Stop Killing Your Tesla Battery! How to Charge the Right Way

no matter how you charge, its just a battery and it depletes with time, it may also explode or burnt up into ashes, big bomb under your seat.

Hello,
I have a used 2018 Tesla model 3 long range.
I have a question: if I drive round trip at about 70 miles per day how do I charge my battery to get full range and to help keep the life of the battery running?

I hate that my 2023 nissan leaf cannot set a charging limit.
I can only say "charge from X:00 to Y:00 o´clock". It shows me (in a different menu btw!!!) how long I need to charge to go to 20, 50, 80 and 100%.
So, every day , I need to look how long I need to charge to reach 80, and then set the loading time manually. Most of the time around 2 hours on daily commute.

Also, if the battery changes temperature during charging (for example because it cools down etc.), the old estimated time calculated with the old temperature doesn´t work out anymore. Because of that I suddenly woke up to a 90% charged car instead of 80-ish a few times. Or even a car charged to little. Annoying AF, if you consider the chademo quick charging port...
I love the car over all, but these 2 are the reasons I would NOT recommending to buy a new Leaf :D But it´s lots of bang for your buck.

For anyone out there in the “watching this as a step toward deciding whether to buy a Tesla”, know this, you are entering into a very interesting new way to own a vehicle as far as ev vs gas.. teslas are AWESOME in so many ways and they ARE cheaper to drive than gas vesicles.. bottom line though, do not buy a Tesla if you do not have a home or work charging option available to you yet.. while cheaper to operate than a gas vehicle, if you are left to charging on the go so to speak, it is safe to supercharge but you will be going to the supercharger every two to three days and burning close to an hour of your day (assuming the supercharger station isn’t busy and then they are slow and charge time could be 1-1,5hrs)..

You can read more this online but the “no supercharging is better” mindset is an urban myth. It’s never been proven accurate and recent true testing has proven there is a statistically insignificant difference.

You can read more this online but the “no supercharging is better” mindset is an urban myth. It’s never been proven accurate and recent true testing has proven there is a statistically insignificant difference.

well done!

Just buy a real car. A petrol or diesel one. Jumping through hoops just because you bought a defective vehicle isn't the answer.

Using mobile connector, successfully on a nema 14-30 and sometimes on a regular outlet when traveling.

Absolutely right. I plan to do this when my life is as perfect as I want my car battery to be. Till then...

Andy I have the same Tesla model 3/year as you and I have always tried to follow your charging/battery recommendations. I hope to reach 200K also!

I used the mobile charger with the 110 outlet in my garage, with my model Y and kept it plugged all the time. It worked fine for the first few weeks but suddenly blew the breaker and stopped working. Thinking 110 charging is not Practical unless it’s on a dedicated circuit. So I installed a nema 14 - 50 problem solved.

I charge 120v daily and rarely on trips super charge

I think this depends on battery construction. Tesla vs all others are different. If Elon says it doesn’t affect the battery much, it’s because his batteries are designed for his superchargers. His cars have a management system that controls the battery temp, ect to optimize it for high speed charging. Also his new batteries actually advise you to charge 100% at least once a week.

What’s important here is the charge cycles. You can waste a whole cycle by charging when car has more than 20% charge left over. So charging once it reaches 20% to 100% is the same as 80% charging. Plus you make use of the charge cycle.

Older teslas have a 1500-2000 charge cycles. The newer ones double that. So just make efficient use of your charging as each cycle counts.

I don’t want my car to be a point of stress which owning a electric car would do for me. No thank you it’s not for me.

I live in a hot climate without shade 😔

Wow, you're like a guru of charging. Loser

So mache ich das auch… täglich zwischen 40 und 60% … längere Strecken bis 80% und wenn es sein muss bis 90%.

During my 2 year maintenance at the local center, the lady told me that my M3P still had 96.7% of its capacity.

For a LFP battery can you go below 20% and don’t get too much degradation ?

Recent study came out based on data from tesla driven 10 years. Suoercharging does not affect. Battery longevity

How about not keeping those fire hazards, those EVs, in your garage?

EV owners must Read Your Manual.

Only charge over supercharger.
If I killed the battery I replace new battery or I replace new Tesla.

Cool story. But I think 80% is the climate you live in and 20% is the way you charge your battery.

Find all your best practice videos very helpful. Thank you for making these.

There way too much energy spent thinking about how to charge these cars. Just set it to cap somewhere between 75% - 85% max (wherever you're comfortable with your max range) and plug it in whenever it's parked. Then stop thinking about it unless you need to bump it to 100% in preparation for a road trip.

Great video. All of what you said makes sense. I've been telling people the easiest way to protect your battery is to charge with a 120V outlet for a while now. Keep your battery above 30% (why PHEV's don't let you "EV only" below 30%) and below 80% excluding road trips. Let's be real. Most drivers are home >12hrs per day. That means 24 - 36 miles a day. If you're only home 12 hours a day using a 120V outlet. Most people are home longer than that. Most people drive about the American average of 37mi/day. That means you'd need to use a level 2 charger roughly 1 - 3 times per year. But no one wants to talk about the feasibility of 120V charging. It's not cool. It's not expensive. And it's something everyone can do as long as they aren't in an apartment that has no outside plugs. Then, Plugshare has tons of free level 2 charging you can easily charge your weekly drive in 3-4 hours once a week.

Wallbox with Sol electro Zonhoven Belgium

If my daily driving uses only around 10% of the battery, is it best to charge a bit every day or charge to 80%, then again when it goes to below 50% or 40%?

Quick question. Just bought a 2018 Model 3. This is my first winter with a Tesla. I'm in Iowa, where it's cold and blizzard-y, and going to get colder. The car has been in a nearby parking garage all day (I have neither garage nor driveway). It was at 35% SOC this morning, and is at 29% SOC now. Why? Is it using energy to keep itself warm? Thinking I will have to charge it up ASAP before it gets below 20%. My 2018 Leaf never lost a percentage point when I left it sitting, even for weeks at a time, so this is new info for me. Good videos, and this new Tesla owner thanks you!

Wife’s Tesla model y LR - she uses near 50% daily driving. Would you recommend charging to 80 and using to 30? Or charging to 90 and using to 40%?

Always love Andy’s videos, super informative, and keep my interest. Not gonna lie, he’s also easy on the eyes. 😊

Thank you for making this pro informative video. Very helpful.

The LFP say charge to 100% weekly, if you are only driving maybe 10% per day should you still charge to 100% every night or lower it to 90% and charge that every day. Or even every other day, do charge cycles matter at all?

Do you have any advice for "conditioning" the battery prior to home charging?

Slow down. You talk way too fast.

Great video by the way. Thanks for all the info.

Andy if I only use about 6% of my battery power most days is it still wise to charge to 80% every night? I have a 2021 M3 Long Range. Anyone else please comment.

What a pain in the ass.........Just Fill it up!!!!!!!!

If u live in a colder environment tesla is beyond gabage

Thanks for this video Andy. Since picking up my 20223 M3LR in April 2023 I have 2 weekly charging methods.
1. top up 40% (3hr@11kw) 2 sometimes 3 times a week (when down to 20% SOC . or
2. a 4-6 long charge taking me to 90% and setting me up for the forth coming week with SOC 10-15%. Which results in fewer charging cycles but a larger/longer top up.

When I picked up the M3LR (78kwhr batt w/ 602km range) it showed 90% charge threshold for daily driving. Are you aware of any tests that have accommodated the SOC 10-90% for NMC battery tech and how it compares to your findings. Thanks heaps.

Stupid question. As i have now level 3 charger, how can i use it to act as level 2. Just getting my car tomorrow :)

Really informative video, Andy - thanks. FYI, my Tesla service center recommends "recalibrating" your Battery Management Unit every month or two months. This is done by charging to 100%, discharging to below 20%, then recharging to 100% again, which is then followed by normal driving and charging levels of 80%. They said doing this recalibrates the BMU controls on the car enabling it to make better estimates. Have you heard this before?

If you are on a tight budget you would not own a Tesla, get the best connector for the intended use (likely get both). The wall connector is the way to go for home, especially in situations (like mine) where the wall connector lives outdoors. Also, the NEMA 14-50 outlet can be a (arcing) fire hazard especially if it is not a quality one (like most electricians would use) and you plug and unplug to bring it with you (because you cheaped out on connectors). The car has an 11.5kwh onboard charger get the solution that can use it. It seems insane to buy a $40k, $50k, $60k+ vehicle and then try to save $200 on a the charging hardware you use every day.

My 2022 Model Y Performance is using 350-450 kw/mi on every drive and Tesla keeps telling me my battery health test as “good”.? What am I missing? I know other owners of all models that say it should be under 200. I get 2 miles per percent doing 68 in a 70 on the interstate in FSD AND very lite acceleration. 72* ambient and minimal hvac use…. Can’t be right! Feedback please.

Geez, you'd thinkfor what the things cost that they'd give you at least the 110V charger with the car.

So what I do instead of waiting till 12 at night to start charging… once I plug in it starts but does a trickle charge very low amps on my Tesla wall connectors, the slower you can charge a Tesla the better off you will be as a side note charging your car hurts more than discharging