Battery maintenance
Does fast charging harm an electric car?
Today, one in five new cars is fully electric. But new technologies raise new questions. Ralph has heard rumors that permanently fast full charging will harm the battery. Here are some explanations to find out if it’s true and what to avoid to prolong battery life.
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Viva’s team of mobility experts
Published
As with smartphones, saving the battery when recharging pays off in the long run.
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Question from a “20 minute” reader
I’m thinking regarding buying an electric car and I’m irritated by all the talk regarding the battery. For example, permanent full charging as well as quick charging while traveling will damage the battery. What is true?
Response from Viva’s team of mobility experts*
As often with rumours, they are exaggerated, but have a kernel of truth. We can first reassure you: according to the experiences so far, the batteries last longer than originally expected – the entire life of a car. Until the capacity of the battery falls below 70%, it takes at least ten years, but rather 15 years, which is why car brands today offer, most of the time, a guarantee of 160,000 to 250,000 kilometers or eight to ten years on the battery. And batteries are made to be charged! But it’s also true that, like a combustion engine, a battery tends to last longer with proper care. It’s like with smartphones: less stress on the battery pays off in the long run.
From experience so far, batteries last the lifetime of a car.
Viva Mobility Experts
There are three basic rules, as experts such as the Union professionnelle suisse de l’automobile (UPSA) reminded us in a recent press release. First, every battery has its “comfort zone”. This varies from battery to battery, but most of the time 20-80% capacity is the comfort zone. If we always charge at 100%, it’s good for the Wallbox, which is slower; ideally, the charging process will be set so that the battery is only full at departure time. Fast charging to 100% should be avoided: on a fast charger it is better to charge to 80%, which also saves time. This is because the battery only charges quickly within a relatively narrow capacity window: the last 20% last longer because they stress the battery. Secondly, the so-called deep, harmful discharge, below 15% or even 5%, must be avoided. Third, even if it is easy to charge for example from 30 to 60%, one should not recharge too often, for example just from 5%, because each charge starts a new charging cycle, the number of which is generally limited to 1000 or even 1500 per battery, according to the TCS.
Each battery has its comfort range, usually from 20 to 80%.
Viva Mobility Experts
But once more, you shouldn’t worry too much. The 1000 to 1500 charge cycles would be an estimated 300 kilometers per charge cycle, or 300,000 to 450,000 kilometers of range – and following that the battery is not defective, it is still good for 70% of its initial autonomy. In other words, it certainly saves the battery, but it is unlikely to break suddenly or lose autonomy, even in the event of intensive use.
Send your questions by e-mail to autoratgeber@20minuten.ch. The most interesting current questions, as well as their answers, will be published each week in the Lifestyle section of “20 minutes”.
Viva mobility experts
The newsdesk of the Zurich communication agency Viva, made up of two long-time mobility experts, Timothy Pfannkuchen and Jürg A. Stettler, produces articles such as guides for the Professional Union of the Swiss Automobile (UPSA ), the Road Safety Council and other customers in the mobility sector, and thus ensure that there is clarity, even in difficult subjects.
