Does Daily Charging Harm Tesla's Battery?
2 Answers
Tesla's battery is not harmed as long as it is charged correctly every day. Proper charging has no negative impact: According to battery data from a Tesla owner who drove a Model S P85 for 5 years, covering a total of 76,000 kilometers, the car could travel 426 kilometers on a full charge when new. After 5 years, it could still travel 403 kilometers on a full charge, with only a 5.4% battery degradation. Of course, this level of performance requires meticulous care, attention to detail, and excellent driving habits, which are hard for most people to achieve. The owner mentioned maintaining a good habit of charging the vehicle when the battery level dropped to 5%-10%, and only charging it up to 90%-95%, which helps prolong battery life and minimizes degradation. Battery Replacement: According to domestic regulations, electric vehicles must provide an 8-year or 150,000-kilometer warranty for the battery, during which the battery degradation should not exceed 30%. If the battery degrades significantly, it must be replaced. Tesla offers a product quality guarantee for the power battery and drive unit, ensuring free replacement if severe battery degradation occurs during the warranty period.
I've been driving a Tesla for three years and charge it almost daily, but I never drain the battery extremely low or charge it to 100%. I set the charging limit feature to 80%, which significantly reduces battery stress. Lithium-ion batteries aren't really bothered by daily shallow charging, as long as you avoid excessive discharge or overheating. For example, in summer when parked, if the battery temperature is high, I let it cool down a bit before charging to prevent accelerated aging. From my observation, the battery health has been well maintained, and the official software can even monitor changes in remaining capacity. The key is to develop good habits—plugging in the charging cable at night and setting a timer so it reaches 80% by the time I leave home. It's both convenient and gentle on the car. I only consider a full charge before long trips to avoid prolonged high-charge states that can harm lifespan. Overall, there are no negative impacts on daily usage.