100% EV “EASY” GUIDE 14:
What Percentage Should I Charge My EV Battery To? NEW
SmartGrandad Explains:
"What Percentage Should I Charge My 100% EV Battery To?
If you’ve recently bought a new Electric Vehicle (EV)—or are thinking about making the switch—you’ve probably received plenty of well-meaning advice about battery care.
“Only charge to 80% daily!” or
“Make sure you top it up to 100% at least once a week!”
So, which is it?
The truth is, both statements can be completely correct—it all depends on the battery chemistry sitting under your floorboards.
How Come Both Can Be Correct?
For years, virtually all mainstream EVs used NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) or NCA (Nickel Cobalt Aluminum) batteries. These chemistries offer high energy density—meaning lots of range in a compact package—but they experience chemical stress when left sitting at a 100% state of charge for long periods.
Today, however, many entry-level and standard-range models (including popular models from Tesla, XPENG, MG, and BYD) use LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries. LFP packs are extremely durable, cheaper to produce, and far less prone to degradation at full charge.
At a Glance: The Main Differences Between LFP & NMC Battery Types
But, its not all doom and gloom. After a very slow start, there are many more CPOs who are making major improvements across the charging network:
- Contactless Payment Terminals: Mandates across Europe and the UK are forcing operators to allow simple tap-and-pay card readers on all new chargers and many are retrofitting them. So you can tap and charge just like at petrol stations.
- Hub-Style Charging: Small 2-chargers at isolated sites are giving way to larger 12- to 24-bay high-power hubs with canopies, lighting, and amenities.
- Quicker Fault Detection & Maintenance: As the charging infrastructure matures, providers like IONITY and TESLA are getting much quicker at identifying and fixing “broken chargers”, especially at isolated sites.
- More Alternative Sites: Compared with only a year ago, if there is a problem with your charging site, the distance to an alternative is likely to be much less.
- EV Manufacturer / Multi CPO Payment Apps: It is likely that you EV manufacturers app will allow you to setup an account and find, start and pay at partnered EV Chargers. There are also many other apps like Electroverse (Octopus), Chargemap, Plugsurfing, Shell Recharge plus many more.
- Vehicle Plug & Charge Tech: Tesla proved how seamless this can be, and others like Kia, Hyundai, Mercedes, BMW and others have similar solutions where you turn up at a compatible charger and simply plug the car in and the rest happens automatically.
Things are changing fast, hopefully in the next year or so we will see EV Chargers reaching the same level of reliability /availability as their ICE counter parts.
SmartGrandad’s 4 Ways To Avoid Charging Anxiety
So when I undertake a road trip, here is how I navigate public charging stress-free:
- Plan Ahead, Don’t plan to arrive with 5% SOC: Treat 10-15% as your “zero state of charge.” It gives you plenty of buffer to drive to an alternative charger if your primary choice is broken or busy.
- Select & Charge At Hotels On Route: 85% to 90% of all EV charging happens overnight at home while you sleep. So aim to do the same on your road trip and let your car charge overnight on a slower, and probably cheaper, charger.
- Use Apps with Live Charger Site Info: Choose 100% EVs that have “Live” Charging Site info in their navigation systems. Choosed apps (Ionity, Tesla or ABRP that show live charger status and user feedback so you don’t turn up at a site with queues or to a broken charger.
- Monitor & Adjust Your Charging Destination: If your route get changed or your consumption increases, look for other alternatives on the way, don’t leave it to the last minute, because by then it could be too late to reach an alternative.
SmartGrandads Final Thoughts
The Bottom Line
Just as Range Anxiety has largely disappeared, don’t see Charger Anxiety as inevitable. Just use my 4 tips and you will soon get into the habit of enjoying a relaxed 100% EV, pollution free journey.
SmartGrandad Would Love To Hear Your Views.
So, keep your eyes open for when the next SmartGrandad “Easy 100% EV” Guide is posted.
Let me know of other topics that you would like covered in SmartGrandads 100% EV “EASY” Guides.