Charging battery properly

[username787]

Hey everyone,

I just joined the Tesla club this week . We got a 2017 MS 75D. I’m in LOVE. I have some questions about battery care. I’m a stay at home mom most days (go out to drop kids at school, go to the gym, run errands, pick up from school etc.) and then a substitute other days. My schedule is so on and off all day long from when I’m home and not home. I’m seeing that I’ll most likely only need to charge to 50% to get all the things done during the day. My question is

1) When I come home on those odd hours, am I plugging in and then charging back up to 50% or just plugging it in (not charging) and then only do my recharge when it’s scheduled at night? I understand I would definitely recharge if I were close to 20% but what if I’m sitting around 30-40%?

2) Also, is it good to charge up to 100% right before heading out for weekend activity stuff where I’ll be driving more? I’ve read that doing this once a week can be good for the battery as long as you’re driving soon after it’s charged?

I hope these question makes sense . Thank you!

 

[SilverGS]

Hey everyone,

I just joined the Tesla club this week . We got a 2017 MS 75D. I’m in LOVE. I have some questions about battery care. I’m a stay at home mom most days (go out to drop kids at school, go to the gym, run errands, pick up from school etc.) and then a substitute other days. My schedule is so on and off all day long from when I’m home and not home. I’m seeing that I’ll most likely only need to charge to 50% to get all the things done during the day. My question is

1) When I come home on those odd hours, am I plugging in and then charging back up to 50% or just plugging it in (not charging) and then only do my recharge when it’s scheduled at night? I understand I would definitely recharge if I were close to 20% but what if I’m sitting around 30-40%?

2) Also, is it good to charge up to 100% right before heading out for weekend activity stuff where I’ll be driving more? I’ve read that doing this once a week can be good for the battery as long as you’re driving soon after it’s charged?

I hope these question makes sense . Thank you!

Congratulations!

Keep it simple.

1. Plug it in every night and set the charge limit to 80% and schedule it to start charging whenever your electric utility rate is cheapest.

2. Charge to 90 or 100 % (depending on how far you need to drive) when you're going to travel or drive a lot the next day.

That's it!

 

[username787]

Congratulations!

Keep it simple.

1. Plug it in every night and set the charge limit to 80% and schedule it to start charging whenever your electric utility rate is cheapest.

2. Charge to 90 or 100 % (depending on how far you need to drive) when you're going to travel or drive a lot the next day.

That's it!

Thanks for your input! So outside of this, plugging in during the day (without charging) is unnecessary? I read that this makes it so the car draws energy from the charging equipment instead of using energy stored in the battery?

 

[Tam]

Thanks for your input! So outside of this, plugging in during the day (without charging) is unnecessary?

The manual wants you to plug in to keep things simple whenever you don't drive. It is unnecessary to do that, but it keeps things simple, and you don't have to wake up at midnight because you forgot to plug in.

If it's cheaper to charge at night, you can plug in at any time you don't drive and set your car timer to charge cheaply.

I read that this makes it so the car draws energy from the charging equipment instead of using energy stored in the battery?

It's true that when you plug in, and the car needs to do something like turn on the HVAC to keep the battery's temperature from the extremes, it can use the shore power from your house instead of using its own battery. That would keep the wear and tear down for your battery.

 

[PCMc]

2) Also, is it good to charge up to 100% right before heading out for weekend activity stuff where I’ll be driving more? I’ve read that doing this once a week can be good for the battery as long as you’re driving soon after it’s charged?

@username787 : You maybe saw guidance that for some Model 3s with the LFP battery chemistry that Tesla recommends charging to 100% regularly, say once a week. That's actually not about maintaining the health of the battery, but is more about the battery management system (BMS) remaining calibrated well so it can accurately track the % SOC. For your Model S battery pack, this does not apply, and charing to 100% when it's not necessary is generally discouraged, especially if you're not going to drive long distances, like going on a trip.

For you weekend use I think it comes down to how far you intend to drive. If that's such that charing to 100% is necessary for you to get back home with a comfortable reserve, say 15-20%, then yeah, charge to 100%. But if charging to 80% still accomplishes that for you, then I would not advise charging to 100%.

Also realize that depleting to very low SOC, say <5%, is probably as if not more stressful on the battery than charging to 100%. That's where if it's easiest to just charge to 80%, knowing that will keep you safely in the 20-80% range on any given day, I'd recommend you do that.

Enjoy your car.

 

[username787]

The manual wants you to plug in to keep things simple whenever you don't drive. It is unnecessary to do that, but it keeps things simple, and you don't have to wake up at midnight because you forgot to plug in.

If it's cheaper to charge at night, you can plug in at any time you don't drive and set your car timer to charge cheaply.



It's true that when you plug in, and the car needs to do something like turn on the HVAC to keep the battery's temperature from the extremes, it can use the shore power from your house instead of using its own battery. That would keep the wear and tear down for your battery.

Thank you for this! Makes sense.

 

[Tam]

@username787 : You maybe saw guidance that for some Model 3s with the LFP battery chemistry that Tesla recommends charging to 100% regularly, say once a week.

That was a very good catch, indeed.

 

[username787]

@username787 : You maybe saw guidance that for some Model 3s with the LFP battery chemistry that Tesla recommends charging to 100% regularly, say once a week. That's actually not about maintaining the health of the battery, but is more about the battery management system (BMS) remaining calibrated well so it can accurately track the % SOC. For your Model S battery pack, this does not apply, and charing to 100% when it's not necessary is generally discouraged, especially if you're not going to drive long distances, like going on a trip.

For you weekend use I think it comes down to how far you intend to drive. If that's such that charing to 100% is necessary for you to get back home with a comfortable reserve, say 15-20%, then yeah, charge to 100%. But if charging to 80% still accomplishes that for you, then I would not advise charging to 100%.

Also realize that depleting to very low SOC, say <5%, is probably as if not more stressful on the battery than charging to 100%. That's where if it's easiest to just charge to 80%, knowing that will keep you safely in the 20-80% range on any given day, I'd recommend you do that.

Enjoy your car.

Great info here. Thank you! Glad to be a part of the club

 

[ewoodrick]

Hey everyone,

I just joined the Tesla club this week . We got a 2017 MS 75D. I’m in LOVE. I have some questions about battery care. I’m a stay at home mom most days (go out to drop kids at school, go to the gym, run errands, pick up from school etc.) and then a substitute other days. My schedule is so on and off all day long from when I’m home and not home. I’m seeing that I’ll most likely only need to charge to 50% to get all the things done during the day. My question is

1) When I come home on those odd hours, am I plugging in and then charging back up to 50% or just plugging it in (not charging) and then only do my recharge when it’s scheduled at night? I understand I would definitely recharge if I were close to 20% but what if I’m sitting around 30-40%?

2) Also, is it good to charge up to 100% right before heading out for weekend activity stuff where I’ll be driving more? I’ve read that doing this once a week can be good for the battery as long as you’re driving soon after it’s charged?

I hope these question makes sense . Thank you!

If you look at setting the max charge in your phone, slide it to 100% and you will see Tesla suggest "Use 80% for daily driving"
I believe in the car, there are tick lines that suggest 50-80% for daily driving.

Plug in when you get home, unplug when you leave.

That's it. Simple enough?

And more specifically, charge as best fits you (not the car). If that means plugging in every other day, then great. If that fits you then do it.
But most people find that just getting into a habit is the easiest way. It doesn't harm the car or the battery to stay plugged in.

Take a look in the manual for instructions from Tesla. You won't find much, and that's on purpose.

 

[DerbyDave]

Also, I take into consideration possible emergency situations and adjust the battery level. If severe weather or power outages are a possibility, up the charge so you can get out of Dodge quickly or last longer until the power comes back on. If you have a family emergency, you want to have sufficient charge to get where you need to go. I generally plug up the car after my last drive of the day and charge when the electric rates are lower in my area.

 

[MidBaz]

Also, I take into consideration possible emergency situations and adjust the battery level. If severe weather or power outages are a possibility, up the charge so you can get out of Dodge quickly or last longer until the power comes back on. If you have a family emergency, you want to have sufficient charge to get where you need to go. I generally plug up the car after my last drive of the day and charge when the electric rates are lower in my area.

I plug my MYP into the home charger after the last drive of the day. Some days we don't drive at all so it stays plugged in. More often than not when we do use it we are doing just a few miles and use only 2-3% of charge. So, it charges on the cheap rate over night and I set max to 60%. Much more than I need but enough that should there be a sudden requirement to go somewhere we are good to go.

When we take a long trip I may charge up to 90 or even 100% (if we are getting straight in and driving). If we are driving the 400 miles to Scotland for example, 100% gets my to a Super Charger that is just beyond half way. So in theory, once charge to get us all the way. However, if I want to arrive at my parents' with charge in the battery I will probably stop for a second time and take it up to 80%. that gives me 50% to allow for some driving around when we are there.

Generally for long journeys, put your destination into the Tesla Nav and do what it says.

 

[DerbyDave]

@MidBaz , my family is also 400 miles away, and my daily use and charge levels are exactly as you describe. I also make a stop before arrival on family trip because no charging near their area, and charge once about halfway.

 

[MidBaz]

@MidBaz , my family is also 400 miles away, and my daily use and charge levels are exactly as you describe. I also make a stop before arrival on family trip because no charging near their area, and charge once about halfway.

Jeez. That's spooky. I hope for your sake that you don't look like me too. That's enough for one of us to bear

 

[Made in CA]

Depending on where you are in California you should sign up for a “Time of Use” electrical rate plan with your utility. I am in a Southern California Edison area and they have a plan where rates are lower during lower usage times of day. It can be substantially cheaper to defer charging until those times. They recently updated the rates and tiers so that rates between 4pm and 9pm are 2-3 times more than other times of day.

 

[Spyderman09]

You certainly don't need to do it, but I have really liked using a third party app to manage exact charging schedules (I'm a Tessie fan but imagine others have similar options). Helps with timing since we have a peak period so I can dial it in a little more than Tesla's official app allows me.

 

[Big Earl]

Is 50% or less enough range to get you where you need to go in the event of an emergency or unexpected event? I typically leave our cars set to 80% and plug them in when I’m down to 50-60%.

 

[DerbyDave]

Take a look at your situation. Electrical outages that last days, blizzards, forest fires, ill or elderly relatives/friends, hurricanes, derailment with hazardous chemicals, etc. Figure out how much reserve you need to accommodate the potential emergency you may experience for the next day(s), and where you would need to go. I do not see this as a set "emergency" amount unless the threat is continuous for your location, but when severe weather is approaching that may knock my power out for a coupe of days, I will charge more the night (day?) before based on where I might need to go if it happens.