If you bought an electric vehicle in the past few years, you're likely wondering how to best care for it. A recent report by Recurrent experts revealed a simple habit you can practice to prolong the lifespan of your EV. The trick is in how you charge.
The scoop
According to the Recurrent report, charging your EV more frequently may actually be better for your EV battery. Here's the science.
Per the Recurrent report, studies have found that batteries are more stable in the middle of the charge (50%), as opposed to a full charge (100%) or a drained battery (0%). This means that the battery is "less likely to experience physical or chemical stresses" at that halfway point, per Recurrent, instead of at either end of the charge spectrum.
Additionally, the research found that a higher depth of discharge (DoD) leads to fewer expected charge cycles on the battery in its lifetime.
A depth of discharge is the battery percentage that is "discharged" or used between charges.
For example, if your EV battery is at 85% at the start of a drive and ends at 50%, the depth of discharge is 35%. If you continue driving without charging the battery and the battery reads 40% by the drive's end, you've added an additional 10% to the depth of discharge, resulting in a total depth of discharge of 45%.
Per the Recurrent report, a 50% DoD would likely produce 1,300 charge cycles, charging to 80% capacity, and 650 charge cycles charging to full capacity. In contrast, an 80% DoD would likely produce only 300 charge cycles, charging to 80% capacity, and only 240 charge cycles charging to full.
"The larger depth of discharge, the faster the capacity drops over time," the Recurrent report read.
Essentially, not charging your battery to full (the battery is more stable at the midpoint) and not letting your battery go too long between charges (lower depth of discharge) would help prolong the life of your battery. The answer is to charge more frequently between uses.
How it's helping
Prolonging the life of your EV battery is one way you can protect your EV investment in case you decide to sell your EV down the road.
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If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Cost 💰 New data shows that the used EV market is growing rapidly as consumers find affordable ways to join the clean energy movement. Used EV sales jumped 63% from 2023 to 2024.
If you decide to sell your EV, the value of your vehicle will be measured by the remaining health of the battery, the car's range, the car's overall condition, and other factors.
Recurrent makes it easy for EV owners to sell their used EVs, which could be a lucrative opportunity in today's used car market. Recurrent connects sellers with a network of dealers so you can get the best selling price possible for your car. On average, EV sellers who use Recurrent make an additional $1,400 on their sales.
Recurrent also offers a free battery health service that allows you to monitor your battery health over your car's ownership, so you know how much your car is worth if you decide to sell.
Remember, charging more frequently may help prolong your battery's health.
Having a home EV charger makes it easier to keep up with between charges. Powered by home solar, you could save even more on charging costs for your EV. EnergySage helps homeowners find the best quotes for home solar projects.
What everyone's saying
Protecting the battery health of your EV could prolong the life of your vehicle.
"It can have a big effect on the life of your battery," the Recurrent report read.
However, some are more skeptical of the practicality of charging more often to reduce the depth of discharge on the battery.
"If people have to care this much about the battery charge level the EVs are not ready for consumers yet," one Reddit commenter wrote on a post in the r/electricvehicles subreddit about how discharge cycles affect a battery's remaining charge cycles.
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