Battery longevity 101

Mine once sat, fully charged, for 6 months in a garage in So Cal from mid-March to mid-September last year. Now, at 2 years of age, it still seems to have the same EV range as it did when new.

Tryng to time charging cycles, L1 or L2, with a driving schedule is likely an exercise in futility. Although, I’m sure someone can provide some intriguing graphs or laboratory data to prove me wrong. None of us are going to duplicate the laboratory conditions in actual usage.

 

I agree, it is a lot of effort for minimal gain. Treat the car like a tool, not a toddler.

Cheers

 

I don't seem to have 115v or 230v power in my area. I've tested mine at the outlets and I get 121v and 247v.

 

The nominal line voltages in the US are 120, and 240.
Your 121 is very close to nominal, and the 247 is within 3%.

I just read that a typical tolerance on the line is +/- 5%. Then, I think there could be a little more variation beyond that due to your local loads.

There will be some variation throughout the day and seasons depending on load conditions (not only your house, but your neighborhood).
Right now, mine is 244, but I sometimes see 247. Nothing to worry about.

 

Have you ever seen the movie Mr Mom?

“220, 221, whatever it takes.”

 

Thanks for the post op. I personally like to read about others experiences and view point on such a divisive issue.

My scenario isn't much different then yours. 3 years, 30k, 70/30 ev/ice and 80/20 local vs highway miles.

Charging habits: Strictly level 1. Typically discharge to ~15-25% and recharge ~85-95%. I do go to EV 0 several random days a month and give it a full charge. When I do a full charge, EV range is still in the middlin' 50's like clock work during the warm months...and actually still get that for the most part on the road as real world miles.

Battery capacity as measured yearly by an interested mechanic...initial 54.9 (2018)...52.6 (2019)...51.2 (2021). Each measurement taken in August for consistency. 2020 skip due to the COVID.

Typically I will drive the car the next day or two after a full charge while on the lessor charges the Clarity may sit 3 or more days.

As a side note...I also run the Clarity in HV mode 2 days a month at random since it does have an ICE. Several year old threads discussing all the above can be found if anyone seeks more detail.

The way I manage the Clarity requires very little effort. Second nature at this point actually. Everyone can choose to manage their Clarity the way they see fit. There are at least 3 camps of thought on the best way to manage a EV...each camp is firmly entrenched in the I'm right - your wrong mentality. Disparaging others because they take a different viewpoint on a subject that is very much up for debate is senseless.

Good luck!

 

It almost sounds as though you’re disparaging those who disparage others.

 

Can you share your skepticism?

The charger is built in to the car. It can charge at 6.6kW when provided with a ~240V power source. It takes approximately 2.5 hours to charge a depleted battery. That is a charge rate of 0.4C. While Level 2 charges faster than Level 1, it is by no means a fast charge.

Level 3, or DC/DC fast charging, from 20% to 80% in 20 minutes or so, is another matter. A matter which does not concern a Clarity owner.

The difference between a lifetime of L2 charging vs a lifetime of L1 charging will have a statistically insignificant impact on the longevity of our battery.

 

@Clarity_Newbie,
You have been able to gather some nice Battery Capacity data...
Would you consider joining us by entering your data into the shared spreasheet in the ongoing effort to characterize battery behavior?

Here is the link to the spreadsheet if you would like to participate.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LHtqVuPzHUDXmX1jiHOQIpT_YiGp9N-vnBOiSz96C2I/edit#gid=1710145002

 

Bought my 2018 Clarity on Sept 1, 2018. It had been setting on a dealer lot uncharged for at least 7 months. I have 39,000 plus miles on it now. Used primarily as a daily commuter. Only one long road trip. I charge it every time it is in the garage (240v Mustart charger) and when ever at work (120 charger). Only issue was a bad front wheel bearing. Still get 48 to 50 miles of EV range during temperate weather. I don't keep any records and I don't fret over the battery. I fill up the gas tank three to four time per year.

 

Amen. I obsessed over this car for about a year, then realized I’d never done that for any vehicle I’ve owned for 40+ years. Just get me where I’m going, screw the details.

 

My 2019 has 50,000 miles on it, it gets charged full at least twice a day at 6.6kW. During the day it sits at a full charge in the hot sun. No issues, nor do I keep records, etc. I just drive it and don't worry about it. I fill it about once every ten days with gas.

 

With gas prices where they currently are and 42 mpg possible on gas, we tend not to “worry”.

We do, however, try to use EV as much as possible, and I make a game out of trying to eke out the best EV range I can, currently hovering between 42 and 47 miles on our 2018 with 56,000 miles.

Not worth its own thread, but we’re helping to care for an elderly cousin, and had an RV pedestal installed on her house to power our travel trailer. Below is how we charge using the 50A RV receptacle with adapter, albeit limited to the 13A or so charge rate with the stock EVSE cable. 10 EV miles per hour can be much handier than 4 EV miles per hour for mid-day top offs.

 

I have a similar quote I use in my work: It's a tool not a jewel.

Schooner Tuna: The tuna with a heart!

The beauty of a Clarity (specifically) and dual-fuels (in general).

 

All - Good morning! Some additional data points on this topic. My 2018 Clarity now has 45.5M miles and my Battery Capacity via Car Scanner shows 46.82. My EV mileage currently ranges between 50 and 55miles depending on speed and how much I use the AC. Note my EV range is also impacted by the fact that I live at the top of a 500 ft mountain range.

I initially used the Level 1 charger to charge but in early 2019 installed a ChargePoint home charger and now use that most of the time. The app now indicates the Clarity accepts approx 12.22KWh when EV is nearly fully depleted (12% showing at remaining battery capacity) to get back to 100%.

Hope this helps for the discussion

 

If my car is fully charged and I need to do a quick 3-10 mile trip, should I charge it again to full when I return home? Or is it bad for the battery to do constant little charges throughout the day? I normally use up my entire EV when I drive to work each day but occasionally I don't work and just do little drives around my area. It's easier for me to simply stick in the charger each time I return from one of those drives but I don't want to stress the battery if that's the case.

 

Shallow cycles are better then less frequent but deeper cycles.

That said, i don't worry about battery longevity though.

 

Here’s the complete wording from the manual. It actually recommends to recharge the battery “at least every three months” if the vehicle is left to sit unused for an extended period. While it does not define “recharge” it would not be unreasonable, in my opinion, to interpret that to mean a full charge, which the BMS regulates to ~90% or 4.09x VDC per cell.