You Should Set EV Charge Limit To Just 60 Percent: Here's Why

It's become common knowledge among EV owners that charging to 100 percent is not the best plan. In fact, many people set their cars to charge to around 80 percent or so. Research indicates that this is much better for battery health and longevity.

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People outside of the segment, like first-time electric car buyers, may not be aware of this, at least initially. It poses an issue if they buy an EV with a certain range expectation, but then don't have access to that full range on a regular basis if they choose to charge to 80 percent.

This is only a real issue if the particular EV has limited range and you plan to travel long distances on a normal basis. However, when prepping for a road trip, charging to 100 percent from time to time is not a major concern.

Some EVs like the Audi e-tron and Volkswagen e-Golf have a built-in buffer, meaning when you charge to 100 percent, the battery pack is not actually at 100 percent. Instead, there's an unusable reserve to help limit battery degradation.

Tesla owner and EV fan/expert Bjørn Nyland is now trying to convince people to charge to just 60 percent. He does mention that this may not be possible in all cases and under all circumstances, but it's well worth it if possible. Some EVs charge slower than others, some people live in areas where charging infrastructure is not available, etc.

Nyland admits that he didn't follow this advice when charging his Model X. However, now that he has a Model 3, this is his regular plan for a number of reasons.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has commented on the situation in the past. As you can see, he's changed his advice over time:

Check out Nyland's brief video for more details. Then, we'd love to know what you think. What's your method?

Video Description via  on YouTube:

Why you should set charge limit to 60 %