Kia EV battery

With modern Electric Vehicles (EVs), you can pretty much charge and drive and charge again, without too much thought about your battery. Manufacturers have built-in precautions so you can’t overcharge, over-discharge, or overheat: the three biggest killers of battery longevity.

But while you don’t need to baby your battery, you do need to respect it. With proper management—and following the tips we’ve included here—your battery could last decades.

EV batteries, like engines in conventional gas-powered vehicles, are designed for a long life but will eventually wear out. Protect your investment and bolster your future resale value by avoiding the seven biggest mistakes EV owners make. Here they are:

1. OVERCHARGING

An EV battery, like porridge and planets, does best in the Goldilocks Zone. Never let your battery sit at 100% charge for too long. Generally speaking, lithium-ion batteries do best when they operate in the 30%-90% charge range. Although it may take some extra planning, prolonging the time spent within that middle range may extend the life of your battery. Continuously charging to full capacity is stressful on your battery. If you don’t need the maximum charge, don’t use it. This is why most manufacturers offer “standard” or “normal” charge levels, which do not charge the battery up to the highest level but instead keep them at 80%. By all means, do the full charge when you need it, but do it right before you start the trip.

2. DRAINING THE BATTERY

Conversely, leaving your battery in a low level (below 30%) charge state for an extended period may also impact its life. Lithium-ion batteries prefer a partial cycle rather than a deep discharge or drain. Most manufacturers protect batteries from becoming completely discharged – a state that can render the battery permanently unusable depending on the level of degradation. Since lithium-ion batteries do not have a memory effect, there is no harm in using your vehicle – and charger – often. One additional advantage of not charging all the way up is that it leaves room to store energy from regenerative braking, resulting in lower charging costs. When the batteries are full or near full, regenerative braking will be disabled to avoid overcharging.

3. CHARGING TOO OFTEN

The third mistake that people make with their EV batteries? Charging too often. Generally speaking, don’t charge every day unless you need to. Natural degradation may occur in the battery based on the number of charging cycles that are used over its lifespan. Keeping the battery at 30%-80% charged and minimizing the number of charges – vs charging the battery to 100% and/or charging every drive cycle – will keep the battery performance in optimal condition. For most EV owners, this just becomes habit. Just like regular trips to the gas station and checking your oil was simply what you did with your gas-powered vehicle.

4. NOT BALANCING THE BATTERY

Lithium-ion batteries are designed to minimize the memory issues often found in older battery technologies. Battery balancing is about maximizing your battery’s capacity and evening out the charge distribution. Modern EV batteries include an automatic battery balancing component, but for older models, there are steps that you can take to help the process along. A quarterly maximum charge may be beneficial to the lifespan of your EV battery. Keep in mind, however, that after you fully charge you should not let it sit, as stated in #1. Do this right before a trip.

5. OVERUSING DC QUICK CHARGE

DC quick charging is very useful if you need to drive more than the vehicle’s single-charge range in a single day, or you just simply forgot to charge up last night and are hovering below the 30% range. DC quick chargers can dump hundreds of kms of range in minutes. However, the batteries pay a price for this convenience. Battery performance and durability can deteriorate if the DC charger is used constantly. The life expectancy of most EV batteries is about 70-80 percent of capacity after 10 years of normal use. It is theorized that frequent use of fast charging – more than once or twice per day – will cost you about 1 percent of capacity per year. Which basically means very frequent users of fast chargers can expect performance on the lower end of the normal range.

6. NOT USING THE ON-BOARD COMPUTER

EVs employ sophisticated technology with high-tech on-board interactive computers to match. Most modern EVs have fail-safes and built-in precautions so you don’t have to spend time worrying about charging – or not charging – your EV. Trust in the technology and get to know it better. Most electric vehicles have robust meus and options. Menu options may include available range; energy information detailing battery and energy consumption; power consumption to check the current energy consumption for each system of the vehicle; battery information including reachable range, battery power remaining, and expected charging time for each charger type; and charge management, plus ECO driving, and EV settings. This menu essentially contains everything you need to properly manage and maintain the longevity of your battery.

7. IMPROPER STORAGE

The capacity of an EV battery may decrease over time when the vehicle is stored long term at high temperatures. It will also decrease in low temperatures, even when left for a short period. If the vehicle will not be in use for an extended period of time, it’s recommended that you charge the battery once every three months to prevent it from fully discharging. If you can, store your EV inside away from extreme temperatures.