Charging the car !!!

[Headgas1]

Ok people the whole charging the car saga is starting to get really annoying. After a lot of thought and some advice I decided that my granny charger + extension lead was the way to go and my lifestyle allows me to only need to charge once a week and after extreme paranoia constant checking plugs and sockets no heat was detected phew.
Today I was perusing some threads and I have come across another ISSUE what percentage do I charge my car to I assumed 100% but no it’s 80% apparently?? No doubt one huge advantage the ICE car has and it’s just filling up at the pump oh how I miss that so much simpler.
so to summarise I am probably doing it all wrong Granny charger Extension lead and charging to 100% ?
Any thoughts on the subject cos I am starting to think maybe I should trade in and maybe come back in a few years time when things should be simpler!!!

 

[Ron61]

Tesla have the most data on this and they recommend you keep their cars in the 50% to 90% range for daily driving. Charging to 100% and not driving it isn't very good either, apparently the batteries don't like that at all. Also running the batteries down to very low levels on a regular basis isn't a good idea either.

 

[Iain]

Ok people the whole charging the car saga is starting to get really annoying. After a lot of thought and some advice I decided that my granny charger + extension lead was the way to go and my lifestyle allows me to only need to charge once a week and after extreme paranoia constant checking plugs and sockets no heat was detected phew.
Today I was perusing some threads and I have come across another ISSUE what percentage do I charge my car to I assumed 100% but no it’s 80% apparently?? No doubt one huge advantage the ICE car has and it’s just filling up at the pump oh how I miss that so much simpler.
so to summarise I am probably doing it all wrong Granny charger Extension lead and charging to 100% ?
Any thoughts on the subject cos I am starting to think maybe I should trade in and maybe come back in a few years time when things should be simpler!!!

Hi Headgas, Like you I read all the posts and recommendations for charging my ZS when I bought it last year.
I quickly realised I loved the car and decided I would charge it when it suited me and my usage.
I top up the battery at any public charger when shopping etc. and when I am ready to go finish the charge and go my Merry way.
If I am due a long journey I top up to 100% but otherwise charge when it suits me or battery is below 20%.
I am not saying my charging regime is perfect but it suits me and I will deal with any possible battery life issues as and when they happen.
Life is too short to worry about always doing the correct thing. Just enjoy your lovely new car.
Regards, Iain

 

[JCFlippen]

ABC is the saying on experienced EV drivers lips - ‘always be charging’. I keep my ZS EV at around 120 miles useable. Not going below 20% or above 80-90% is safe are far as I know for day to day driving. 100% for a long journey. Battery wise it’s under warranty for 7 years so nothing to get concerned about.
Just enjoy.

 

[Headgas1]

Yep @Ian & @JCFlippen your both right of course and I do love the car I was just having a rant cos just when I thought I had it sorted the 80% issue appeared and I thought Jesus here we go again it’s easy to charge to 100% u just leave it until it’s finished now I will have to monitor it constantly so it doesn’t go over 80% ???

 

[Jomarkh]

People will have different views.
When I first got my car I would let the charge go down to 20-30% and then give it 12/14 hours over night and then longer to get it to battery balance.
Now I have a 7.5kw unit I just charge to 80/90% then once a month leave it to battery balance.

 

[mj224]

Just leave it on charge overnight, and don't worry about %'s. You have to charge it up to 100% to balance the cells anyway. And there is no way I am getting out of bed to check how far the charge has got.

Don't have Charging Stress, life's too short..

 

[Deleted member 6627]

Could you put a timer plug on the granny charger? Or even a smart plug. I think some of them can monitor power throughput. Just need to check they can rake the power throughput. Many of them are meant for small loads.

 

[Headgas1]

@mj224 i don’t expect you to get up in the middle of the night to check my car buddy ???

Just leave it on charge overnight, and don't worry about %'s. You have to charge it up to 100% to balance the cells anyway. And there is no way I am getting out of bed to check how far the charge has got.

Don't have Charging Stress, life's too short..

 

[Alb]

I find the numbers work out very conveniently on my MG5.
A four hours timed charge on my Octopus Go tariff adds about 50% so for daily use I just recharge when it gets down to 20-30%.
Doesn't require planning or monitoring so absolutely stress free.
I don't do a lot of miles and one charge lasts at least a week so this is not exactly an onerous routine.

 

[rbpasapera]

Ok people the whole charging the car saga is starting to get really annoying. After a lot of thought and some advice I decided that my granny charger + extension lead was the way to go and my lifestyle allows me to only need to charge once a week and after extreme paranoia constant checking plugs and sockets no heat was detected phew.
Today I was perusing some threads and I have come across another ISSUE what percentage do I charge my car to I assumed 100% but no it’s 80% apparently?? No doubt one huge advantage the ICE car has and it’s just filling up at the pump oh how I miss that so much simpler.
so to summarise I am probably doing it all wrong Granny charger Extension lead and charging to 100% ?
Any thoughts on the subject cos I am starting to think maybe I should trade in and maybe come back in a few years time when things should be simpler!!!

I always charge mine to 100% on AC, this is 93-ish% real battery percentage after the latest BMS update.

 

[Cocijo]

Ok people the whole charging the car saga is starting to get really annoying. After a lot of thought and some advice I decided that my granny charger + extension lead was the way to go and my lifestyle allows me to only need to charge once a week and after extreme paranoia constant checking plugs and sockets no heat was detected phew.
Today I was perusing some threads and I have come across another ISSUE what percentage do I charge my car to I assumed 100% but no it’s 80% apparently?? No doubt one huge advantage the ICE car has and it’s just filling up at the pump oh how I miss that so much simpler.
so to summarise I am probably doing it all wrong Granny charger Extension lead and charging to 100% ?
Any thoughts on the subject cos I am starting to think maybe I should trade in and maybe come back in a few years time when things should be simpler!!!

I would recommend that you just fully charge your car when you can and enjoy it. Don’t worry about % charges.

 

[JodyS21]

Whether or not you always charge it to 100% or keep it at 80 etc is all a bit confuddling!
It is kinda an agreed fact that charging the battery to 100% isn't great for it, but then it comes down to is the extra hassle worth the potential small gain/loss, who knows.
But, the car will not let you actually charge the battery to 100% of it's rated capacity, the new BMS stops it at about 93%, so is that good enough - personally I think so.

If you never need the full range/full battery then just give it a timed charge - if it happens to fill it to "100%" then so be it, if it's 80/90% then it's enough for you.
I personally, charge mine to 100% based on it's intended usage and based on my off-peak tariff. I have 4 hours octopus go at 5ppkwh, so every time it is plugged in it is always allowed to charge for 4 hours (usually it's then less than 100% but sometimes it is 100%), only on the days when I know I need it full do I tell it to charge for 8hours/effectively as long as it wants.

Don't worry about it really, you're getting to proper in-depth EV stuff now!
(just remember you need a 100% so it does a balance regularly)

 

[Gomev]

I shall quote my reply to your similar post in another thread.

@Headgas1 as Corporal Jones or the Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy would say 'Don't Panic'.
There is no right way, there is no wrong way, there is only the way that works for you. We all use our cars differently, we all drive differently, we all filled our ICE cars differently - why would there be a right way and a wrong way.
How do you charge your mobile phone ? Probably differently to me, which is different to how my wife does hers.
There are too many that get obsessed about how things should be done, how to extract the last few yards out of a battery, how to make it last a month longer than someone else's.
Just do it your way and forget about all the 'advice' from all those that know no more than anybody else.
Enjoy the car, just drive it and charge however suits your lifestyle and needs.

also have a watch of this Youtube, I think it may help

 

[Kithmo]

Don't worry about it, charge it, use it then charge it some more, use it some more, repeat.
Just make sure you charge it to 100% once a month to balance the HV battery cells.

 

[Tony1340]

Ok people the whole charging the car saga is starting to get really annoying. After a lot of thought and some advice I decided that my granny charger + extension lead was the way to go and my lifestyle allows me to only need to charge once a week and after extreme paranoia constant checking plugs and sockets no heat was detected phew.
Today I was perusing some threads and I have come across another ISSUE what percentage do I charge my car to I assumed 100% but no it’s 80% apparently?? No doubt one huge advantage the ICE car has and it’s just filling up at the pump oh how I miss that so much simpler.
so to summarise I am probably doing it all wrong Granny charger Extension lead and charging to 100% ?
Any thoughts on the subject cos I am starting to think maybe I should trade in and maybe come back in a few years time when things should be simpler!!!

I've just watched the podcast which talks about charging. If I have got it right, then you are fine to charge you car up to 100% so long as you are not going to leave it in that state for a long time. Lithium cells perform best between 20% and 80% capacity, especially if you leave them. The dealer expert guy stated that it's fine to fully charge if you are going to use the car regularly. I'm currently giving mine a good charge to maximum ready to set off to my caravan in Wales tomorrow for the first long run since taking delivery (2 weeks ago).

 

[Headgas1]

Nice @Tony1340 enjoy your holiday

 

[macd2401]

The only real damage you can do to the battery (excluding some sort of failure in the system that allows things to go WAY out of spec) is if you either run it flat/charge it fully, and then leave it for an extended period of time (like a lockdown, for example. Or a decent holiday). There's a reason why LiPo batteries are always supplied part charged, because it's the best way to ensure long term storage.

Running it in the 20-80% area is optimal, but there are sound reasons for allowing it to fully charge and balance every month or two.

Everyone is different, and what suits most won't suit all. Using the granny obviously suits you, and that's fine. Just as long as you check the plugs now and then, go for it.

 

[Headgas1]

The only real damage you can do to the battery (excluding some sort of failure in the system that allows things to go WAY out of spec) is if you either run it flat/charge it fully, and then leave it for an extended period of time (like a lockdown, for example. Or a decent holiday). There's a reason why LiPo batteries are always supplied part charged, because it's the best way to ensure long term storage.

Running it in the 20-80% area is optimal, but there are sound reasons for allowing it to fully charge and balance every month or two.

Everyone is different, and what suits most won't suit all. Using the granny obviously suits you, and that's fine. Just as long as you check the plugs now and then, go for it.

Yep good advice buddy appreciate it ??

 

[BillyWhizz]

dont worry about all this 80% 100% just use the car and charge it the way that works for you