When to Charge?

[CypherBlue]

This comes up every few months and a subject of great discussion. Some threads to read:

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...-your-ev-battery-engineering-explained.18181/

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/top-battery-off-to-90-every-day.17738/

Then decide.
FYI, I trust what member @MickeyAO advises. He tests these things for a living.

Where can I read what @MickeyAO advises? I have seen him post about a thread about how to care for the batteries, but I can't find that thread.

Sponsored

 

[bmwhitetx]

Where can I read what @MickeyAO advises? I have seen him post about a thread about how to care for the batteries, but I can't find that thread.

If you hover over someone's name, you get a popup like this:

Click on their Message count and you can see all their messages (with a short excerpt from each one).
Or if you are in one of the mega-threads I linked to, click Search, change Everywhere to "This Thread" enter a name in Member, then click Search

 

[Peddyr]

Where can I read what @MickeyAO advises?

Click on the two thread links. MickeyAO is a participant in both (I believe) and his advice is excellent.

 

[bmwhitetx]

Where can I read what @MickeyAO advises? I have seen him post about a thread about how to care for the batteries, but I can't find that thread.

In addition to what I showed above, this will get you there real quick

 

[CypherBlue]

In addition to what I showed above, this will get you there real quick

Thank you! That helped me find what I was looking for. In Short, 85% prefer to keep it plugged in and have smaller charging cycles rather than cycling it low and then charging up to full.

 

[Danface]

I use the moon phases to determine what level to charge too unless it's over 45 degrees and I'm not going to be driving for longer then 27.2 miles, otherwise I measure the length of the hair on fuzzy catapillers and multiply that times the number of days in the month then subract the number of miles I drove for the last 5 days, if it's warmer then 63 degrees ...

 

[Zprime29]

Thank you! That helped me find what I was looking for. In Short, 85% prefer to keep it plugged in and have smaller charging cycles rather than cycling it low and then charging up to full.

I dropped my cap to 70% but yeah, that's pretty much what I do. The FCSP does a great job topping it up quickly when needed.

 

[Zprime29]

I use the moon phases to determine what level to charge too unless it's over 45 degrees and I'm not going to be driving for longer then 27.2 miles, otherwise I measure the length of the hair on fuzzy catapillers and multiply that times the number of days in the month then subract the number of miles I drove for the last 5 days, if it's warmer then 63 degrees ...

If you don't have chickens in your yard, it doesn't count as voodoo.

 

[Danface]

If you don't have chickens in your yard, it doesn't count as voodoo.

Good point!!

 

[jlferg0509]

15 months and 27k miles in, charging to 90% using my FCSP when needed, once maybe twice a week. I only charge (initial) to 100% when I have scheduled trip more than 260 miles and 80% when on the road.

 

[RickLightning]

Thank you! That helped me find what I was looking for. In Short, 85% prefer to keep it plugged in and have smaller charging cycles rather than cycling it low and then charging up to full.

Yet half the people will tell you "I charge once every week or two"...

 

[Zprime29]

Yet half the people will tell you "I charge once every week or two"...

They're the same people who start their DCFC by swiping their CC.

 

[mb0220]

Aside from the effects on the battery, isn't there an efficiency drop when charging to 100%? There is always some amount of loss (i.e. the kWh drawn is always a bit greater than the kWh captured in the battery), and then doesn't that loss factor become greater as the battery approaches 100%?

 

[Kellybcoleman]

Hey Everyone,

I just got the Pro Charger installed, and I am curious. I have been charging it to 90% and letting it sit. Today, I drove about 40 miles, using 10% of the battery, which left me with 80%.

Do I follow the ABCs—Always Be Charging? Do I plug it in when I am back home and bring it back to 90%?

Or

Do I let it sit and wait till it gets to 50% or lower and then charge?

I have the charger set to 40a, so I get about 8kw per hour on recharge, so an overnight charger in 10-12 hours is very realistic.

I hesitate to plug it back in immediately and worry about ruining the battery, but then again, I hear the ABCs and second guess myself. I don't drive a lot during the week; I work from home and mainly use it as a grocery getter, but I go on longer weekend outings.

Let me know your thoughts, let's discuss!

I'm an ABC fan. I live in a neighborhood where we lose power often... So I need the charge to power the house in that case.

 

[1Jetpilot]

Hey Everyone,

I just got the Pro Charger installed, and I am curious. I have been charging it to 90% and letting it sit. Today, I drove about 40 miles, using 10% of the battery, which left me with 80%.

Do I follow the ABCs—Always Be Charging? Do I plug it in when I am back home and bring it back to 90%?

Or

Do I let it sit and wait till it gets to 50% or lower and then charge?

I have the charger set to 40a, so I get about 8kw per hour on recharge, so an overnight charger in 10-12 hours is very realistic.

I hesitate to plug it back in immediately and worry about ruining the battery, but then again, I hear the ABCs and second guess myself. I don't drive a lot during the week; I work from home and mainly use it as a grocery getter, but I go on longer weekend outings.

Let me know your thoughts, let's discuss!

The sweet spot is 70%, so I would only charge it to 80% as per what tech support people favor. Ford says keep it at 90%, but I did lots of research and they all say just charge her up to 80%, always precondition, and try your best to charge when battery is as low as you can stand not to go below 20%. Keep the battery level between 20-80% depending on how far your destination is for the day. Hope this helps