How to charge your EV to maintain a healthy battery

These days charging your car is, for the most part, fairly intuitive. But there are definitely some tips and tricks to be aware of that will help you optimise your charging experience and keep your battery healthy.

Optimum Charging Habits

EVs thrive on regular charging, so plug it in frequently. It’s best practice to top up your car before it drops below 20% charge. This is primarily for the health of the battery, but also for your own peace of mind. It’s good to have this 20% in reserve because you never know when you might run into traffic.

At the other end of the spectrum, it’s best to end your charging sessions once you reach 80%. From this point on, in order to protect the battery, it takes a lot longer to charge. In some cases, it can take as long to charge from 80-100% as it does from 20% to 80%. Use your EV's settings to limit the maximum charge to 80% to avoid unnecessary full charges.

For long trips, it's acceptable to charge to 100% but avoid doing so for every charge. Also avoid frequent use of rapid or ultra-rapid chargers as they can accelerate battery degradation over time. Reserve them for when you are in a hurry on a longer trip.

Other Battery Health Tips

If possible, limit your EVs’ exposure to both extreme heat and cold temperatures, as this can negatively impact battery health. Where available use the precondition setting to heat or cool the battery before driving, especially in very hot or cold weather.

Try to avoid sudden acceleration and hard braking to help conserve battery energy and reduce strain on the battery. Finally, make sure your regenerative braking is working as it can also help extend the battery’s life.

If you’d like us to check your EV’s battery health, just give us a call on 01202 148303 or email us at service@star-tech-ev.co.uk