Demystifying EV Battery Pack Longevity Concerns
There's little information on maintaining EV Battery Packs, but this post demystifies the simple and straightforward process.
A new J.D. Power survey suggests that car buyers are underfed when it comes to EV educational information and only two out of ten consumers in 2021 are considering electric cars for their next purchase. So, today, we’re providing information on how maintain your EV battery pack range via a video from Tesla Model 3 owner, Andy Slye — see video below.
Why?
Because new EV owners have a limited understanding or none about best practices for your battery pack. And they won’t receive much information from a dealership, sadly, especially if you’re buying an EV from a legacy automaker.
Glossary Break -
Battery Management System (BMS) - A hardware and software platform monitors the car's battery pack and lithium ion cells to keep them in an optimal state, via liquid-cooling, air-cooling or an oil-based system. Each automaker has their own special formula in managing battery packs.
Plus, there can be a lot of misinformation. “Well, I’ve heard you need to replace your battery pack every few year?” No, this is not a 2004 Prius 12V Hybrid. In general, there’s a lot of conflicting information out there.
So here it goes:
Keep your car plugged in as much as possible; charging/not charging
Try to keep your battery pack’s state of charge (SoC) between 20 to 80%, excluding road trips where it can be charged at 100%
And try to avoid daily, DC fast charging or Supercharging sessions with your battery pack.
More insights from the three main best practices:
Plugged IN — When it’s cold or hot, the car will draw energy from your battery IF you’re not plugged in. Not a big deal, but you will lose some car range for that day, and having it plugged in will provide power for minor car needs/functions.
State of Charge —This is a measurement of the amount of electricity left in an EV’s battery pack, which is usually represented in percentage terms. Pretty simple, battery degradation will not flourish when 98% of your driving is between 20 to 80% SoC.
DC Fast Charging can range from 50 kW to 300 kW and what does kW mean? Simply, higher the kW power rating means quicker charging times— and loads of electricity. However, the higher rate means a lot of heat is being transferred to the battery pack and the BMS has to manage this process. Now, multiple DC Fast Charging sessions on road trip is not a concern or “overheating.” All new EVs — except early Nissan Leafs from 2011 to 2018/9ish — have BMS and these manage your individual battery cells within your battery pack.
Anyway, that’s it. The Plugged IN newsletter is all about accelerating sustainable transport, demystifying the electric car buying process and showcasing EV car owners’ knowledge…not salespeople. Consider subscribing below.