How to Maximize the Health of Your EV Battery

Replacement batteries for an electric vehicle can cost between $5,000 and 20,000 depending on the size, pack, and manufacturer, according to Recurrent. Maintaining battery health is critical to managing a fleet's total cost of ownership so that you don’t need to replace batteries more often than absolutely necessary. 

Read on to discover strategies for prolonging your EV battery’s life. Always read your vehicle’s instruction manual for specific guidance. If anything in the advice below contradicts the manual, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. But these are general guidelines for maximizing battery life. 

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Follow the 80/20 Rule 

Keep the EV battery’s charge between 20% and 80% as much as possible to prevent stress and maximize its life. Deep discharges, where the battery is almost entirely depleted before recharging, can negatively impact the battery’s health and efficiency. Once you charge the battery past 80%, charging slows down and it reduces the battery’s long-term health and efficiency. 

There may be times when an EV needs a full charge to travel a longer distance. Or a driver may find themselves in a situation where they have to drive below 20% battery because there aren’t any charging options nearby. EV batteries can withstand occasional charges outside of the 20-80% range, but ideally, they’d stay within that range as much as possible. 

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Use level 1 and 2 charging

Level 1 and 2 use alternating current (AC), while level 3 chargers use direct current (DC). DC chargers are mainly intended for commercial and heavy-duty EVs, so they are more expensive to purchase and install compared to AC chargers. 

Level 1 and 2 chargers can be used somewhat interchangeably, but many EVs are not compatible with level 3 chargers. These chargers emit 50-350kw of direct current, which could overwhelm a small EV battery. 

Avoid Storing Your EV in Extreme Temperatures 

Do not charge your EV’s battery in extreme hot or cold conditions. During the summer, it’s best to charge overnight when it’s cooler if possible. If your EV has smart charging features, you can use it to schedule charging during off-peak hours when it’s cooler and the power grid has less demand. 

Prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures not only slows down charging but it degrades the battery life. Even if you’re not charging the battery, leaving an EV parked outside in extreme temps can impact battery health, so park in the shade or inside a garage if possible. Leaving your EV inactive during cold weather can also degrade the battery, so aim to drive it every day if possible. 

Minimize the Number of Charging Cycles 

An average EV battery has between 1500 and 2000 charge cycles in its lifetime. If you charge the battery more often than necessary, then you can run through these charge cycles and fatigue the battery sooner than necessary.  

Platforms such as Bluedot can provide real-time data on battery health, so that fleet managers can maximize battery life and optimize total cost of ownership.

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