MAINTENANCE TIPS - How to keep your EV Happy
- Your EV has a small 12 volt battery to run the computers and lights and other accessories. Your car will not start if this battery is drained (just like in a regular ICE). If the battery is low, you will see a very disturbed EV with "go to the dealer asap" messages.
- Don't leave the car for extended periods of time with a dome light in on or a door is ajar. And periodically (annually ?) have the 12 volt battery tested (most local auto repair folks can test it).
- Great article on EV Battery Life https://www.geotab.com/blog/ev-battery-health/
Maintain the ideal state of charge between 40-80%.
Lithium ion batteries last longest when they aren’t always fully charged to 100%, or drained too close to being fully depleted. The manufacturers know this, and they engineer the battery management system (BMS) to ensure that doesn’t happen. So even when you charge your EV to 100% state of charge, the battery is actually only about 90% charged, with the 10% left unused as a “buffer” to prevent overcharging. Still, even with the ~10% buffer, it’s better if you can only power your EV to about 80% - unless of course, you need the extra range for a particular day. In that case, it’s fine to fuel the li-ion batteries all the way to 100% state of charge.
Also, try not to frequently drain your battery below a 5% state of charge. On the occasions that you do, plug the car into a charging station right after you’ve parked, because leaving a nearly-drained battery sit for a long period of time without recharging can permanently damage the cells, shorten the battery life, and eventually contribute to battery degradation. In the occasion that your battery falls below 5%, it is crucial that you keep an EV charging connector in your car that can be used at any charging station. Keeping the battery’s state of charge between 40% and 80% is ideal, but that’s not always possible. Also, if you know you’re not going to be using your plug-in electric vehicle for an extended period, like a couple of weeks, you should leave it between 40% and 80% charged.
How long does an electric car battery last?
When properly cared for, an electric car battery can last the entire life of the vehicle, estimated to be 15 years. There are also reports of Tesla electric cars with more than 300,000 miles on the original battery, and they are still working fine. If you’re in the market for a new car, electric car battery life shouldn’t be a concern. Especially if you take care of your investment, and follow the simple tips we’ve outlined above.
Lithium ion batteries last longest when they aren’t always fully charged to 100%, or drained too close to being fully depleted. The manufacturers know this, and they engineer the battery management system (BMS) to ensure that doesn’t happen. So even when you charge your EV to 100% state of charge, the battery is actually only about 90% charged, with the 10% left unused as a “buffer” to prevent overcharging. Still, even with the ~10% buffer, it’s better if you can only power your EV to about 80% - unless of course, you need the extra range for a particular day. In that case, it’s fine to fuel the li-ion batteries all the way to 100% state of charge.
Also, try not to frequently drain your battery below a 5% state of charge. On the occasions that you do, plug the car into a charging station right after you’ve parked, because leaving a nearly-drained battery sit for a long period of time without recharging can permanently damage the cells, shorten the battery life, and eventually contribute to battery degradation. In the occasion that your battery falls below 5%, it is crucial that you keep an EV charging connector in your car that can be used at any charging station. Keeping the battery’s state of charge between 40% and 80% is ideal, but that’s not always possible. Also, if you know you’re not going to be using your plug-in electric vehicle for an extended period, like a couple of weeks, you should leave it between 40% and 80% charged.
How long does an electric car battery last?
When properly cared for, an electric car battery can last the entire life of the vehicle, estimated to be 15 years. There are also reports of Tesla electric cars with more than 300,000 miles on the original battery, and they are still working fine. If you’re in the market for a new car, electric car battery life shouldn’t be a concern. Especially if you take care of your investment, and follow the simple tips we’ve outlined above.
You need your key FOB to be able to start the EV. But it's battery can go dead. There are manual work arounds, but another option is to carry a spare FOB battery in your glove department and a screwdriver of the correct size to be able to replace the FOB battery.
Subject: VEVA List - Emergency replacement for a 2025 battery. Reply-To: Gordon Wong <[email protected]>
- two regular business cards and one layer of electrical tape
- an old iTunes card with no tape
Subject: VEVA List - Emergency replacement for a 2025 battery. Reply-To: Gordon Wong <[email protected]>
- The 2025 key fob battery in my Leaf needed replacement (the car tells you) and all I had were some 2016 cells. 2025s are used in pretty much every keyfob but they are a bit hard to find.
- The 2025 and 2016 cells are 20 mm in diameter. They are 2.5 and 1.6 mm thick respectively.
- To do the battery replacement using the 2016 all I needed to do was cut a roundish spacer from a card and possibly add a layer or two of electrical tape to make a 0.9 mm (0.03") spacer under the 2016 cell, then put the keyfob back together.
- Here are the thickness combinations that will work:
- two regular business cards and one layer of electrical tape
- an old iTunes card with no tape
- As an alternative to a layer of vinyl electrical tape, you can use four layers of cellophane, magic or packing tape. Or two layers of masking tape.
- The 2016 cell should last a year anyway. Do not use a CR2032 as it is too thick and contact will be lost, so no power at all to the keyfob and you will think it's broken. Ask me how I know this.
- To open the keyfob to change the cell, release and pull out the physical key using the little latch on the back. Use the screwdriver in the now-exposed tiny slot at the end of the keyfob between the two halves (NOT where the key slots into) and twist to pop one end open. Go around the keyfob and use a fingernail or the screwdriver, twisting carefully in a few places to open the keyfob up. Replace the cell using a knife to get under the cell. To reassemble, start at the round end and snap the two halves back together.
- Hope this helps you if in a bind. Gordon Wong, VEVA.