Tesla has made the lives of its customers easy by having well-connected supercharger stations for recharging cars. But is it bad to always supercharge your Tesla?
Yes, always supercharging your Tesla isn’t a good thing for your battery. However, the impact is very small that some people may not even notice it. If you continuously charge your Tesla at superchargers, the peak-charging rate of the battery may somewhat decrease. As a result, this will affect the battery’s efficiency.
What can damage your Tesla’s battery, even more, is by doing a non-tesla DC fast charging, such as at Chademo stations. When you repeatedly charge your Tesla at a non-Tesla DC fast-charging station several times a week, you will notice Tesla throttling your supercharging rate.
This is because frequent charging of your Tesla at a non-Tesla DC fast-charging station leads to damage of battery cells, and that’s why Tesla will throttle your supercharging rate. Unlike Tesla supercharger networks that comprise of a built-in battery charging protection algorithm to work together with Tesla battery, non-Tesla DC chargers don’t have this protection.
Therefore, if you use non-tesla charging stations, you will notice increased high heat that will damage the battery cell with the current entering the battery at a continuous rate and time. With time, this reduces the battery efficiency and you may even spend more time at a Tesla supercharger than before.
What are the setbacks of charging your Tesla daily?
The first setback of charging your car daily is that you may end up paying more than charging on certain days or hours of the week. Most electric vehicle owners pay for electricity on a time-of-use rate schedule. Therefore, charging daily may not give them the best available rates, and may end up paying more.
Another setback of charging your car daily or using the supercharger often in cold climates is that you will lose a good chunk of energy on preconditioning. Preconditioning is vital in cold temperatures as you have to warm up the battery to the optimal temperature for charging. But as you precondition your car daily, you lose a lot of electricity.
Do most Tesla owners use Superchargers or charge from home?
Despite Tesla superchargers being well spread across the globe, it’s surprising that many Tesla owners still prefer to charge their cars from home. The main reason is of course the cost. Charging your Tesla from home is cheaper than at a supercharger station.
It is estimated that about 80% of EV owners, charge their cars from home. Tesla owners are not an exception as it has the largest EV market share. Besides, charging from home doesn’t put a lot of pressure on battery life and it ends up lasting longer than when charged from a supercharger.
FAQ
Is it bad to charge Tesla every day?
No, it’s not bad to charge Tesla every day. On the contrary, it can be beneficial if you drive long distances. Charging your Tesla daily ensures that you have the juice needed for your daily commute. Besides, it increases the range needed for your daily commute.
Besides, Tesla recommends its users drive a car with a charge of between 20% and 90% of total battery capacity to prolong the battery’s lifespan. So, if your cars fall close to 20% or 30% after a daily commute, you can charge it overnight and get ready for the next day.
What makes charging your Tesla at a supercharger take longer?
If you notice that your battery is taking longer to charge at a Tesla supercharger, you don’t need to panic. This is an indication that several factors are affecting the performance of the battery. They include extreme low temperatures, an almost full battery, or changes in conditions due to usage or age.
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These three factors can make charging your Tesla take longer than usual. That’s why it’s important to follow Tesla battery maintenance tips to avoid having reduced range or reducing the battery’s efficiency.
Do superchargers in urban areas charge as fast as other superchargers?
Despite their unique and compact design, superchargers in urban areas also charge as fast as superchargers in other places. This is because they deliver a consistent 72 kilowatts (kW) of power, despite another Tesla being charged in an opposite stall.
Apart from delivering the same kilowatts as superchargers in other locations, superchargers located in urban areas also take about 45 to 50 minutes to fully charge your car. So, you don’t have to worry about superchargers in urban areas charging slower or delivering less power.
Which one is cheaper – charging a Tesla at home or a supercharger?
It depends on your driving habits. If you usually drive the Tesla within the city or town, then you can charge it from home as it’s quite cheaper than at the supercharger station. But if you normally travel long distances, then you should charge the car at a supercharger for fast filling.
Yes, charging a Tesla at a supercharger is more expensive than charging it at home. However, it’s still cheaper than gas, making it ideal and very convenient for people who commute a lot.
How many miles will I get from my Tesla?
The miles that you will get from your Tesla varies according to different factors. First of all, your driving habits play a huge role. Secondly, climatic conditions also play a role. Other factors include the range of the car and charge.
The Tesla with the lowest range covers up to 250 miles, while the Tesla with the highest range covers up to 402 miles. However, if you drive very fast and aggressively, the miles your Tesla covers will reduce drastically. Also, if the weather is cold, the Tesla range is reduced.
Conclusion
To conclude, always supercharging your Tesla is a bad idea. This is because it will degrade your battery and reduce its efficiency. However, if you’re a person who commutes long distances daily, charging your Tesla at a supercharger daily isn’t bad at all. Nonetheless, you should avoid charging your car with non-Tesla DC fast chargers as they will degrade your battery.