How often to recharge?

[Tarrngtn]

We do level 2 charging in our garage, so we can do it as often as we please. We rarely use more than 5% of the charge during a day. We could charge up each day, or after several days. We have heard that it is bad for the batteries to charge frequently. We suspect it makes no difference. Anybody know?

 

[LeftieBiker]

You don't want to keep the pack near full all the time. First, use the Hilltop Reserve to place an upper limit on the charge. Second, try to let it get down to at least 50% regularly. If it were me, but with your range needs, I'd generally keep the charge near 60% or so, occasionally charging to 100% to help keep it equalized.

 

[WetEV]

We do level 2 charging in our garage, so we can do it as often as we please. We rarely use more than 5% of the charge during a day. We could charge up each day, or after several days. We have heard that it is bad for the batteries to charge frequently. We suspect it makes no difference. Anybody know?

The average state of charge is perhaps more important. Shallow depth of change cycles is probably better.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries


Do you have "hill top reserve" enabled? (page 132 of the manual)

 

[WetEV]

If it were me, but with your range needs, I'd generally keep the charge near 60% or so, occasionally charging to 100% to help keep it equalized.

A departure timer hours after you usually depart, along with "priority charging" could be used to do this.

I'm not sure if this is the best choice for a Bolt, at least not all the time and everywhere. The reason is the Thermal Management System or TMS.

It is recommended that the vehicle be plugged in when temperatures are below 0 °C (32 °F) and above 32 °C (90 °F) to maximize high voltage battery life.

In cold temperatures want to avoid discharging the battery to warm the battery. In hot temperatures want to have the TMS running off of line power rather than battery power.

 

[BoltEV]

I recharge every night.

In Los Angeles I have noticed when the weather is "cold" here the GOM after a recharge is about 199 but when the recent Santa Ana heat wave returned, it went back to 225 to 238.

 

[EldRick]

Just curious: is there a way to set the Bolt to not charge at all while plugged in? I'm thinking maybe the time of use settings or something could be set to avoid any charging?

 

[SparkE]

I have heard that stuff that "happens" while plugged in (such as more aggressively warming the battery in cold conditions, or pulling electrons from the wall and not the battery when "Remote Start" is activated) does NOT happen if you have programmed the vehicle to not charge due to time of day/peak-rate settings. I don't know if that is true or not. If somebody with a device that can measure watts pulled from the wall could verify this ...

 

[IMAdolt]

Just curious: is there a way to set the Bolt to not charge at all while plugged in? I'm thinking maybe the time of use settings or something could be set to avoid any charging?

In theory you can use off peak charge settings to dictate what hours you're charging is active, you can set this to a time you know you won't be charging (like a time after you leave for work) and in theory use priority charging for other times of the day or if you want it to charge up overnight.

This should allow you to be plugged in but not charging, weather or not your car benefits from al the "plugged in batter conditioning bonuses" or not if it's plugged in but not charging or weather there's even a difference between plugged or unplugged battery conditioning and TMS is another issue/discussion all together.

I haven't tried doing this method of charge stalling yet and people have reported problems with it working but who's to say who's doing what exactly.