If you cannot leave your home to use your Electric Vehicle (EV) or are away somewhere for a long period of time, how do you maintain the battery?

However, the battery still needs attention, not only to prevent it from going flat but also to make sure that you don’t over-charge it. Taking the right approach to battery care is essential to ensure that your car starts when you return to it.

Here are some handy hints and tips to help keep your EV battery healthy and ready to go when you are.

  • As a rule, it is recommended that you don’t keep your EV charged above 90% State of Charge (SoC) – unless you are planning a long journey.
  • When you first park your car up for longer term parking / storage you can charge it up to 90% or even 100% SoC but once it has reached this level we recommend you disconnect the vehicle from the charger.
  • Do not leave the vehicle permanently connected to the charger. Keeping your EV at 100% SoC for a long period of time can damage the battery.
  • During this period of storage / quarantine keep the battery between 40% and 90% SoC if possible.
  • It isn’t a problem to let your EV go as low as 10% or even 5% SoC, but at this level it really is time to re-charge.
  • Battery drain on an EV will happen, even if it’s parked or stored away. There are lots of onboard computers working, even when power is off. Make sure you monitor the vehicle SoC and charge when you need to.
  • Have a look in your car’s settings, many EVs have a setting for maximum SoC. If you have this setting limit this to 90% to help maximize battery life.

Please make sure that you always follow manufacturer guidelines for charging your EV.

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