Go Green now if You Dislike Trump

[Jamie in Chile]

So I saw on a YouTube video that claimed EV battery life is degraded if you mostly Fast Charge. (I mostly fast charge). I have an app called Plug Share that searches for chargers. i found a bunch of slow chargers just a 10 minute walk from my house. According to Plug Share. the price per KWH is half of what i pay for fast charging at the supermarket.

I went there today. It's in the parking lot of the County Hospital but I asked and they said not only can I charge there but the lot is patrolled. Which would be important if I ever left it there overnight. Which I'll. probably never do. Although they charge $5/hr after the charge is complete.

I set an alarm and I'll go there and get my car as soon as it hits 80%

And when I get the car I'll do the math and see if I am really saving money by slow charging there.

Anyway if I have it figured right - 100 miles will only cost me $5.

Fast charging generates heat so it is a logically sound argument that it could be tougher on the battery.

However in practice the cars have cooling systems and other things that counteract the heat or prevent damage.

If you google it there are a bunch of studies done that compare real world examples of cars that were known to fast charge regularly vs occasionally and usually the studies either report no difference or only a very small advantage for avoiding fast charging.

Normally if you drive say 10,000 miles a year your car might lose 16%=20% of range after 10 years, however if you hardly ever rapid charge then it might be 14%-18%. You'll not likely be able to detect the difference.

Therefore I suggest you just do whatever is convenient / cheapest for you.

Slow charging in a heatwave if you are in a southern state is worth considering as the combination of the ambient heat and the charging heat could make things a bit toasty for the battery, and either your car will slow down the charge, or there will be a tiny amount of degradation per charge.