I could be wrong but a while back a charge cycle was explained to me as "a whole charge." In other words, say you charge 20% each night for 5 nights topping off the battery each night, that would equal 1 charge "cycle." I'm sure there will be a lot smarter people than me on the forum that can explain it better.
Chevy Bolt EV Charging strategy?
A question about charging strategy:
I've heard over and over that lithium batteries have a life time which is limited by the number of charge cycles. So I'm wondering about what to do with our soon-to-arrive 2023 Bolt.
With our 2014 Volt, we just plug it in every time we come home - whether we've just gone 5 miles or enough to exhaust the battery and changed to internal combustion engine. But usually we've used at least half of the charge distance - which now is 31 miles.
However, with our new car the charge distance will be 200+ miles. So now charge cycles become a question.
Let's say we've driven 25 or 50 miles (many of our trips are less than 10 miles) and come home. Unless we're planning a long trip the next day we don't need to plug it in. (We have a Level 2 charger at home.) If we wait till the charge distance is something like 100 miles remaining, we'll usually charge it once or twice a week, rather than plug it in and charge twice a day. So that would make a major difference in the number of charge cycles.
Does anyone know what's the best strategy? I searched the Chevy Bolt web pages and didn't find anything.
I've heard over and over that lithium batteries have a life time which is limited by the number of charge cycles. So I'm wondering about what to do with our soon-to-arrive 2023 Bolt.
With our 2014 Volt, we just plug it in every time we come home - whether we've just gone 5 miles or enough to exhaust the battery and changed to internal combustion engine. But usually we've used at least half of the charge distance - which now is 31 miles.
However, with our new car the charge distance will be 200+ miles. So now charge cycles become a question.
Let's say we've driven 25 or 50 miles (many of our trips are less than 10 miles) and come home. Unless we're planning a long trip the next day we don't need to plug it in. (We have a Level 2 charger at home.) If we wait till the charge distance is something like 100 miles remaining, we'll usually charge it once or twice a week, rather than plug it in and charge twice a day. So that would make a major difference in the number of charge cycles.
Does anyone know what's the best strategy? I searched the Chevy Bolt web pages and didn't find anything.
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Thanks, I hope someone who does know more can reply. I've always interpreted charge cycle as going from wherever it is to something higher (100% or not necessarily that high.) So going from 80% to 100% for 5 nights would equal 5 charge cycles - as would going from 60% to 70% for five nights.
I'd think that Chevrolet would give advice on this as it would be to their advantage to lengthen battery life.
I'd think that Chevrolet would give advice on this as it would be to their advantage to lengthen battery life.
I have heard similar as anxiousMN has indicated. A 20% bump in charge does not constitute a charge cycle.
There is likely some benefit to running the battery through a large portion of it's range periodically. Say... run it down to 20% and then charge it to 80% or so... These batteries do not like being stored at 100% charge, so likely best to use it for several days without charging and then charge back up to 80% unless a long trip is planned.
There is likely some benefit to running the battery through a large portion of it's range periodically. Say... run it down to 20% and then charge it to 80% or so... These batteries do not like being stored at 100% charge, so likely best to use it for several days without charging and then charge back up to 80% unless a long trip is planned.
I"m pretty sure 1 "charge cycle" is 0-100%, so I'll put it differently, start at 0% and charge 20% each night for 5 nights = 1 charge cycle. I'm pretty sure I saw that on a post somewhere but I couldn't tell you where it is now.Thanks, I hope someone who does know more can reply. I've always interpreted charge cycle as going from wherever it is to something higher (100% or not necessarily that high.) So going from 80% to 100% for 5 nights would equal 5 charge cycles - as would going from 60% to 70% for five nights.
I'd think that Chevrolet would give advice on this as it would be to their advantage to lengthen battery life.
From Tech target, a charge cycle is a complete charge and discharge on a battery. Discharging from 100% to 50%, then charging back to 100% is 1/2 of a charge cycle.
There is a separate issue, more prevalent in batteries without active cooling, that most wear occurs at the top of the pack, the last few percent. This led some Nissan Leaf owners to keep their car from charging above 70%.
I would say even with active cooling, rapid charging the car from 0-100 in one go is going to be harder on the battery than 50-70 five times with a break in between. Enough to make a difference? Time will have to tell.
There is a separate issue, more prevalent in batteries without active cooling, that most wear occurs at the top of the pack, the last few percent. This led some Nissan Leaf owners to keep their car from charging above 70%.
I would say even with active cooling, rapid charging the car from 0-100 in one go is going to be harder on the battery than 50-70 five times with a break in between. Enough to make a difference? Time will have to tell.
I would caution you that there’s a difference between a 2014 Volt and a 2023 Bolt... if you try to drive your Bolt "beyond battery range," you’ll be sitting at the side of the road waiting for the tow truck. If the SOC is at 0%, the Bolt is not going to be moving. From a state of charge point of view, I don’t think any BEV driver really wants the SOC to drop into the single digit territory. From a "charge cycle" point of view, you will rarely be charging your Bolt from 0 to 100% (or, since we’re talking about "one cycle," you will rarely start with the battery fully charged to 100%, then drive until it is fully discharged at 0%, and is then recharged to 100%).Thanks, I hope someone who does know more can reply. I've always interpreted charge cycle as going from wherever it is to something higher (100% or not necessarily that high.) So going from 80% to 100% for 5 nights would equal 5 charge cycles - as would going from 60% to 70% for five nights.
I'd think that Chevrolet would give advice on this as it would be to their advantage to lengthen battery life.
Wikipedia tells me: Apple Inc. clarifies that a charge cycle means using all the battery's capacity, but not necessarily by discharging it from 100% to 0%: "You complete one charge cycle when you’ve used (discharged) an amount that equals 100% of your battery’s capacity — but not necessarily all from one charge. For instance, you might use 75% of your battery’s capacity one day, then recharge it fully overnight. If you use 25% the next day, you will have discharged a total of 100%, and the two days will add up to one charge cycle."
So going from 80% to 100% for five nights would equal 1 charge cycle and going from 60% to 70% for five nights would equal one-half of a charge cycle. For more information and lots of discussion on charging strategies and charging curves and road trip charging techniques, you could read through the postings (or even join that forum!) at the Chevy Bolt EV forum (www.chevybolt.org).
I think you are over thinking this. Li-ion batteries experience the most stress at the top and bottom 20 percent of their charge. Just set your bolt to only charge up to a maximum of 80 or 90 percent charge, whatever the bolt offers, and try to keep the minimum charge above 20 percent for the majority of your trips. If you do that, the battery will most likely wear out from age rather than charging cycles, no matter how many.
The Bolt has one of the most robust and user friendly charging system. I've already put 20k miles on my Bolt EUV LE in 10 months and I haven't notice any battery degredation after hundreds of Level 2 and DCFC sessions. The DCFC rate is very slow and relatively benign. It's not even rated at 1C.
I would charge like you own the electric company and drive like you stole it.
I would charge like you own the electric company and drive like you stole it.
The number I saw was max 6000 charging cycles lifetime for a Volt. Chevy determined the typical Volt will have 1000 charging cycles, far less than the 6000 cycles max number. Always fully discharge and fully recharge a Volt. Dont let it sit on the street for a month with no charging. Youll save yourself a lot of headaches.
Apr 10 is when our 2023 Bolt EUV is supposed to arrived at the dealership. Lots of comments about the best strategy for charging your Bolt. The owners manual has information about charging and take it how ever you interpret it.A question about charging strategy:
I've heard over and over that lithium batteries have a life time which is limited by the number of charge cycles. So I'm wondering about what to do with our soon-to-arrive 2023 Bolt.
With our 2014 Volt, we just plug it in every time we come home - whether we've just gone 5 miles or enough to exhaust the battery and changed to internal combustion engine. But usually we've used at least half of the charge distance - which now is 31 miles.
However, with our new car the charge distance will be 200+ miles. So now charge cycles become a question.
Let's say we've driven 25 or 50 miles (many of our trips are less than 10 miles) and come home. Unless we're planning a long trip the next day we don't need to plug it in. (We have a Level 2 charger at home.) If we wait till the charge distance is something like 100 miles remaining, we'll usually charge it once or twice a week, rather than plug it in and charge twice a day. So that would make a major difference in the number of charge cycles.
Does anyone know what's the best strategy? I searched the Chevy Bolt web pages and didn't find anything.
" The Bolt EV and Bolt EUV are is powered by a lithium-ion high-voltage battery pack. Keep the vehicle plugged in, even when fully charged, to keep the battery temperature ready for the next drive. "
The newer Bolts '19 on, have the ability to set max charge in 5% increments. My strategy has been to set the max charge to the lowest level that will meet your daily needs, plus something for a potential emergency, without going below 20%. The idea is to keep the typical charge equal on either side of 50%. If you need to go on a trip, charging to 100% occasionally and running below 20% won't hurt as long as it's not for a lengthy period. The Bolt even has a setting to immediately charge to 40%, regardless of the TOU setting. Based on that, my 2019 had very little degradation prior to the battery replacement last June.
But realistically, unless you plan on keeping the car for 10+ years, you would be conserving the battery for the next owner.
But realistically, unless you plan on keeping the car for 10+ years, you would be conserving the battery for the next owner.
Well, our other vehicle is a 2000 Nissan Frontier - so : -)The newer Bolts '19 on, have the ability to set max charge in 5% increments. My strategy has been to set the max charge to the lowest level that will meet your daily needs, plus something for a potential emergency, without going below 20%. The idea is to keep the typical charge equal on either side of 50%. If you need to go on a trip, charging to 100% occasionally and running below 20% won't hurt as long as it's not for a lengthy period. The Bolt even has a setting to immediately charge to 40%, regardless of the TOU setting. Based on that, my 2019 had very little degradation prior to the battery replacement last June.
But realistically, unless you plan on keeping the car for 10+ years, you would be conserving the battery for the next owner.
Thanks to all for the information and discussion. We'll read the manual carefully when we get the car (any day now!)
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