Although electric vehicle batteries have an average life of over ten years, like all batteries, they go through a process of ageing and wear.
But don’t worry – there are several things you can do to help improve the health and longevity of your EV battery, all of which are included in this blog.
So, stay tuned and follow these six simple tips to take care of your EV battery.
DC rapid EV chargers (usually found on the motorway) are the perfect solution for when your battery is about to die and you need to charge as soon as possible.
But you should not rely on these ultra-rapid EV charging points as they put significant strain on your battery, resulting in your EV battery degrading quicker over time.
As such, industry experts recommended using a 7kW or 22kW electric car charger when topping up frequently, as they put much less strain on your battery.
Keeping your charge between 20-80% puts the least amount of strain on your EV battery. Letting your battery charge fall below 20% frequently can decrease the battery performance over time and may also increase your range anxiety. In the same sense, lithium batteries degrade faster when at 100% charge. So it’s best practice to keep your charge in the 20-80% sweet spot.
With certain electric vehicles, such as the Tesla, you can set charging limits, so your EV will automatically stop charging when it hits 80%. By doing this, you can ensure you do not put any unnecessary strain on your battery. With this in mind, it might be worthwhile checking whether your EV is capable of this.
An easy way to improve your charging habits and preserve your battery life is to invest in a smart home EV charger. With advanced smart features, you can minimise your reliance on DC rapid chargers and make it easier to ensure your charge is between the advised 20-80% zone.
As we mentioned above, avoid charging your EV to 100% as this can damage your EV’s battery. However, this will only damage the battery when you fully charge it all the time.
As such, only charge your EV battery to 100% when you really need to, such as when you need the full range of your electric vehicle for road trips and long journeys.
Like most vehicles, your EV will be the most comfortable when parked in the shade rather than in direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Parking in the shade keeps the battery cooler and prevents it from overheating; therefore, this will maintain longevity and performance.
Furthermore, extremely cold weather can also negatively impact your EV’s battery. Therefore, if possible, park your car in a garage to prevent this.
Let your electric car cool down before you start charging it. For example, if you have just finished a long drive on the motorway, it would not be advised to start charging your EV as soon as you arrive home.
Ideally, you should try to charge your electric vehicle at the coolest time of day or night to take care of your EV battery.
You could even set your EV to charge overnight when the temperature is at its lowest if you have a smart electric car charger.
Just like with a petrol/diesel car, you should make sure your vehicle doesn’t sit in the driveway or stay parked in the same place for too long. Taking your electric vehicle out for small drives (even five minutes is enough) helps to look after the EV’s battery and overall health.
If you are driving every day, you don’t need to worry about this tip too much, as your EV will likely get out and about enough. On the other hand, if you can’t remember the last time you drove your electric car, it might be time to take it out for a quick spin to ensure your battery stays in top condition.
Are you looking to get a smart EV charger installed? We Power Your Car can sort it for you!
If you are thinking about getting an EV home charger installed, please get in touch with us for helpful and unbiased advice. We install nationwide in as little as 8-10 working days after DNO approval.
You can browse our exciting range of dedicated EV home charge points here. Or, if you still don’t know where to start and prefer to speak to someone directly, call us on 03333 44 96 99 or fill in the contact form below. Our expert customer service team are always happy to help.
For more information and our latest updates, make sure you’re following us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Enter your information below, and one of our expert advisors will be in touch shortly.
This type of electric charger has it's own cable to charge your car.
This type of electric charger requires a seperate cable to charge your car.
Spread over a 60 month period.
Tenants and homeowners are eligible for finance.
You decide the amount of months.
Minimum of £1000.
We will contact you to process the credit application. Approval is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. 13.9% APR representative. T&Cs apply.
Your order is not confirmed until your application has been approved.
We lay SWA cable laid at 600mm deep, with a protective cable warning tape laid 150mm above the cable. These are laid on a sand or sifted sand soil bed then backfilled.
We position overhead cables at a minimum height of 3.5m and are run along a catenary wire. The cable run should not be accessible to vehicles.
Standard Installation
Our instant price is fixed if it falls within our standard installation package plus any additions that you have selected (extra cabling for example). This package covers the majority of homes in the UK. Before we undertake your installation we will carry out a digital survey to check that nothing has been missed. After reviewing the survey results some additional work may be required in order to complete your installation safely and to the required standards. If this is the case, we will contact you well before the installation date and advise the cost of any required work. You can then continue with your installation, or alternatively we will refund you in full if you do not want to proceed.
Included in our standard installation is :
• Fitting of a single phase charge point to a brick or plaster wall or other suitable permanent structure
• Up to 10 metres of cable, run and neatly clipped to the wall between the electricity supply meter / distribution board and the charge point.
• Routing of the cable through a drilled hole in a wall up to 500mm (20 inches) thick if this is needed.
• The fitting and testing of electrical connections and protections required for the charge point.
• An additional three way consumer unit, if required
• Installation of a Type A RCBO in an RCBO enclosure
• Up to 3 metres of plastic trunking to conceal interior wiring.
• An O-pen earth protection device if the charge point requires it. (This is NOT an earth rod)
• Up to 4 hours of labour from your installer to complete the work.
• Electrical testing of the whole installation.
• Handover and setup of the charge point and any app that may be needed.
Not included in our standard installation (additional work) :
• Where the installation requires additional cabling over and above the amount you have told us about.
• Upgrade/replacement of the main incoming supply fuse where the local DNO (eg Northern Powergrid) would need to attend site.
• If the charge point is to be mounted on a post/pedestal rather than an existing wall and where you have not selected a post as an extra cost option in your order.
• Installation of a charge point to a three phase supply.
• Where gas and water mains bonding (earthing) is not in place at your property. If this is not in place, additional work would be required before installation of the charge point.
• Any groundwork that has not been selected during the order process.
A Surge Protection Device is not included in our standard installation.
What else you need to know :
• On the day of installation, please ensure that the area around your consumer unit (fuse box), incoming electricity supply meter and proposed charge point location (including where the cable is expected to be run) is clear and free of obstructions.
• We will need your WiFi password as part of the installation process in order to connect your charge point to the internet. Please have this available for the installer. Details will not be kept.
• The charge point must be on your own designated off road parking.
• The charger will be fixed in line with current guidelines at a height where it cannot be hit by a vehicle.
• Our installers are not able to enter loft spaces; lift floorboards or flooring; take apart any furniture of work above a height of 2m. If you anticipate that any of this may be required, then please contact us and we can discuss in more detail and provide you with a quotation.
• Should there be extreme weather conditions our installers may not be able to continue with you installation if it is not safe to do so (for example flooding). They will always do their best to complete the work where they can.
If you have any questions then please contact our customer service team who will be happy to help. Please also read our terms and conditions.
