Ideal Charging Practices ?

[jimfigler]

When it comes to home charging , just charge it how you want. Everyone has a system that suits them and that’s great. None that I have read on this post are going to destroy the battery. Some think they know it all and have to tell others how they are wrong. After 10 years maybe the person who charged this way or that way will have 5% more capacity than the other guy or maybe not. No one knows for sure. I know I’ll never keep any vehicle for 10 years or even half that.

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[Maquis]

When it comes to home charging , just charge it how you want. Everyone has a system that suits them and that’s great. None that I have read on this post are going to destroy the battery. Some think they know it all and have to tell others how they are wrong. After 10 years maybe the person who charged this way or that way will have 5% more capacity than the other guy or maybe not. No one knows for sure. I know I’ll never keep any vehicle for 10 years or even half that.

 

[Hunter]

A much better place to look than "answers on Google" or Facebook, would be your manual...

Ford recommends you charge to 90% daily, leave it plugged in so the battery can warm, and charge to 100% for trips. 80% at DC chargers, but that's because of how slow they are from 80% up.

So, instead of "some people", listen to the manufacturer.

I downloaded the manual from the ford website, but still didn't get great answers. It says to plug in to maintain maximum voltage. What does that mean, so the battery doesn't slowly drain in my garage when not in use?
So to the crux of my question, is there any reason I "should" plug in my car and charge it to 90%? Or am I just supposed to plug it in at night without having it charge just to keep the battery warm? Does it even matter since I park in a garage and it rarely gets below the low to mid 40's inside our garage even in winter?

 

[Maquis]

I downloaded the manual from the ford website, but still didn't get great answers. It says to plug in to maintain maximum voltage. What does that mean, so the battery doesn't slowly drain in my garage when not in use?
So to the crux of my question, is there any reason I "should" plug in my car and charge it to 90%? Or am I just supposed to plug it in at night without having it charge just to keep the battery warm? Does it even matter since I park in a garage and it rarely gets below the low to mid 40's inside our garage even in winter?

I haven’t seen “plug in to maintain maximum voltage.” That sounds really strange.

Here is what it says about plugging in (other than when charging):

You shouldn’t need to plug in other than to charge given your warm garage.

 

[shutterbug]

So to the crux of my question, is there any reason I "should" plug in my car and charge it to 90%? Or am I just supposed to plug it in at night without having it charge just to keep the battery warm? Does it even matter since I park in a garage and it rarely gets below the low to mid 40's inside our garage even in winter?

These are the reasons to plug in every night:

1. It's too cold and you want to keep the battery warm
2. It's too hot and you want to keep the battery cool - I get that sometimes in the summer
3. It's simpler to just plug in every night than to figure out whether you need more power every night
4. If you find out that you need to make a longer trip than normal, it's a simple matter to make it charge to 100%, using the app, without having to go out and plug in
5. You can use preconditioning, if needed
6. Charging for an hour or two is probably safer than charging for 10-12 hours, especially if you have sub-par installation

Here are all the reasons to not plug in every night:

None whatsoever​

​

As to whether to set it to a specific SOC, that depends on your normal driving patterns. If you need, charge to 100%. I have my home location set to 50%, because my commute is 10 miles each way. My work location (when I go there) is set to 90%, because it's free.

 

[jtmyrand]

A much better place to look than "answers on Google" or Facebook, would be your manual...

Ford recommends you charge to 90% daily, leave it plugged in so the battery can warm, and charge to 100% for trips. 80% at DC chargers, but that's because of how slow they are from 80% up.

So, instead of "some people", listen to the manufacturer.

Where in the owners manual does it state to only charge to 90% daily? The only thing I could find in the owners manual is on page 219.

"CHARGING YOUR VEHICLE HINTS Use AC charging when possible and minimize the use of DC charging. It helps to preserve your high voltage battery’s efficiency and lifespan. We recommend ending DC charges at 80% state of charge."

 

[RickLightning]

Lightning manual says less than 100%.

Ford website says 90%.

What charge level is recommended for daily driving?
Ford recommends that you charge to 90% for everyday driving and charge to 100% when you need the full range for a trip. Charging to 90% helps prolong the life of your battery.

https://www.ford.com/support/how-to...ightning-charging-frequently-asked-questions/

Manual, page 197:

Additionally,
setting the maximum charge level to be
less than 100% for everyday usage reduces
strain on the battery

 

[greenne]

Here are all the reasons to not plug in every night:

None whatsoever​

​

As I mentioned before, greater wear and tear on components. The more times you plug in, unplug, start/stop a charge the greater the wear.

Also, the more time on the "plug"..charging or not...the more risk of something personally going wrong.

Just like I don't leave my cell phone fully charged on the power cable, I'm not going to leave my EV on a 48A or 80A EVSE after it is at 90, 95, or 100%. charged.

To each his own...but there are reasons and use cases where not plugging in may be prudent.

 

[Maquis]

As I mentioned before, greater wear and tear on components. The more times you plug in, unplug, start/stop a charge the greater the wear.

Also, the more time on the "plug"..charging or not...the more risk of something personally going wrong.

Just like I don't leave my cell phone fully charged on the power cable, I'm not going to leave my EV on a 48A or 80A EVSE after it is at 90, 95, or 100%. charged.

To each his own...but there are reasons and use cases where not plugging in may be prudent.

I don’t want the charge cable running across my garage floor where my grandkids will trip on it when they run through my garage.
I only plug in at the end of the day, and then only if I need a charge (30-50% remaining, depending on the plans for tomorrow).

 

[shutterbug]

Just like I don't leave my cell phone fully charged on the power cable, I'm not going to leave my EV on a 48A or 80A EVSE after it is at 90, 95, or 100%. charged.

My cell phone is set to stop charging @ 85%, so I can leave plugged in as long as I want.

Also, the more time on the "plug"..charging or not...the more risk of something personally going wrong.

But let me ask you something. You arrive home in the evening with 50% SOC and you plug in. After your vehicle is charged to desired SOC, do you run to the garage in the middle of the night to unplug? If not, then you don't actually believe that anything will go "personally" wrong.

As I mentioned before, greater wear and tear on components. The more times you plug in, unplug, start/stop a charge the greater the wear.

Not buying likelihood of wear and tear. There aren't any real moving parts involved. My first plug-in vehicle was plugged in 2-3 times a day for nearly 7 years, No wear and tear whatsoever, none! Basically, you came up with a solution in a desperate search for a problem.

 

[shutterbug]

I don’t want the charge cable running across my garage floor where my grandkids will trip on it when they run through my garage.

I guess that's a reason. But my garage does not have room to run through. And the charger is 3 feet from the plug, so the cable doesn't do a lot of lying on the floor.

 

[greenne]

But let me ask you something. You arrive home in the evening with 50% SOC and you plug in. After your vehicle is charged to desired SOC, do you run to the garage in the middle of the night to unplug? If not, then you don't actually believe that anything will go "personally" wrong.

Well I don't usually plug in at 50% so this doesn't usually apply.

But lets say I need 100% for a trip tomorrow. I'll run out to the garage after dinner and plug in so it charges overnight and will reach sometime around 5-6AM instead of plugging it in immediately at 5pm when I get home from work today to have it reach 100% at 2am and sit there NOT charging for 5hrs before I leave the next morning.

 

[RickLightning]

I don’t want the charge cable running across my garage floor where my grandkids will trip on it when they run through my garage.
I only plug in at the end of the day, and then only if I need a charge (30-50% remaining, depending on the plans for tomorrow).

Really? Really?

If you leave it out, when the grandkids run out there and trip, you can yell, "GET OFF MY CORD!" and shake your fist.

Well I don't usually plug in at 50% so this doesn't usually apply.

But lets say I need 100% for a trip tomorrow. I'll run out to the garage after dinner and plug in so it charges overnight and will reach sometime around 5-6AM instead of plugging it in immediately at 5pm when I get home from work today to have it reach 100% at 2am and sit there NOT charging for 5hrs before I leave the next morning.

This is a bit OCD. If you think that the battery is going to be any different X years from now because it sat at 100% from 2AM until 7AM, vs. finishing just before you leave, you're crazy. And, if you think that charging is giving you any noticeable heat difference, that would also be wrong.

Set a departure time for 7AM, plug it in and have it start charging whenever your charging hours are. Done. You're wasting more brain cells than you'll get back in battery life.

 

[Roy2001]

40-70% is idealas is used by Toyota hybrid vehicles (known for battery lifespan).

20-80% is good enough for every day use.

10-90% is fine too. But don't keep SOC at below 20% for long period.

 

[Maquis]

Really? Really?

If you leave it out, when the grandkids run out there and trip, you can yell, "GET OFF MY CORD!" and shake your fist.
.

I’m mostly concerned about them doing a face-plant on the concrete!

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