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I think this depends too much on your car and how you use it to make generalizations like "is usually overkill". With an 11kW charger and assuming 12h in the g

by Youden 1y ago

I think this depends too much on your car and how you use it to make generalizations like "is usually overkill". With an 11kW charger and assuming 12h in the garage, I can charge 132kWh in a day, which is far more energy than my battery can store. Thanks to this, when I park my car and decide whether to plug it in, all I need to think about is whether the car has enough charge now for my needs tomorrow. If it does, I leave it. If it doesn't, I plug it in. With a 1.8kW charger, I'd only get 21.6kWh overnight. In my car, this is ~100km of range (~60mi) and about 30% of the battery. Now I either need to charge it every day (and add the hassle of unplugging/plugging every time I use the car) or I need to think about it more. It's a matter of individual preference whether it's worth a few hundred dollars to avoid that friction but to me it's more than worth it for something that's part of my daily life.

zeroping 1y ago
Now I either need to charge it every day (and add the hassle of unplugging/plugging every time I use the car) or I need to think about it more. I can't fathom not plugging my car in to charge when I park in my normal spot. It doesn't seem like much effort. But my comment isn't to ridicule you - it's to point out how diverse and different our home charging experiences are, without awareness of others. I had no idea that anyone charged differently than I do. Meanwhile, I have a motion-activated light switch in the garage. So I guess I don't want the hassle of flipping light switches, yet I plug/unplug daily.
bryanlarsen 1y ago
From what I've read, standard nickel-cobalt lithium ion batteries last longer with lots of little charges to keep the battery at around 60% than they do with less frequent larger charges. The effect is really minor, though. The important thing is to keep the battery between 20% and 80% as much as possible. Going below 20 or above 80 is the most significant thing that shortens life.

by Youden 1y ago

zeroping 1y ago

Now I either need to charge it every day (and add the hassle of unplugging/plugging every time I use the car) or I need to think about it more. I can't fathom not plugging my car in to charge when I park in my normal spot. It doesn't seem like much effort. But my comment isn't to ridicule you - it's to point out how diverse and different our home charging experiences are, without awareness of others. I had no idea that anyone charged differently than I do. Meanwhile, I have a motion-activated light switch in the garage. So I guess I don't want the hassle of flipping light switches, yet I plug/unplug daily.

bryanlarsen 1y ago

From what I've read, standard nickel-cobalt lithium ion batteries last longer with lots of little charges to keep the battery at around 60% than they do with less frequent larger charges. The effect is really minor, though. The important thing is to keep the battery between 20% and 80% as much as possible. Going below 20 or above 80 is the most significant thing that shortens life.