Best practices for charging

[Tony1]

My vehicle is still quiet new and have been using the charger that came with it. I’m wondering, is it okay to leave the charger plugged in when I’m not using it? I’d love to hear about your experiences with this

 

[Randy960]

You'll find a lot of differing opinions on best charging practices here. Are you asking if it's ok the leave the charger plugged into the wall when you're not charging, or if it's ok to leave the car plugged into the charger?

There's definitely nothing wrong with leaving the level 1 evse plugged in when you're not charging.

As for leaving the car charging, my opinion is that with how the factory BMS balances the cells, it's probably good to let the car top charge and balance frequently. The ~4.140 per cell that it cuts off at should be safe voltage for anything except loooong term storage. I do that, but my battery also has a few weak cells, so maybe I caused that. There are people that will tell you any time spent past 80% is killing your battery, but I'm unconvinced.

 

[didget69]

Our 2015 stayed plugged in all the time on L1 plug when not being driven.

No measurable degradation after 6.5 years & 33k miles of ownership from new. Still had 85-90 miles of range showing on GOM when car was sold before warranty expired.

bnc

 

[Tony1]

You'll find a lot of differing opinions on best charging practices here. Are you asking if it's ok the leave the charger plugged into the wall when you're not charging, or if it's ok to leave the car plugged into the charger?

There's definitely nothing wrong with leaving the level 1 evse plugged in when you're not charging.

As for leaving the car charging, my opinion is that with how the factory BMS balances the cells, it's probably good to let the car top charge and balance frequently. The ~4.140 per cell that it cuts off at should be safe voltage for anything except loooong term storage. I do that, but my battery also has a few weak cells, so maybe I caused that. There are people that will tell you any time spent past 80% is killing your battery, but I'm unconvinced.

Thanks for your input. I was actually asking about leaving the charger plugged into the wall when not in use. It's good to know it's fine to keep the level 1 EVSE plugged in. I appreciate your thoughts on keeping the car plugged in too. I’ll definitely consider letting it top charge and balance more often.

 

[Tony1]

Our 2015 stayed plugged in all the time on L1 plug when not being driven.

No measurable degradation after 6.5 years & 33k miles of ownership from new. Still had 85-90 miles of range showing on GOM when car was sold before warranty expired.

bnc

It’s reassuring to hear that your 2015 model had no measurable degradation after staying plugged in all the time. That kind of longevity gives me more confidence in leaving my charger plugged in too. Thanks