How to Maintain Your EV Battery Health

Getting the Most of Your EV

It might be an odd way to think of it, but the health of our EVs’ batteries is going to become a common consideration for EV drivers. Drivers are used to thinking about the life of their vehicles. Traditionally, we have thought about the overall lifespan in terms of mileage. While this remains the ultimate metric of a car’s endurance, we are no longer as concerned with the numerous mechanical parts of an internal combustion engine that wear down over time–belts, hoses, radiators, water pumps, etc. As most EV drivers know, EVs have remarkably fewer moving parts than their ICE counterparts. This gives them a major advantage in terms of how the breakdown of those parts could affect the car’s lifespan. It is also a major advantage regarding the cost of maintenance.

The big issue for EVs is maintaining battery health. Learning best practices as drivers will help us to maintain the health of our batteries and help them live longer in terms of overall mileage. Luckily, the best practices are fairly straightforward. One of the most fundamental rules is avoiding fully charging or draining batteries. We don’t want to drive our cars till the tank is almost empty, nor do we want to charge up all the way to 100%. The 30-80 rule is a common short-hand reference to keeping the battery charge between 30-80%.

In addition to this rather easy rule for keeping track we have the benefit of the fact that the software systems for EVs can set the target charging for 80% to avoid stress on the battery at higher levels. It takes some minor degree of vigilance as a driver, but most driving can be adjusted so that we charge up when we get around the 30% mark. With these parameters adhered to, EVs are designed to have life spans up to 200,000 miles.

 

Trip Range

When it comes to range on a trip by trip basis, driving habits affect this significantly. Just like with ICEs the way one drives affects the efficiency of an engine. If you are traveling 70 miles per hour on the highway you are going to get better efficiency than driving 80. Hence, your range will be longer. I personally have noticed, just like with my former ICE vehicles, that highway driving affords better mileage than city driving. This is a minor issue with city driving since it’s easy enough to charge up overnight when I’m getting low. And it’s a benefit with highway driving since getting more distance between charges is highly desired.

For those drivers living in colder climates the lower temperatures can also make a big difference. It is highly recommended by experts to have the battery warmed up before charging when temperatures are low. Again, the manufacturers are a step ahead of the game as the cars’ software systems will automatically discharge the battery to produce heat and thereby warm it up before charging.

Takeaway

Try adjusting your driving habits to get better efficiency and thereby better range, and stick to the 30-80 rule for charging as best you can. Your battery will thank you for it.