Top 5 Mistakes EV Owners Make That Kill Battery Life

Electric vehicles are becoming a mainstream source of mobility and EV adoption is also rising at a remarkable pace, but still many EV owners don’t know how to maintain their battery and are impacting the performance of their EVs batteries. Recent studies indicate that improper use of batteries can reduce battery life by 40% with significant battery replacement costs up to $20,000. 

EVs do offer greater efficiency and reliability, thus lowering costs of your daily runs, but proper battery maintenance is very crucial for your EVs to provide certified range claimed by the company. 

A survey was conducted in 2024 by Electric Vehicle Battery Forum which stated that 73% of the new EV users committed at least one mistake in their first year of ownership which could significantly hamper their battery’s performance. 

Here we will be discussing 5 most common mistakes that EV owners make unknowingly, that affects the battery longevity and overall range. Apart from highlighting the mistakes we will be also providing in-depth solutions to these mistakes so that EV owners can extract maximum efficiency and reliability from their EV’s batteries. 

Consistent DC Charging

One of the most common mistakes done by a new EV owner is to constantly charging their EVs via a fast DC charger, however charging through this source is more convenient when doing long highway trips but according to sources, regularly charging through fast chargers can cause battery degradation by up to 15% over the span of three years. 

However studies have shown that limiting the use of fast chargers to less than 20% of total charging sessions can extend the lifespan of battery life. 

The reason behind battery degradation is quite simple, as DC fast charging uses more energy which causes more heat within the battery cells as compared to the normal AC charging. This higher thermal stress can cause breakdown of batteries way early.

Several studies suggest that DC fast charging causes faster degradation by 20-30% when compared to Level 2 AC Charging. 

SOLUTION: To preserve your battery and avoid premature degradation, limit the use of fast charging only for highway trips, while using consistent AC charging as a power source for your batteries on a daily basis. 

Several companies offer Home chargers as an accessory with their EVs as it provides sufficient power required for your daily needs, thus reducing the urgency of charging via rapid chargers. 

Allowing the Battery to deplete too much.

EV owners make this mistake as they charge their vehicles after completely draining their EVs batteries below the threshold which can create battery degradation up to 2-3% per year which is more than normal depreciation of the batteries. The optimal battery percentage should be in the bracket of 20-80% which ensures battery longevity. 

Draining battery levels to extreme levels may put a heavy dependence on lithium-ion battery cells, which can lead to permanent damage to batteries by reducing their capacity and can also cause internal damages. 

This occurs because the Battery Management System (BMS) in your EV works harder under low battery levels which increases to deplete the components of the battery. As per Industry data, EVs majorly operated below 10% results in 40% faster degradation over their battery health timespan. 

SOLUTION: The basic solution to overcome such mistakes is maintaining the minimum battery levels on a higher threshold, which is around 20% and planning your charging stops in advance so as to ensure that the battery levels don’t go below the set threshold. 

New EVs are coming with advanced features like route planning for longer trips which helps you to keep the optimum charging levels during the long highway trips. 

Continuous 100% Charging

This is one of the most crucial mistakes, majorly EV owners commit as many have habits of charging their cars up to 100%. According to Battery experts, it is recommended to keep the battery levels in the optimum range of 20-80%, thus keeping the full 100% charging only for highway runs. 

This simple practice can increase the battery life by 25%. When the car’s batteries are at full capacity, there is an increased pressure and electrochemical stress. This stress impacts the health of batteries if they remain at full charge for a longer period of time. 

SOLUTION: To increase the efficiency of batteries, optimize your battery charging limit till 80% for daily use as many new EVs are coming with specific charging limits where they charge up to specified limit only and can be changed when doing outstation trips thus making it easier to follow the guideline and keeping the batteries at optimum charging levels. 

Disregarding Temperature Control

Inconsistent temperature control can damage your EVs batteries as exposing the batteries at extreme temperatures without taking proper measures can degrade the battery levels up to 10% annually. Use parking spots that are relatively cooler or park your EVs in shade during high temperatures. 

Extreme temperatures whether they are hot or cold affect the battery chemistry and overall efficiency. High temperatures start degrading the chemicals present within the cells, whereas cold temperatures reduce the charging capacity and internal resistance. 

According to extensive research and testing of EVs across different climatic conditions, it was found that vehicles regularly exposed to temperatures above 35 Degree Celsius or below -6 Degree Celsius, resulted in a faster degradation by 25%. 

SOLUTION: To preserve your batteries at extreme temperatures, optimally use your EVs thermal management features, such as preconditioning to ensure the battery is regulated at extreme weather events. This will not only preserve your battery but will also result in enhancing the range and efficiency of your electric car. 

If possible park your EVs in climate controlled parking spots and avoid charging your vehicles in extreme temperatures for longer periods of time. 

Improper Home Charging Configuration

Home charging setups are also very important as your EVs are charged regularly via the same home unit thus it is very important to ensure that the Home unit is placed accurately without any faults. Charging your EVs by a inadequate charging equipment can damage your EVs batteries. Thus it is very important to ensure a proper yet accurate installation from the proffesional manufacturers. 

The improper Home Charging configuration causes way more adverse effects than just inefficiency as incorrect wiring may degrade the batteries and reduce the charging efficiency of your EVs battery. 

There are various reports that indicate that many charging installations have inadequate circuit protection that makes a direct impact on safety and overall charging process, which will eventually lead to various issues such as improper wire gauge selection to incorrect wiring. 

SOLUTION: Conduct proffessional installation of home charging setups ensuring proper wire connection and accurate three-phase setup that includes seamless circuit protection, monitoring capabilities and flexibility to adjust the charging and sourcing power according to your vehicle’s capabilities. 

Thus following these preventive measures can improve your battery longevity and increase the efficiency of your EVs battery, thus giving you unlimited kilometers of drive with no hassles and problems.