Slow charging a Hyundai Kona Electric

Discussion in 'Hyundai Kona Electric' started by Teacher Tim, Aug 14, 2020.

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  1. Teacher Tim

    Teacher Tim New Member

    Hi. I know too much fast charging can damage an EV over time but is very slow charging eg at 3 or 3.5kw bad for the car too? I have a Hyundai Kona Electric but can only have a 3.5kw charger at home because of electricity issues and I wonder if I will damage the battery by regularly using this kind of slow charging. Thanks
     
    1st-KonaEV-in-FL likes this.
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  3. We typically charge slower than our charger max output, since we use solar power☀️ matching what is produced during charge so we only use clean, renewable, not to mention FREE energy. This is usally less than maximum. I would not think less than max AC charging would be an issue to worry about.
     
    Domenick likes this.
  4. FloridaSun

    FloridaSun Well-Known Member

    I agree..


    I have been monitoring charging at the full level 2 speed with Torque Pro and I could not see an increase in battery pack temperature during Level 2 charging. High Temperature is what causes most degradation, so I'd say that it shouldn't really matter at what speed you are charging when you are AC charging..

    A better way to protect your battery pack is to NOT run the charge down below 25% on a regular basis and avoid charging to 100% on a regular basis.. I charge to 100% only when I expect to drive more than the miles in a day that I can get from an 80% charge..
     
  5. mikeselectricstuff

    mikeselectricstuff Active Member

    No issue with the car slow charging, but may be a bit less efficient, as static draw from the charger and other car systems will be constant, and therefore a larger percentage of the total draw
     
  6. The slower charging should benefit the life expectancy of the on board charger as it is running at 50% maximum capacity and will operate substantially cooler. I charge at a local public 16 amp EVSE almost every week.
     
    Domenick likes this.
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  8. FloridaSun

    FloridaSun Well-Known Member

    Didn't think of that but it absolutely makes perfect sense!!
     
  9. eastpole

    eastpole Active Member

     
  10. tpollard95124

    tpollard95124 New Member

    We're still in the considering purchasing phase for a Kona EV. I've seen the recommendations to not usually charge beyond 80%. Is there a way to program that in the car?
     
  11. eastpole

    eastpole Active Member

    Yes, you can do that very easily in several ways with the Kona EV. I do and with this much battery, I'd recommend it for everyone's daily drive.

    You can also ignore it and always charge to 100% because YOLO ... it may depend how long you plan to own the car and whether you believe in a post-car life for EV batteries.
     
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  13. Yes, you can program it in 10% increments in the car or using Blue Link.
     
  14. Show me the evidence! Imo fast charging per se does not damage a KONA battery. I know of at one high mileage (60k) kona with zero degradation as measured by Hyundai, and charged just on fast chargers - day in day out.

    What's more likely to degrade charge is dropping SOC down to 0% - or filling up to 100% daily. Occasionally doing either won't be an issue but keep it in the sweet ranges 20-80 ideally and when pushing 10-90. There is also some logic to definitely charging to 100% every so often to balance the batteries.
     
    electriceddy likes this.
  15. FloridaSun

    FloridaSun Well-Known Member

    It seems that way.. There is also Richard (stageshoot) from the UK who has 67700 miles or something like that and he mostly charges on DC chargers and there is no measurable degradation on his car yet, even though the car is at Hyundai to examine his car to determine why since the BMS udpate, his battery cooling system does not kick in while charging.. I also fast charge a lot and have zero indication of any degradation yet and I'm at 34k miles..
     
  16. Ed C

    Ed C Active Member

    BlueKona is right about battery degradation. Heat plays the biggest role. You can watch that 1 hour Prof Dahl video that someone had posted, and it will explain in depth why it is so. In general, the higher the heat, the more easy impurities are created that will accumulate on the negative electrode. Impurity build-up causes dead batteries over the long run. It is why some Leafs' battery died so quickly....because they lack a thermal cooling system for their battery. Slow charging doesn't create much heat, but rapid chargers do (both in thermal heat and high voltage). You have to go through tens of thousands of charge-discharge cycles before it become apparent. Keep the batteries as cool as possible and avoid extremes in battery levels (100% to 0%). The Kona EV motor battery should last you for at least 10-15 years.
     
  17. FloridaSun

    FloridaSun Well-Known Member

    The Kona seems to have a pretty good battery cooling setup which is critical to keep degradation low..
     
  18. cmwade77

    cmwade77 Active Member

    Given that the warranty is 10 years/100,000 miles (in the US), it means the motor should last 30 years/300,000 miles, as most manufacturers use the rule of thumb that parts should last at least 3 times as long as they are guaranteed for to minimize the number of warranty claims.
     
  19. mikeselectricstuff

    mikeselectricstuff Active Member

    Compared to the 50kW plus of a DC rapid charger, ANY AC charging rate is so low as to not be an ussue - 3 vs. 7kW is 10% vs. 15% of 50kW, so negligible in terms of degredation and heat.
    Thinks like not leaving the battery at <20% or near 100% for extended periods are much more important.
     

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