Electric Explained: SIX battery facts every electric car owner needs to know

#electriccars #battery #evs

Owning and using an electric car is simple. Plug in - charge up - drive. Repeat as required. However even the most ardent of electric car enthusiasts will admit that there can be something of a learning curve when you first make the switch to electric. There can also be a gap between expectations and reality - especially when it comes to range and charging.

Here at electrifying, we’ve consigned the rose-tinted spectacles to the bin and are happy to admit that, sometimes, car makers don’t always want you to know the quirks and frustrations that can be part of electric car ownership. We’re on a mission to debunk, demystify and decipher electric car charging. Want to know why charging the last 20% of your battery takes forever? Or why plugging in after every small journey isn’t the best thing for your battery? Join Ginny as she explains more about electric car batteries.

——————————————————————————————-

Our reviews are written by some of the most experienced reviewers in the business and will even help you find the perfect new or used car.

eaff02

[kaziez]

A better analogy is pouring coke. You can pour fast but near the end you need to pour slow to allow the bubbles to settle.

[paulscallan]

Every garage should show this video to all new customers so that people have a understanding about electric cars . Well done

[grahamcastle]

Well done, good advice given in a concise, clear way and not something you will find in the handbook.

[adriancarey]

Like the tea analogy. Hungry for the battery chemistry video.🍰

[TB-upxi]

8:15 That advice about 60% charge technically correct but no the full story - if you have an LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery then the difference between keeping the car between 80 and 20 % and charging it every single opportunity to 100% is negligible, in fact Tesla recommends charging to 100% at least once per week. The hassle of constantly altering charge patterns is just not worth the payoff in miniscule battery maintenance savings.

[briangriffiths]

The MSM tends to ignore that EV batteries are generally lasting for several years longer than was ever anticipated, so long as owners take a bit of care as shown in this video and the car has a thermal management system.

[wrutherfordxx]

Best analogy is a film theatre filling up. Easy for the first 0% to 80%. After that the remaining 20% of seats are singles and dotted all over the place. Hard to find and given the time, closing in on the performance starting, panic and confusion setting in. Hence the delay in filling to 100% capacity ie charging fully.

[thomasdavidbassett]

I get my first ev a Q4 tomorrow thank you for your reviews and tips.

[peterjackson]

Understanding these things is absolutley key. 👌👌

[LeiChat]

The range display (aka guess-o-meter) is essentially the same in an ICE car. If you have a heavy foot in an ICE it will also do less miles for the energy consumed, it's just we are so used to not worrying about it due to the size of the tank and it's perhaps not quite as significant a variation as when driving an EV like you stole it. In some ways the range display is worse in an ICE as most of them stop offering a guesstimate once they reach 40/50 miles remaining.

[WaltervonKurzgesagt]

Geat video. No one really talks about this stuff

[willbowen]

Er, wow, had to rewind to get what Ginny was saying. Great explanation though and she is a great presenter especially on the box.

[esmooth]

6:35 Isn't it the same concept with gasoline/petrol? I drive on the highway and the street all the time, so my miles per gallon are always going to be different... And I imagine it would be the same with batteries

[JohnRobertson-wo]

The issue of not charging your EV battery up to 100% each time is a little contain maybe 300-400 individual cells and the process of "cell-balancing" only takes place when the battery State-of-Charge (SOC) is above 94-95% i.e. the very top-end of the charging cycle. If the battery is not charged to 100% say every week or so, then there is a very real danger that the cells can get "out-of-balance" i.e. some cells at a lower voltage than the rest, and this can actually ruin the battery because the current draw is effectively set by the average voltage and thus some cells will experience excess current which can damage them...and this will reduce the performance of the whole battery pack.
This issue has effectively come about because EV reviewers (most without any real engineering or battery development experience) have picked up on "the best way to run a BEV on a long trip" i.e. running/charging the battery between the SOC 80 to 20 range...this is a very true proposal because of the Charging Profile Curve which is non-linear thus the time lost through charging gets exponentially longer after say 80-85% SOC, and charging speeds at say lower than 15-20% SOC are relatively slow.
The battery manufacturers recommend the "20-80" SOC operating range also because it tends to extent the life of the battery pack by maximising the number of charging cycles the battery will sustain in its life. However, it is also important to understand the relationship between charging current and battery life/charging cycles i.e. the higher the charging current/charging power the fewer cycles the battery pack will sustain and the lower will be its service life. If most charging is done at home at lower currents/power ratings i.e. 7-12kW charging with only a few rapid charges per month (over these levels), then the battery life should not be seriously affected.
I hope this helps clear up this mis-leading information.
Doug Robertson, retired engineer with 10 years experience of EV / battery development

[VgAce]

As someone from the states, I love your tea analogy. Except over here it would be coffee ;)

[ian]

Toyota and Stamford University have just carried out a study on how to charge a new EV battery..An initial fast charge apparently sorts out the internal components of the battery and will prolong battery life. Contrary to all previous ideas. Once again proves one should never listen to opinion only to those with experience and knowledge!

[mcdon]

The WLTP and guessometer figures are a frequent bone of contention because so many people out there seem to think that they only arrived with EVs, and then complain constantly about how the EV NEVER does what it's supposed to.

We've had range meters in conventionally powered vehicles for a long time, economy figures have been a thing for decades...and they were never true in those vehicles either. Anyone buying a vehicle, any vehicle, and expecting to get the economy figures in the brochure are, quite literally, not living in the real world.

[torrhthc]

How about battery impact in hot climates like malaysia and thailand?

[coogycoogman]

Thanks for the advice. There seems to be a lot of negative press around about EVs.

[thisisjmx]

I just need to know .. I've got the e-C4. How do you get the % displayed on the display? I've tried everything! What have I missed?
Anywho... Thank you for this video.🎉