EV adoption is steadily going up. Every day more and more vehicle owners make the switch from gas-guzzling cars to all-electric environmental-friendly vehicles. Most of the questions asked by these new EV owners are about charging. In this article, we simply answered whether you should charge your electric car every night.
You should definitely charge your electric car every night if your battery is lower than 80-90 percent. Charging your electric car every night is not only beneficial to your vehicle’s life span, it’s also better for your budget.
Modern home chargers have the ability to schedule charging sessions and set time and percentage caps. Whenever it’s convenient, you should plug your vehicle into charger at night. By doing that, you will avoid using DC chargers in the daytime. These fast chargers will degrade your electric car’s battery faster than Level 2 AC home chargers. Charging your vehicle at the off-peak hours will also lower your energy costs significantly, as you avoid higher electricity rates at peak times when energy demand is the highest.
According to Zippia, the average American commutes 41 miles a day. New electric cars offer an average of 250-350 miles of range. Some EVs such as Lucid Air and Tesla Model S have an EPA range of more than 400 miles. By merely looking at these to statistics, charging every night might look a bit overdo. But most electric car manufacturers highly recommend that you should keep your vehicle’s battery charge level at a decent percentage, not too low or not fully charged. Tesla even suggests you leave your vehicle plugged in if you’re going on a vacation or a business trip for a long time.
Can I Leave My EV Plugged in Overnight?
Unlike mobile devices, electric cars have advanced battery management systems that control thousands of battery cells inside the vehicle every moment. Leaving your car plugged in overnight won’t cause overcharge or do harm to your battery pack. So, it’s not a bad thing. In fact, it might be beneficial for your ride in the morning. By leaving your electric car overnight, you will make sure that your EV’s battery is full and it’s preconditioned for a trip even in cold weathers.
