3 Common Mistakes That May Harm Your EV Battery - Engineering Explained

[TaxmanHog]

I wonder if this is why Lightning does not reduce regen in cold.

I wondering if they bleed off some of the regen energy via the PTC and accelerate the warming of the battery incrementally?

The PTC can't take some of the motor regen under certain deceleration conditions, diverting ~9KW to that process, it would be a next best energy recapture if not directly to the charging the HVB, or grinding on the friction brake pads.

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[Txxthie]

I wonder if this is why Lightning does not reduce regen in cold.

I have no complaints with its cold weather performance. I can almost equal my summer efficiency in winter when not using heat.

 

[Tom Jensen]

 

[Maxx]

I have no complaints with its cold weather performance. I can almost equal my summer efficiency in winter when not using heat.

That may be the point. If Lightning did reduce regen, you would have complaint. Of course if there is not a whole lot of damage to the battery due to high Nickel content, it all makes sense. Those that do it, sacrifice efficiency in the interest of longevity of battery. Unless as Taxman said, they redirect the energy where it is n

I wondering if they bleed off some of the regen energy via the PTC and accelerate the warming of the battery incrementally?

The PTC can't take some of the motor regen under certain deceleration conditions, diverting ~9KW to that process, it would be a next best energy recapture if not directly to the charging the HVB, or grinding on the friction brake pads

I did have an earlier post that showed in graphs how much power upon braking was going to battery. It could be as much as 170 KW. So not sure if 9 Kw would make that much if a dent. Gotta have a closer look.

I am convinced that we spend way too much time worrying about the battery. You could charge to 100% everyday, leave it parked for weeks in the summer, and still probably have relatively minor battery degradation over the normal life span of a vehicle.

you may have a little bit of point. It looks like warranty numbers are coming from this chart. Even with 0-100 You still could get 200K out of it before it hits 70%. Of course if you combine that with other things you shouldn’t be doing, then things can get ugly fast.

I still do the best practices not just for maintaining capacity but to reduce chance of failure.

 

[Pioneer74]

So, are we supposed to use the displayed percentages or do the math with the total battery capacity when we figuring out if we're killing our battery?

 

[Adventureboy]

Great question. Since lower is better, I’m going to charge to 75% of the allocation from here on out

I do 80%(which is less than 75% of the actual capacity) and as he says, drive the car. 75% certainly won't hurt, but based on my research, the difference between 75-85% on our Lightnings would not be measurable for at least 10 years. Full cycle charges will degrade capacity faster than 75% vs 85% target SOC.

 

[Maxx]

So, are we supposed to use the displayed percentages or do the math with the total battery capacity when we figuring out if we're killing our battery?

‘If you trust Ford, you can use OBD2 to look at your battery health.

 

[Grumpy2]

Of course if you combine that with other things you shouldn’t be doing, then things can get ugly fast.

When looking at these charts remember they fully cycled the batteries at a 1C rate. In use, we never achieve these rates.

 

[srspring551]

The video he references mentions joining https://www.myeva.org/memberships. Anyone have experience with that?

 

[TheWoo]

I am convinced that we spend way too much time worrying about the battery. You could charge to 100% everyday, leave it parked for weeks in the summer, and still probably have relatively minor battery degradation over the normal life span of a vehicle.

I'd guess you can do this and still be okay on the warranty of 70% capacity at 200k miles. But, I'd love to still be at 90+% battery at 200k, and paying a little attention to these things should improve it.

Even if these batteries are incredible and treating it the way you describe leaves it at 85% of capacity at 200k miles, if I can be at a higher capacity by following some very easy to follow practices (while still making full use of the battery when needed), I'm gonna do it.

Total capacity and range on road trips is still the biggest drawback for this vehicle, so I like preserving as much of that as possible.

 

[peoples1234]

I'd guess you can do this and still be okay on the warranty of 70% capacity at 200k miles. But, I'd love to still be at 90+% battery at 200k, and paying a little attention to these things should improve it.

Even if these batteries are incredible and treating it the way you describe leaves it at 85% of capacity at 200k miles, if I can be at a higher capacity by following some very easy to follow practices (while still making full use of the battery when needed), I'm gonna do it.

Total capacity and range on road trips is still the biggest drawback for this vehicle, so I like preserving as much of that as possible.

I hear you, but I kinda equate this to the ICE crowd who change their oil every 3000 miles. Is it necessary? No. Does it have some minor benefit? Probably. Is it worth it? Perhaps to that individual.

 

[Grumpy2]

Even if these batteries are incredible and treating it the way you describe leaves it at 85% of capacity at 200k miles, if I can be at a higher capacity by following some very easy to follow practices (while still making full use of the battery when needed), I'm gonna do it.

I always read about the 60-70's Mercedes that reached a million miles. Is it possible for a simple Ford pickup??

 

[roddiaz1]

Does this video apply to the Lightning? We have Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry (not Nickel or Cobalt)? Just asking. I really don't know.

 

[Grumpy2]

SK Innovation has developed a new battery cathode that uses 90 percent nickel, and just 5 percent each of manganese and cobalt. The high nickel content helps deliver great energy density while the low cobalt content reduces the environmental and ethical problems involved with cobalt mining

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2022-ford-f-150-lightning-battery-tech-cobalt/

 

[Maquis]

Does this video apply to the Lightning? We have Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry (not Nickel or Cobalt)? Just asking. I really don't know.

Your truck does not have LiFePo battery chemistry.

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