Random EV Thoughts 2 - The Jimnying

Interesting article on charging and whether limiting to 80 percent is important , spoiler, not really

https://www.geotab.com/blog/ev-battery-health/

Just drive it when you want and charge it when you want to 100%. The LFP Battery is very forgiving.

If you are driving regularly then charging to 100 percent is no issue, leaving it at a high start it charge for long periods isn't good but who does that ?

When I had my low range L30 I charged it to 100% each day as I would need most of its available range daily. However, with up to 300km at 80% Soc I’ve no need to charge to 100% and so just charge to 80% which covers 95% of my journeys.
In any case my charger is located beside where car is parked and I often plug it in whether it needs charging or not. It’s almost a muscle memory thing at this stage Each to their own of course

Apologies for being like a dog with a bone on this but here’s another report that references higher SOC impacting battery degradation over time.

After early life aging, degradation mainly comes from two factors. High resting charge levels stress the positive electrode, while very low charge levels stress the negative electrode. This explains why keeping an EV battery near the middle of its charge range works well for daily use.

Other Ways to Extend Your Overall Battery Life

Beyond the Stanford study, there are several ways that EV owners can extend the overall life of their car’s battery. One of the most effective ways is to manage charge levels thoughtfully. Keeping the battery somewhere in the middle of its range for daily driving helps reduce long term wear. Charging to 95% is fine for road trips, but doing it every day adds unnecessary stress. Letting the battery sit at very low levels can also accelerate aging, so plugging in before it drops too far is a smart habit.

I think opinion on this issue divides the EV driving population into 2 cohorts, those who buy new and change every couple of years have no concern for degradation or looking after the battery as they will have flipped the car before any issue become evident and those who buy older EVs and plan to hold onto them for an extended period. The latter cohort will be far more interested in ensuring degradation is minimised during their ownership of the car.

My personal experience with EVs hasn’t been great. My 2016 L30 battery has collapsed, car off the road and will probably be scrapped while my 2021 M3 battery has also failed and had to be replaced (thankfully) under warranty.

Please, please new EV owners, look after your batteries for me and have a battery health report available when I’m buying my next used EV🤣

https://www.torquenews.com/18004/mustang-mach-e-owner-learns-aggressive-acceleration-good-his-battery-sites-stanford-study

I’ve too much time on my hands today🤣 but there is research that claims maintaining/cycling LFP batteries at a high SOC causes increased degradation, albeit less so than with NMC batteries.

Again probably of limited interest to new car owners but maybe of increasing interest to owner of older cars as the year pass. It may also be the case that cars that so very low mileage but are constantly topped up to 100% may be most affected? Time will tell I suppose.

However, a new study published last week in the Journal Of Electrochemical Societycontradicts what automakers have been saying about LFP charging patterns. The study states that repeated charging cycles at a higher state of charge can harm LFP cells over time. The study specifies how this happens on the most granular level. But kudos to YouTuber Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained for breaking it down for us.

If you’re not driving your EV for extended periods, leaving the battery in a lower state of charge can help, as reduced voltage doesn't harm in the long run. “Cycling near the top of charge (75–100% SoC) is detrimental to LFP/graphite cells. Our results show a correlation between the average SoC of battery operation and capacity fade rate, meaning that the lower the average SoC, the longer the lifetime…,” the study stated. “Therefore, the time spent cycling at high states of charge is critical to minimize.”

https://insideevs.com/news/731210/lfp-battery-health-degrades-full-charge-study-finds/

I found it mentioned in a Top Gear article a few years ago, along with a hearse version

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/electric-hearse-Mustang-Mach-E

My better half changed her car in the last few days. The 4 Yr old A1 Audi has been traded for a new Yaris Cross. She's in no way anti EV but doesn't fully understand/ trust them yet. It's a pity as she does low mileage doing a lot of short trips pootering about. An Inster or the upcoming ID Polo would have been a good fit. Anyway at least the Cross is a full hybrid and she will be using EV mode for a fair amount of her driving. The long time average for fuel efficiency for the A1 was 8.8l/100km so she should be using a lot less petrol in the new car - hopefully somewhere around 5.5l/100km. The Cross is very comfortable, easier to get in and out of, simpler to drive and has a better view out on the road. 10 year warranty is appealing too if she decides to keep it for longer.

"Full" hybrid generally refers to a self-charging one, plus it's Toyota

Where is the electric motor drawing its power? Separate battery for the hybrid circuit?

And just for a bit of diversion from all the Greenland issues etc. A warning light came on the Born last Friday for the Airbag. It stayed on over several restarts throughout the weekend. Nothing for it but I gave it to the dealer overnight to investigate. The problem was found reasonably quickly as it a disconnected switch under the rear seat for the airbag electrical circuit. The dealer was dubious about it being a valid warranty claim as I admitted I have a dog. The theory goes that when the dog was sitting on the back seat, through paw 🐾 pressure my dog managed to disconnect a solid electrical connection under the rear seat. My dog was in the car for a total of 3 times in the last 12 months. I attach a photo of the Defendant. Answers on a postcard please 😝