Long Commutes and Daily Charging

[DaLoubie]

Hello All,
So I commute 5 days a week for about 150 miles round trip. Sucks, I know but the pay is very good, and my mortgage is dirt cheap compared to what I make now (wouldn't be so cheap if I live and reside in Bay Area).
Total Miles is about 150-mile round trip every weekday. That would be around 60%-65% of battery usage every day. So, which would be better for longevity and battery health in the long term?

1. Set limit charging to 80% every night and return at night at with less than 20%. I usually plug it in, and car won't charge until after 11PM. I really have to watch my speed, but as long as there is traffic, which is almost every day, I can make it within expected range.
2. Set limit charging to 85% to 90% which allows me to return at night above the 20% mark, less range anxiety and able to make it home comfortably if I happen to drive somewhere during the day.

 

[Goobers]

I think the easiest is to just set it to whatever and then, if you must do something that requires more energy than the battery has left, go supercharge it as needed.

Even if you say going up to 85-90% gives you a buffer, that may not be enough either.

 

[E90alex]

There is no harm in going below 20%, even down to single digits, if that’s what you’re concerned about. Even with 15% left you should be able to easily get a good 20-30 miles out of that if not more if you needed to do a local errand.

Best practice would be to use scheduled departure with off peak charging setting so it finishes charging shortly before you leave in the morning. This will also improve efficiency as the battery is warmer and you can precondition the cabin off house power.

 

[father_of_6]

At first, getting down to 20% might feel "bad", like it's cutting it close... but eventually you'll get over that. 20% is a decent amount of driving.

We keep our M3LR charged to 50% daily, and although we don't often get down to 20%, I'll happily take the car out at 20% for a long drive. Arriving home at 1% a few times will get you over the range anxiety and have you feeling like 20% is a "glass half full".

 

[ucmndd]

Agree with all the prior posters that it doesn’t really matter. Charge to whatever level is necessary to get yourself home every day with a reasonable buffer. 80% might be more comfortable in the summer, 90% may be warranted in the winter when it’s cold/rainy/windy.

I put 175k miles on a Model S doing the same sort of commute. Charge and drive, the car will be fine!

 

[DaLoubie]

Thank you all for the replies !

 

[ewoodrick]

Hello All,
So I commute 5 days a week for about 150 miles round trip. Sucks, I know but the pay is very good, and my mortgage is dirt cheap compared to what I make now (wouldn't be so cheap if I live and reside in Bay Area).
Total Miles is about 150-mile round trip every weekday. That would be around 60%-65% of battery usage every day. So, which would be better for longevity and battery health in the long term?

1. Set limit charging to 80% every night and return at night at with less than 20%. I usually plug it in, and car won't charge until after 11PM. I really have to watch my speed, but as long as there is traffic, which is almost every day, I can make it within expected range.
2. Set limit charging to 85% to 90% which allows me to return at night above the 20% mark, less range anxiety and able to make it home comfortably if I happen to drive somewhere during the day.

Which battery do you have?

If you set it for 90%, does it suggest lowering it? Or does it tell you to charge to 100% at least once a week.

 

[ucmndd]

Which battery do you have?

If you set it for 90%, does it suggest lowering it? Or does it tell you to charge to 100% at least once a week.

We ARE in the Model Y section so non-LFP should be a safe assumption for a US car.

 

[ewoodrick]

We ARE in the Model Y section so non-LFP should be a safe assumption for a US car.

Ever heard of the definition of ASSUME? It doesn't hurt to ask.


But there seems to be some sources that disagree with you.

Tesla Model Y RWD Returns to the US Market With a LFP Battery and Updated Price

Tesla launched the LFP-powered Model Y RWD in the US as the new base model after retiring the Model Y AWD, built with 4680 battery cells

www.autoevolution.com

Tesla Model Y Gets Even Cheaper With New $43,990 RWD Version

Tesla has just introduced a new entry-level, rear-wheel-drive version of the Model Y in the United States, with a very attractive starting price.

insideevs.com

 

[E90alex]

Ever heard of the definition of ASSUME? It doesn't hurt to ask.


But there seems to be some sources that disagree with you.

Tesla Model Y RWD Returns to the US Market With a LFP Battery and Updated Price

Tesla launched the LFP-powered Model Y RWD in the US as the new base model after retiring the Model Y AWD, built with 4680 battery cells

www.autoevolution.com

Tesla Model Y Gets Even Cheaper With New $43,990 RWD Version

Tesla has just introduced a new entry-level, rear-wheel-drive version of the Model Y in the United States, with a very attractive starting price.

insideevs.com

It’s been proven Model Y RWD is not LFP. At least not in the US.

 

[ucmndd]

Ever heard of the definition of ASSUME? It doesn't hurt to ask.

Sigh. Thank you kindly for your pedantic interjection. Not sure what we’d do without you.

But there seems to be some sources that disagree with you.

Those sources are wrong. RWD Model Ys being delivered now in the US definitively have a software locked NCA battery from the Long Range model. That may or may not change in the future.

USA MY RWD has soft limited LR battery!

Just picked up my MY RWD today. It has been already established that it does not have the LFP battery pack, but there was some speculation on whether it was a soft limited LR battery or a new smaller capacity NCA battery. From what I am seeing, I'm pretty sure that it is the Long Range battery...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[ewoodrick]

It’s been proven Model Y RWD is not LFP. At least not in the US.

Okay, you may have me.

But then again, read the OP's post a little closer. They may not even have a car yet. And who knows if Tesla didn't change something yesterday.
And there's always the possibility that it may have inadvertently been posted in the wrong forum.

 

[Eric33432]

Model Y RWD that a friend of mine took deliver of three weeks ago is NOT LFP.

 

[DaLoubie]

Which battery do you have?

If you set it for 90%, does it suggest lowering it? Or does it tell you to charge to 100% at least once a week.

Cant rmb the name of the battery but I have a 23 LR so charging limit suggests 80%. I have read that it was 90% before so that's why the 80-90 Charge range is in question

 

[father_of_6]

Cant rmb the name of the battery but I have a 23 LR so charging limit suggests 80%. I have read that it was 90% before so that's why the 80-90 Charge range is in question

Keeping the battery at a lower state of charge is better for it, so the lowest daily charge you can get away with is the way to go.

Doesn't mean you shouldn't use it though... so do what you need to do to make it useful for you.

 

[3sr+buyer]

Total Miles is about 150-mile round trip every weekday. That would be around 60%-65% of battery usage every day. So, which would be better for longevity and battery health in the long term?

Purely for battery health, you would want to minimize time spent at charge levels above 55% (NCA battery), 60% (NMC battery), or 70% (LFP battery), although it appears to matter most for NCA batteries and least for LFP batteries.

Assuming an NCA battery, setting the charge target to 85% and scheduling charging to finish just before you depart for work will allow you to arrive at work at 52-55%, having driven off 30-33% of the charge. That way, the car is not parked all day at a state of charge above 55%. After driving home later, you will arrive with 20-25%. If you do not require as much buffer against range anxiety, you can choose a charge target lower than 85%.

 

[ewoodrick]

Cant rmb the name of the battery but I have a 23 LR so charging limit suggests 80%. I have read that it was 90% before so that's why the 80-90 Charge range is in question

So it seems as if Tesla has found through additional research, that 90% may have slightly higher degradation than their desirable goals and change the recommendation. But using 65% of a battery on a daily basis is definitely not the norm. And hopefully you are in a climate zone that doesn't get cold. If you were in an area that gets cold, you may end up using near 100% of your battery.

If there was some option to charge at work, even a 120V 15A socket, that would be advisable. 8 hours @120v will give you about 40 additional miles. That would put you back in a "sweeter spot"

Increasing the slider above 80% is going to give you the nag message, but just read it and take it as is. It's a recommendation.

 

[Eric33432]

Cant rmb the name of the battery but I have a 23 LR so charging limit suggests 80%. I have read that it was 90% before so that's why the 80-90 Charge range is in question

I would do what I have to do for my use case and not worry about it. If you have to fill more than 70% I would try to drive right after the car is full, so as suggested above use the scheduled departure method of charging.

If you have time of day, and charging right up to your time of departure would mean you are charging at a high cost period, charge to 80% ending at the time your off peak rates end, then in the morning, bump it up to 90-100% and let it charge a bit whilst you are showering, having breakfast, dressing, getting ready to leave, etc. That way it will only charge for a little while at the higher rate.

 

[ewoodrick]

I would do what I have to do for my use case and not worry about it. If you have to fill more than 70% I would try to drive right after the car is full, so as suggested above use the scheduled departure method of charging.

If you have time of day, and charging right up to your time of departure would mean you are charging at a high cost period, charge to 80% ending at the time your off peak rates end, then in the morning, bump it up to 90-100% and let it charge a bit whilst you are showering, having breakfast, dressing, getting ready to leave, etc. That way it will only charge for a little while at the higher rate.

In my book, that's too much to have to do every day.

And when you look at charging the battery to 100%, the studies that I've seen say that there is some degradation when the car is left at 100% for a year. Leaving the car at 85% for a few hours a day isn't going to mean much of anything.

 

[Eric33432]

In my book, that's too much to have to do every day.

And when you look at charging the battery to 100%, the studies that I've seen say that there is some degradation when the car is left at 100% for a year. Leaving the car at 85% for a few hours a day isn't going to mean much of anything.

Different strokes for different folks...