Electric cars entered our daily life confidently and, apparently, for a long time. Despite all the difficulties of 2020, the number of operated electric vehicles exceeded 10 million units. The main source of energy for such vehicles is the battery. It is the battery capacity (along with the engine power) that is one of the most important characteristics of an electric car. Therefore, the question of how you can extend the battery life of an electric vehicle is becoming more and more relevant.
Before answering this question, you need to understand the features of an electric vehicle battery.
The principle of operation of the battery
The battery is the most expensive part of an electric car. It consists of many thousands of small cells that can be combined into packs (modules) with a serial connection.
Most electric cars are equipped with lithium-ion batteries. When charging is in progress, lithium ions from the cathode, through a conductor (electrolyte), are transferred to the anode made of carbon. In the process of discharging (when the battery begins to work), the reverse process occurs. However, the cathode is not completely restored and cannot receive the entire volume of ions. As a result, fewer ions enter the cathode, and the battery itself loses its capacity. With a loss of approximately 30% of its capacity, the battery is considered unusable. This can take 5-10 years, depending on the battery design.
The energy generated by the battery is fed to the controller, from where it is transmitted to the engine.
Defective battery: how the breakdown manifests itself
The battery of an electric vehicle itself is a reliable element. Except in cases of physical damage and failure of individual parts of the battery, the main problem of an electric vehicle battery is degradation, i.e. natural destruction of electrodes, which entails a loss of battery capacity. The main symptom of battery degradation is reduced mileage per charge. The manifestation of a malfunction can also be expressed in the accelerated discharge of the battery when using additional systems of the car (music, air conditioning, etc.).
The operation of any electric vehicle invariably entails a loss of battery capacity. Its intensity depends on the design features of the battery (liquid or air cooling), operating conditions, and the owner's compliance with the recommendations for maintaining the battery's performance.
How to extend battery life
Some of the most common tips offered by experts and electrical machine manufacturers include:
- Do not let the battery charge level fall below 20% of the maximum capacity.
- Do not get carried away with frequent use of fast charging (once a day and no more). This will reduce battery life.
- Use your home (low power) AC outlet to charge your vehicle more often - this allows you to “calibrate” the battery after using quick charge.
- When using a charger, it is important to use good and high-quality ones, with a power of 6.6 kW. High-quality charging stations made in France and Ukraine are always available on the site.
- Do not allow long-term sharp increases in speed (this leads to overheating of the battery cells), and do not abuse off-road driving.
- In summer, it is worth parking in the shade (this also eliminates excessive heating of the battery).
- Do not charge the battery 100%, as this will reduce its resource over time. Optimally - 80-90% capacity. If you need to ensure the maximum duration of the trip, then the battery should be charged to 100% immediately before the trip. And never leave a 100% charged battery unused for more than 8 hours.
- Do not leave an electric vehicle idle with a low (30% and below) battery charge for a long time.
- If the car will not be used for a long time, it is best to leave it connected to the network. However, the charge should not exceed 50% of the maximum capacity. If the amount of charge cannot be controlled, it is recommended to leave the electric car with a charge of 80-90%.
- An urgent issue is the operation of the battery in the winter. Hypothermia is the reason lithium-ion batteries lose charge and capacity. Losses can reduce the range by up to 40%. Therefore, you should not leave the electric car outside at low temperatures, and you only need to charge the battery in a warm room. The peculiarities of using an electric car in winter can be found here.
- Going on a long trip, it is worth planning the route. This will allow you not only to choose the optimal travel mode but also to plan a stop for recharging. To feel comfortable on the road, you should familiarize yourself with the map of charging stations in Ukraine in advance on the website.
Each of the recommendations above will help extend the battery life. However, even if you follow the entire list of these recommendations, this does not exclude a natural decrease in battery capacity. Even a new battery has an average loss of 2.3% per year.