10 infallible tricks to extend the life of the electric car battery

Some uses can cut the battery life of your electric car in half. An engineer who has developed a TÜV-certified method to measure his condition tells you his infallible tricks to extend the life of an electric car battery.

Over time, batteries lose some of their maximum energy content and store less electricity. Depending on the use we have given them, they do it more or less quickly. If a battery announces 400 kilometers and over the years its performance is 300, the battery has lost 25 percent of its energy content. We are talking then that his State of Health, SoH, is 75 percent. How to get more care of the battery? Nikolaus Mayerhofer, who has developed a system for measuring SoH for his company, Aviloo, gives us 10 infallible tricks to extend the life of an electric car battery.

This simple system, which is used in many vehicles in Europe, connects an electronic box to the car's diagnostic interface, and data such as voltage curves, current levels, or temperature curves can be read while driving. With a Tesla, for example, up to two million data records are collected per hour of driving. After a few days, you can read the status of the battery by analyzing the stored data, with which the knowledge is very broad.

Well, here are these infallible tricks that will help you keep your car's battery like it was on the first day.

1. MOVE IN MEDIUM LOAD LEVELS.

If a battery is always charged to 100 percent and runs completely empty, the cells will wear out after only 500 to 600 charge cycles. If you leave a five percent margin at the top and bottom, that is, you only use the battery between 5 and 95 percent charge, and you already get 1000 cycles. If the gap that you leave is 10 percent, we move between 3,000 and 4,000 cycles, and we would get it to last forever. We only have to charge it one hundred percent when we are going to make a long-distance trip.

2. FAST CHARGING, ONLY FOR OCCASIONS.

If a battery is regularly charged with a power of more than 50 kW, it will last only half as long as a battery that is normally charged slowly.

3. BE CAREFUL WITH THE WAY YOU DRIVE.

Not only the charge of the battery but also the discharge power is important in the aging of the cells. Those who constantly use maximum power stress the battery just like those who abuse a fast charger.

4. AVOID EXTREME RECOVERY IF POSSIBLE.

Electric cars that recover particularly intensively put a lot of strain on their batteries. Some recover with more than 200 kW, which means pure stress for the battery. You should choose a lower recovery level and take advantage of slower recoveries.

5. IN EXTREME TEMPERATURES, RELAXED MODE.

Comparative measurements in northern and southern European countries suggest that batteries feel most comfortable at an ambient temperature of about 15 degrees. Offsets of 20 degrees up or down cut life in half. Five degrees below zero is as stressful as more than 35 degrees. In extreme temperatures, it is necessary to opt for a more relaxed ride.

6. THE WALLBOX, IS BETTER INSIDE.

If you can choose, it is more appropriate to install the wall box inside the garage than outside. It is more favorable to charge at a more or less optimum temperature for the battery.

7. SET A LOAD LIMIT.

Do not charge the vehicle battery to the maximum except in exceptional cases. Limiting the maximum battery level is an excellent option. A setting of 80 percent is a good compromise between battery protection and range. What's more, if you only drive a few miles a day, only charge it to 50 or 60 percent. One hundred percent charge only when you go on a long trip.

8. IF YOU HAVE NO LOAD LIMIT, USE THE WALLBOX.

Some electric cars do not offer power limit charging. Regulate the wall charger to avoid charging it 100 percent. Regulate the incoming kW for the hours that you are going to leave it charging.

9. IN LOW TEMPERATURES, CHARGE IMMEDIATELY.

If you arrive with a flat battery and the temperatures are low, charge it immediately instead of letting it cool down overnight. You will suffer much less while it is hot. Of course, never more than 80 percent.

10. NOT ALL AT ONCE.

It is important that you do not make all the mistakes described here at once. The effects reinforce each other and will reduce battery life even further. Fast charging and discharging will cut your battery life by a quarter.