[ix50si]

So I was told that to improve the battery life the best thing would be to set the max charge to 80% and switch to 100% on long trips. Since this is a lease and I don’t plan on keeping the car for more than 3 years should I be worried about this? Is this for battery longevity long term or for the short term? Hopefully someone understands what I’m asking.

[Pictor]

While the first year generally sees the most degradation, the 80% rule is for long term battery health. That said, do you need all that range on a daily basis?

[exxxviii]

I charge mine to 90%. It’s a lease, so longevity is a non-factor to me. I like the extra few days between charges the additional 10% gives me.

[Barry123]

Unless you need the range, why charge to 100% daily and degrade the battery needlessly for the next owner?

[thebishman]

If you’re using a Level 2 charger at home then you aren’t going to cause much degradation in the long run regardless of whether you charge to 80%; 90% or 100%.

If all you do is use a DCFC charger, then keep it to 80% as much as possible for daily use and drive immediately if you go above 80%.

That being said, if you don’t need that much range on a daily basis, just charge to 80% as it’s still going to get you well over 200 miles in most ambient conditions.

[drbluedevil]

If it's a lease, who cares? You're unlikely to meaningfully degrade your overall charge capacity during your ownership period even with charging to 100% all the time.

When charging to maximum capacity, you will generate more waste heat as the charging efficiency reduces more and more the closer you approach 100% SOC. So if the extra few wasted cents/dollars or the knowledge of the inefficiency is bothersome to you, then cap it at 80%. If you don't care and like starting the day at 100% no matter what, then just go for it.

I cap at 80% because I don't need nearly that much charge, and I usually don't plug in until I'm down to 40 or 50%.

[NomoTesla]

Originally Posted by ix50si

So I was told that to improve the battery life the best thing would be to set the max charge to 80% and switch to 100% on long trips. Since this is a lease and I don’t plan on keeping the car for more than 3 years should I be worried about this? Is this for battery longevity long term or for the short term? Hopefully someone understands what I’m asking.

There is absolutely ZERO need to charge more range than you actually drive. What's the point when the car charges in your garage while you sleep? It would kill me to keep a 90% or 100% charged EV sitting in my garage not going anywhere. This is not a gasoline vehicle paradigm.

I keep my car charged to 60% because my daily drives rarely exceed 100 miles. I keep my charge cycles shallow and I rarely, ever, charge to 100% because I want my battery and related systems to be in peak condition as long as possible.

Eventually, when I sell my car, the next owner will receive the continued benefit of my care. This is my moral compass.

Originally Posted by Barry123

Unless you need the range, why charge to 100% daily and degrade the battery needlessly for the next owner?

Exactly right. Lease or not, we should all care. I think it's incredibly selfish for lease folks to say they don't care about the next owner. Gosh, wouldn't it be great if we all had the same attitude about everything? What a wonderful world we would live in, right? It's like abusing a rental property because it isn't yours and you're going to give it back eventually. What kind of way is that to live?

Originally Posted by drbluedevil

If it's a lease, who cares? You're unlikely to meaningfully degrade your overall charge capacity during your ownership period even with charging to 100% all the time.

Here are a couple of references regarding battery care, neither of which recommend charging to 100% regularly.

https://www.midtronics.com/blog/is-i...hort%20circuit.

I believe iX model years before 2024 have a 30% degradation guarantee. If the battery degradation over the warranty period ever exceeds 30% from new, BMW will replace it. I read that the 2024s no longer have the degradation guarantee, so if you're going to abuse your battery because you're in a lease and don't care about the next person, don't expect BMW to be of any help if your battery is delivering significantly less range in years 2 and 3 of your lease.

[deutsch100]

3-4x a month, I charge to 100% percent since I take long drives to see my Mom at her care center. I use my Level II BMW Wallbox (love by the way).

During the week, I let my car go down to 20-30% before I charge. Some days I use the slow and gentle Level I charger (it makes me think the battery likes this ).

Most times I keep my car between 40-80%, but I know in the "olden" days of EVs, a 100% charge now and then was good for "cell balancing", although I'm sure it is automatic.

I also think about caring for the car, when someone buys it after me. But, when I need or want a 100% charge....I do not feel bad or guilty. Until I sell it or trade it in, I am making the payment

I NEVER dcfc charge, as E.A. sucks...and my gut just tells me dcfc is really not great for the battery.

I have been driving EVs and PHEVs since 2017, and I have never had any battery issues or worries.

[Pictor]

Originally Posted by NomoTesla

I keep my car charged to 60% because my daily drives rarely exceed 100 miles. I keep my charge cycles shallow and I rarely, ever, charge to 100% because I want my battery and related systems to be in peak condition as long as possible.

Eventually, when I sell my car, the next owner will receive the continued benefit of my care. This is my moral compass.

I'm with NomoTesla

This reminds me of the old debate about doing oil changes on a lease. I have leased many vehicles and every single one received regular maintenance and hand wash, and wax when needed. It's my car for the period of the lease and I don't want to abuse it. Charging is similar although easier than having to drive into a dealer for an oil change. Assuming you charge at home.

I don't see the point in charging to high SoC if you don't need it other than feeling the anxiety of "I might need the full range for an emergency" but that's a very edge case that can be mitigated with a fast charge en route to your destination.

My car lives in the middle band of the pack. If you pick any given day it will likely be between 40-60% SoC. I just checked this moment and I'm at 39% SoC. I don't charge until I'm close or below 20% and stop the charge around 70-80%. The exception is if I'm on a road trip then I'll go below 10% and charge up to about 60-70% if I'm DC charging with the exception of the first leg of a long trip which I schedule the AC charge to 100% to complete just before I hit the road. If I'm at a hotel with a L2 charger then I may go higher if needed for the next day of a multi-day road trip.

[thebishman]

One reason to give a damn about how you take care of a lease, and especially how you approach battery charging is: what if you decide to buy out the lease at the end?

[Kennethjk]

Originally Posted by drbluedevil

If it's a lease, who cares? You're unlikely to meaningfully degrade your overall charge capacity during your ownership period even with charging to 100% all the time.

When charging to maximum capacity, you will generate more waste heat as the charging efficiency reduces more and more the closer you approach 100% SOC. So if the extra few wasted cents/dollars or the knowledge of the inefficiency is bothersome to you, then cap it at 80%. If you don't care and like starting the day at 100% no matter what, then just go for it.

I cap at 80% because I don't need nearly that much charge, and I usually don't plug in until I'm down to 40 or 50%.

I am making a list of all those that charge 100% because it’s a lease or it will be someone else’s problem, want to make sure I never buy that car , LOL

[hugo_nz]

This is a fascinating study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...52484719310911

Abstract:
The present study, that was experimentally conducted under real-world driving conditions, quantitatively analyzes the energy losses that take place during the charging of a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), focusing especially in the previously unexplored 80%–100% State of Charge (SoC) area. The results show that losses, during charging within the abovementioned area, are almost double compared to the 20%–80% SoC area and vehicle’s average specific real energy consumption is almost 2 kWh/100 km more, compared to what the driver sees on the EV’s dashboard. Furthermore, it is not for the driver’s benefit to exceed 80% of SoC during charging, considering the required charging time, the distance that each SoC area provides and the life expectancy of the battery itself.

[Tigershark321]

There is no way I would buy this car out of the lease at the end. I could never be convinced especially with the changes of CCS to NACS.

[NomoTesla]

Originally Posted by Tigershark321

There is no way I would buy this car out of the lease at the end. I could never be convinced especially with the changes of CCS to NACS.

If one's ownership experience during the lease was positive and with few or no repairs, why the hesitation? Second, the CCS-to-NACS adapters that Tesla is making for Ford, Rivian, Mercedes, BMW, etc., accommodate a full 500A which easily maxes out the iX's charge rate. I don't think the shape of one's charge port is an important factor in whether one keeps the car after lease-end.

[ix50si]

Another question regarding this. If choosing a setting higher than 80 percent what is ideal? I know charging to 100 percent is wasteful. Is 95 the highest to go that is most efficient but still gets you a higher mileage than the 80?

[ricerboi]

Alright boys, this is what you’ve been waiting for. I ponied up for the $19.99 Bimmerflow charge and here is my data at 56k miles with 95% EA DCFC.

[ricerboi]

Omg Bimmerflow is so much fun!

This is me flooring it in reverse and screenshotting.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by ricerboi

Alright boys, this is what you’ve been waiting for. I ponied up for the $19.99 Bimmerflow charge and here is my data at 56k miles with 95% EA DCFC.

Thanks for the great info! Seems the battery holds up very well (above average) even with a lot of DCFC.

[ricerboi]

Originally Posted by LVBMW

Thanks for the great info! Seems the battery holds up very well (above average) even with a lot of DCFC.

I was curious (and nervous) myself too as I was completely reckless with charging, although I don’t have a home charger so I’m naturally at 20-80% most of the time.

Just do whatever is convenient, the BMW battery management system has got us covered!

I lose my free EA that I’ve milked for 20+ MWh in 3.5 months 😅 so that degradation will level out at 85-90% the next 2 years.

[Louis_BE]

Originally Posted by ricerboi

Alright boys, this is what you’ve been waiting for. I ponied up for the $19.99 Bimmerflow charge and here is my data at 56k miles with 95% EA DCFC.

2HVS errors?

Do not take the health reported seriously, I think BimmerFlow needs a lot more data … it seems it’s getting more users and that will help them.

My battery was 2% below community average and a week later I’m 2% better than community average at 94% and 50K km’s I only fast charge on roadtrips 2x a year and keep my battery between 20 - 80 most of the time. My cardata gives a 200 out of 200 score on battery …

[exxxviii]

Originally Posted by ix50si

Another question regarding this. If choosing a setting higher than 80 percent what is ideal? I know charging to 100 percent is wasteful. Is 95 the highest to go that is most efficient but still gets you a higher mileage than the 80?

You ought to create a poll in the forum to see what most people do.

I charge mine to 90%. My reasoning is that the last 10% gives plenty of buffer for regenerative braking. And that extra 10% (above the traditional 80) gives me an extra few days between charges.

[NomoTesla]

Originally Posted by exxxviii

You ought to create a poll in the forum to see what most people do.

I charge mine to 90%. My reasoning is that the last 10% gives plenty of buffer for regenerative braking. And that extra 10% (above the traditional 80) gives me an extra few days between charges.

You don't need a buffer for regen, the vehicle behaves the same at 100% as it does at 90%.