I recently had a conversation with a member who came back from a long vacation to find his electric car unable to charge. He’s still troubleshooting the problem – it’s possible that it may just be the 12v battery (he indicated that it did not have a charge too). The conversation reminded me that battery care best practices should be shared with our community. The following are tips for maximizing your electric car’s battery life. 

• Don’t drain the battery! Careful trip planning, checking out charge station locations ahead of a long trip, and maintaining an appropriate level of charge will help ensure that you don’t run ‘dry’. If you’re shopping for an electric car, buy the greatest battery capacity that you can afford. An oversized battery will also ensure that you can minimize having to charge to 100% (next point). 
• Avoid a 100% state of charge for extended periods. If you must charge to 100%, time it so you’re able to immediately drive the car. If you will be driving downhill from the charge station location, avoid charging to 100% so that you’re able to leverage regenerative braking on the drive downhill.
• Use your car’s charge limiter to control the maximum charge. This allows you to avoid charging to 100%. (We maintain a limit of 80% for our cars except for when we are planning a long drive.) 
• Keep it plugged-in. Set your car’s charge limiter and keep your car plugged in. This is especially important if you’re not planning to use the car for a while. Your car will automatically ‘top off’ as needed. If parking for an extended time, set your car’s charge timer so that it charges during peak energy production times (9am-5pm) or in the off-peak time (midnight-9am) when energy usage is lower. (This will help reduce load on the electric grid.)
• Stay cool! Electric cars have temperature management systems that help maintain the ideal environment for the batteries (lithium-ion cells don’t like it too cold or hot). These systems will turn on (use energy) to maintain the ideal battery temperature. If you have the opportunity, keep your car parked under cover. (It’s also better for your car’s finish!)
• Plan for extended trips. If you’re planning an extended vacation, ensure that your car will have enough charge to sustain itself and to take you home when you return. Remember – EVs will use up some energy even when parked. This is especially the case if you have connectivity and if there are temperature extremes. If you plan to leave the car at the airport, ensure that you park in the shade with enough energy left in the battery. If your car includes energy saving features, activate them to minimize the battery drain.

Let us know if you have tips that you’d like to share or if you have questions.