Charging a Lightly Used Model S?

[NewJerseyMS]

I do not put a lot of miles on my car. If I keep it from 10 to 90 pct charged, I would charge every couple weeks excluding special trips. Do I need to charge more frequently even if I don't need it?

 

[mblakele]

It's much nicer if you can charge to 80-90% every night: like starting every day with a full tank of gas. But I suppose you know that and have decided that it isn't practical in your situation.

I'd try to keep the state of charge above 20%, mostly for peace of mind. Going under 20% may not be good for the battery, and the car seems to treat under 20% as "low battery". Under 20% it disables some features, for example cabin overheat protection. You may not care about those features, but if possible I'd target 20-90% anyway.

BTW you may find that short trips use more charge than you might expect. This happens with ICE engines too, but it's something to keep in mind. And you'll probably find that you lose about 1% every 24 hours.

 

[TexasEV]

A connected Model S is a happy Model S
A connected Model S is a happy Model S