Automobile Desk: Electric vehicles (EV) are rapidly making place in the Indian auto market. Amidst the rising prices of petrol and diesel, people are turning to EVs, but many misconceptions still remain regarding their care. The biggest confusion is regarding battery charging of the vehicle. Often EV owners wonder whether it is better to park the vehicle with 100% charge every night or to stop it at 80%? If you have also made a habit of fully charging the battery every time, then it is important for you to understand the complete mathematics behind it and the technology of the battery installed in your car.
Actually, not all electric vehicles use the same type of battery technology. Mainly two types of battery technologies are seen in the market – first NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) and second LFP (LFP i.e. Lithium Iron Phosphate). The entire decision to what extent it is right to charge your car depends on what cells the company has given in it.
If your vehicle has an NMC battery, then experts believe that charging it up to 80 percent for daily commuting is the best option. When you fill the battery up to 100 percent and the vehicle remains parked for a long time, the chemical stress on its cells increases significantly. By doing this daily, the capacity of the battery gradually decreases and its overall life is adversely affected. The range available at 80 percent charging is usually sufficient for going to office or doing small tasks within the city.
However, this does not mean that you can never fully charge the car. Whenever you have to go on a long journey or an intercity trip, it is completely justified to charge 100 percent. The problem arises when the car is charged to 100% and left standing in strong sunlight or heat for several days. Apart from this, the benefit of Regenerative Braking is also less in a fully charged battery, because there is no space left in the battery to store the electricity generated during braking.
On the other hand, in vehicles which use LFP batteries, the rules are slightly different. Many car manufacturing companies recommend charging vehicles with LFP batteries to 100 percent at least once a week or month. This is done so that the battery management system (BMS) of the vehicle can be properly calibrated and display the accurate range figure on the screen.
That's why the first thing you can do to ensure long life of your electric car battery is to consult your car's user manual. Also, never let the battery discharge to zero percent and avoid overcharging in extremely hot environments. By adopting these small precautions, you can keep both the battery and range of your car strong for years without any big expense.