Tips & Tricks…
… for your traction battery
EV traction battery life - 5 tips & tricks
5 Tips for Maximizing Battery Life in Electric Vehicles
Ensuring longevity of your EV’s battery is crucial. Modern lithium-ion batteries are durable, typically lasting at least 1,000 charging cycles, but their lifespan depends on factors such as temperature, charging habits, and driving style. By implementing these practical tips, you can maintain the reliability and efficiency of your EV over time.
For every EV owner, optimizing battery lifespan is essential. Our straightforward tips will help you achieve this goal without the need for complex instructions.
Our VoltFix team has curated the 5 most effective tips for you.
Tip 1:
Charging Practices
Tip 2:
Your Driving Style
Tip 3:
Parking Conditions
Tip 4:
Regular Maintenance
Tipp 5:
Handling Long Periods of Inactivity
Tip 1: Charging Practices
- Avoid letting your battery run completely flat or charging it to full capacity. These extreme charge levels can strain the battery significantly and reduce the lifespan of your electric car battery.
The optimal charging range is between 20% and 80%. - If you do charge your electric car to full capacity, try to use some energy promptly.
Note: Fast charging processes can have a substantial negative impact on the lifespan of the electric car battery. We recommend slow charging (11 kW charge at a charging station or wallbox). This may take longer but is gentler on the battery when replenishing energy.
Additional Tip: If it’s cold outside, charge the battery immediately after driving while it’s still warm. This reduces strain on the battery compared to charging it when it’s cold.
Tip 2: Your Driving Style
The lifespan of an electric car battery heavily depends on your personal driving style:
Aggressive accelerations or prolonged high-speed driving can weaken the battery. A moderate driving approach supports battery longevity. Avoid aggressive driving behaviors such as frequent rapid acceleration and abrupt braking. A calm and efficient driving style helps extend battery life and optimize range.
Caution: This negative effect is amplified when the battery is cold, such as at the beginning of a drive.
Tip 3: Parking Conditions
Extreme temperatures, whether hot or cold, significantly impact the lifespan of an EV traction battery. During summer, avoid leaving your car in direct sunlight; find shaded parking whenever possible. As winter approaches and temperatures approach freezing, your battery benefits from being parked in a sheltered location such as a garage or carport.
For optimal performance, your battery operates most efficiently at around 20°C.
Tip 4: Regular Maintenance
An electric car has fewer mechanical parts compared to gasoline or diesel vehicles, resulting in lower maintenance requirements. However, to ensure your electric car battery remains in peak condition for a long time, regular checks are necessary. After all, the battery is the heart and by far the most expensive component of your electric car. Regular maintenance contributes to stable performance. This includes inspecting the battery itself and checking the terminals for any dirt or corrosion, which can be cleaned if necessary. Early detection of issues helps prevent major failures, as it’s always more cost-effective to address minor repairs than to deal with a complete breakdown.
Tipp 5: Handling Long Periods of Inactivity
Planning a vacation or leaving your electric vehicle parked for an extended period of time?
Just like with internal combustion engine vehicles, there are considerations for EV’s during long periods of inactivity:
- Avoid leaving your electric vehicle plugged in at the charging station or wall box.
- Maintain a moderate battery charge level, ideally around 60%.
It’s good to know: even without active power supply, the traction battery can maintain its charge level over several weeks.
Conclusion on Electric Car Battery Lifespan
Electric mobility is undoubtedly on the rise, and the lifespan of EV traction batteries will continue to improve. Future advancements will likely result in longer-lasting batteries with greater ranges. This is an exciting development for those embracing environmentally friendly transportation while aiming to maximize battery longevity.
By following a few practical tips, EV drivers can significantly influence the lifespan of their batteries with minimal effort.
Should your electric car battery ever underperform, our team is here to assist you. Simply contact us for support. Click here for our contactform.
Do you have any further questions?
Our VoltFix customer service manager, Christian Le Roux, looks forward to assisting you:
Tel.: 040 / 528864-423
Mobil: 0176 / 7322 7429
E-Mail: c.leroux@volt-fix.de
Request via WhatsApp – opens WhatsApp
Mo – Fr 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Business hours
Mo – Fr 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tel.: +49 40 / 528864-423
E-Mail: info@volt-fix.de
Lüdemann & Sens e.K.
Hökertwiete 9-11
22848 Norderstedt-Garstedt