How to Extend Your EV’s Battery Life

Apr 09, 2024

Electric vehicles' large and expensive traction batteries require special attention for extra-long life.

Like all vehicles, even your neighbors' gas-guzzling pickup truck, an electric vehicle needs regular care if you want to prolong its lifespan. For an EV, only a handful of components require periodic maintenance, or at least that is what the dealerships tell you. What they do not tell you is the cost of replacing your vehicle's battery when it can no longer hold enough charge to be usable.

If you don't want to spend a fortune on a new battery every few years, there are some steps you can take to prolong its life. From being mindful of fast charging to avoiding aggressive driving, here are some tips you should consider so that your EV's battery stays healthy.

While many automakers take pride in their vehicles' fast charging capabilities, rapid charging is not without downsides. The idea of longer charging times tends to push potential buyers away from EVs, so naturally companies are always working to lower them. However, a faster flow of current increases temperatures, and this starts various chemical processes inside the lithium battery cells, which, over time, lower their capacity to store current.

Fast charging may be helpful when you are short on time, but most of your charging should be done at home overnight with a slower charger. The effects of fast charging will eventually negatively impact your battery life over time, so use this only when you are pressed for time.

Most electric cars use lithium-ion batteries, which do not fare well in extreme temperatures. Understanding the ideal temperature for your car's battery will help you plan and avoid any sort of damage in the future. For most vehicles, you can find this information in the owner's manual.

If you live in warmer climates, you should avoid leaving your EV parked in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. This will negatively affect your battery health over time and also reduce your driving range since the vast majority of EVs will use electricity while parked to keep battery temperatures at optimum. This is why the best idea is to park your EV inside a garage, or at least in the shade if it's an especially hot day.

Colder temperatures aren't too favorable either. Batteries suffer from reduced range and lower charging speeds when temperatures drop, especially past the freezing point. Replacing an EV's battery is expensive, and the best way to avoid doing so is to keep a lookout for the temperature outside.

While it is possible to drain your battery to 0% and then charge it back up to 100%, it's not a good idea to do so regularly. EV batteries typically have an ideal operating range of 20% to 80% state of charge. Once it drops below 20%, the charger and the battery must work harder, and doing this frequently will affect capacity over time. Charging your battery above 80% has similar consequences.

Teslas have batteries that can last over a decade, and the manufacturer says charging above 80 percent is less of an issue than with some other EVs, but you are pushing the limits if you're constantly recharging your car from flat to full. Try to think forward so that you have some charge in the battery when you plug your EV in.

When going on a holiday, you might consider leaving your EV without any substantial charge. Manufacturers recommend that you never leave your EV's battery without any charge for an extended time, as it can be detrimental to the battery's health.

If you don't plan to drive your vehicle for an extended period, plug in a trickle charger. This type of charger ensures your EV has enough power to carry out necessary system checks. The manufacturers claim that even when not being used, your EV requires 1% battery per day to perform system checks, and without it, the vehicle can suffer severe technical malfunctions.

Accelerating hard in an EV uses considerably more juice than slower acceleration. This rush of power from the battery into the motor raises temperatures and reduces the life of the pack. It also uses more energy, resulting in an increased number of charges, which negatively impacts battery longevity.

On the other hand, hard braking may generate a large amount of power in the form of regenerative braking. Heavy use of an EV’s regenerative braking may also negatively affect battery health, but, at the same time, this feature can add more miles of range, so EV owners should still rely on it as much as they can.

Regular aggressive driving will translate into a less healthy battery since it operates at higher temperatures due to the increased load. The instant acceleration that EVs are known for may be fun, but it is not without its downsides.

Before you plug in your light bar or any other accessory into the accessory socket of your EV, make sure to check the ratings of each socket. Despite having powerful batteries, many EVs are not designed to withstand the added load of devices that use a large amount of power.

However, some EVs have bidirectional charging capability that can handle heavy-duty equipment. For example, one of the most impressive features of the Ford F150 Lightning is that it can output up to 9.6 kW of power.

By using your EV's battery to power an unrecommended accessory, you can put a significant load on the battery. This may reduce its ability to perform core functions and negatively affect overall battery health. In some cases, even small accessories can quietly sip power without you noticing, so be cautious about plugging in peripherals.

Most EVs feature companion apps or software that let you monitor overall vehicle health. You can use these applications to track the battery's performance at different times. Look out for specific metrics such as charging performance and discharging trends. By frequently checking your battery, you will have a higher chance of spotting any severe issues or drops in performance.

While EVs require less maintenance than regular cars, the drivetrain, motors, and batteries still require regular inspection. The electric motor or battery can be costly to repair or replace, which is why it is crucial to manually check the battery's health and vehicle status by using the appropriate companion software.

A healthier battery not only gives you a trouble-free EV ownership experience but also ensures that your vehicle's performance and range will be maintained for longer. As long as your car can charge to its full capacity and efficiently use all that power, then all should be well.

Range and battery life go hand-in-hand for EVs, but caring for the range instead of battery health is very different. For example, you'll need to worry about tire conditions, the route you're taking, and the use of regenerative braking. Fortunately, there are ways to improve your EV's range, just like how you can improve battery health.

Hashir is an established tech journalist who covers Mac and iOS at MakeUseOf. He started his writing journey in 2020, and has since then been contributing to top-tier technology publications like MakeTechEasier, PCGuide101, and MacBook Journal. In his free time, Hashir polishes his jabs at the local boxing club, preparing for the robot apocalypse.