can be managed for best driving performance and less energy is needed for heating or cooling of the cabin at the start of your drive. This helps maximize your driving range.



8. Most Electrify America DC fast chargers can deliver up to 350kW of power, but your Ford will only accept up to 120kW (SR) or 155kW (ER).



9. If charging in cold weather, shutting off climate control or reducing climate control temperature and fan settings for the first 10 to 15 minutes of DC fast charging will allow the battery to warm up and improve the charging speed dramatically.



10. If equipped, use the heated seats and steering wheel as primary heat to reduce energy consumed by HVAC. Air conditioner uses relatively little energy, but the cabin heater is a large drain on the battery. It is far more efficient for passengers to use heated seats.



11. Allowing your battery to cool 2-3 hours before charging after driving improves maximum longevity of your high voltage battery, but is not required.


12. When you park your vehicle for an extended period of 30 days or more, we recommend your battery be at an approximately 50% state of charge. Storing your vehicle's high voltage battery at higher states of charge is less favorable than storing at lower states of charge. Note: To achieve this state of charge for storage, you can drive your vehicle down to 50% and set a charge limit for your location. (I read this as keep it plugged in but set the charge limit for 50%). Once achieved, disconnect the 12-volt (12V) battery to reduce system loads on the HV battery. Note: Before disconnecting, be sure to have your key fob and access to a copy of your Owner's Manual outside of the vehicle.



Bottom line, these vehicles are tough as nails, scary fast, and efficient, so just drive it and have fun, but if you have specific questions or want to do the right thing at all times, hopefully this guideline helps you.

 

[Jim Lewis]

Work within those rules and apply them to how you need to use the truck.

One thing you don't mention that MickeyAO says is important in a post higher up in this thread is the depth of discharge, which Mickey refers to as "delta." https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/top-battery-off-to-90-every-day.17738/post-357044

Not charging every day leads to a greater depth of discharge. My situation is probably unique: I'm an old retiree who only drives 10 to 20 miles a day with an ~once-a-month 200-mile drive exception. Since my truck is effectively "in storage" most of the time, I charge daily, usually from 43%-47%, back to my everyday limit of 50%. So, I have a very shallow depth of discharge, and I only charge at 48 amps, so the stress on the battery is minimal compared to DC fast charging at 150 kW. I once read that the most important inflection point for battery effects is whether you are charging at more than one C, e.g., with an actual ER total battery capacity of 143 kWh, 1 C would be 143 kW. Since 1 C for a standard range would be 107 kW, you're further above 1 C on a 150 kW DC fast charger with an SR battery. If you're well below 1 C, as I am on an L2 charger set to deliver about 10.4 kW to the truck, I'm in pretty safe territory, especially with an exceedingly narrow "delta" most of the time. None of these differences is anything to get too excited about, but if you want a truly optimal situation, narrower depths of discharge help. Folks complain that they can't take full advantage of a 350 kW DC fast charger, but then they'd just be that much further above 1 C if they could capture the full power output of such a charger. I do understand folks who just want to use their truck battery as a consumable and not waste time fretting about what the optimal strategy is. Being out to pasture affords me that "luxury."

 

[LightningCanuckNB]

Charging from 80 to 90% 5 times vs from 40 to 90% once is basically the same thing.

Except... it isn't. The former will wear the cells more.

ABC - always be charging
Keep plugged in in cold weather as the manual tells you.

Unless it's in a garage.

As I said... take the rules of thumb on lithium chemistry I said and apply them as needed instead of using carbon-clone advice not applicable to the nuances of everyone's situation.

 

[Jim Lewis]

it should remain plugged in at all times and daily charge to 90%. It has a very large buffer and Ford has figured out that 90% is the best.

See YouTube segment with Ford VP of Electric Vehicles describing why 90% is "best." It appears to be a recommendation made to lure owners away from charging to 100% every day - the best in terms of optimizing range vs. battery wear, not necessarily the best for battery wear and lifespan by themselves. https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/top-battery-off-to-90-every-day.17738/post-357055

 

[MickeyAO]

Charging from 80 to 90% 5 times vs from 40 to 90% once is basically the same thing.

No it is not. Smaller deltas are better. 40% to 90% is probably somewhere around the equivalent damage as 80% to 90% 7 times. I will have greater insight once we get the Lightning cells into cycle life testing.

You won't notice it for a couple of years because we are talking about mAh losses, but it is not the same thing.

 

[csukoh78]

No it is not. Smaller deltas are better. 40% to 90% is probably somewhere around the equivalent damage as 80% to 90% 7 times. I will have greater insight once we get the Lightning cells into cycle life testing.

You won't notice it for a couple of years because we are talking about mAh losses, but it is not the same thing.

Battery life is measured in complete charge and discharge cycles. It's additive to 100% either fully charged or discharged, so smaller charges are the same as one large charge.

the ford Lightning battery is rated at 10,000 charge cycles. That's 10,000 full charges and discharges. It's irrelevant if it's one large charge or multiple charges.

 

[TaxmanHog]

10,000 cycles equates to 27+ years if performed daily.

 

[MickeyAO]

Battery life is measured in complete charge and discharge cycles. It's additive to 100% either fully charged or discharged, so smaller charges are the same as one large charge.

the ford Lightning battery is rated at 10,000 charge cycles. That's 10,000 full charges and discharges. It's irrelevant if it's one large charge or multiple charges.

Do you have an actual spec sheet for the cell you would care to share (sorry, I can't share the one I have)? Or is that marketing 'data'?

Since I've tested batteries and cells for a living for going on 13 years, I can tell you that the loss of capacity from five 10% delta < one 50% delta. This comes weekly Level I analysis and graphs for cells that I have had under test. I've seen cells fail under 900 90% delta cycles, but the data sheet says it will last 5,000 100% delta cycles.

But you do you Boo! I really don't care if people follow my advice, I only care about factual data...hell, I don't follow my advice when it comes to acceleration

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