I’m wondering if there is any long term negative effect of using a PHEV (such as a Chevy Volt) mostly as a hybrid and rarely charging it, just putting gas in. Will I wear out the battery sooner as it’s always in reserve capacity mode or whatever you want to call it or will it last longer because I’m not cycling it or will it really not make a difference? Thanks.
Is it harmful to use a PHEV without charging it often?
- Thread starter dogememe
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What's the point of a PHEV if you are not going to charge it?
With that said, I doubt it - the battery management software will not allow the battery SOC to drop below a point where damage will occur.
With that said, I doubt it - the battery management software will not allow the battery SOC to drop below a point where damage will occur.
Some quick Googling shows the Volt (model year dependant) has Mountain and Hold modes, both of which may give you the ability to maintain a slightly higher level of charge. I would personally be more comfortable knowing it was holding the battery around 30%, rather than constantly flirting with the lower end of the battery friendly charge percentage band.
Unless you've found a crazy deal on a PHEV, why would you buy a PHEV instead of a standard hybrid if you don't plan on plugging it in?
Edit: I see you've bought the Volt already - missed that. Still - do you not have access to an outlet once in a while?
Unless you've found a crazy deal on a PHEV, why would you buy a PHEV instead of a standard hybrid if you don't plan on plugging it in?
Edit: I see you've bought the Volt already - missed that. Still - do you not have access to an outlet once in a while?
My friend didn't plug in her drop dead gorgeous i8; I suggested she should at least try. She is plugging it in now.
Why not? Gas around here is insanely expensive.
Why not? Gas around here is insanely expensive.
Audi PHEV’s like to break down if you don’t keep the high voltage battery charged. The 12v battery ends up going flat and the engine cuts out.
If you own an i8, the price of gas probably isn't a major concern.
The car is flat out gorgeous. I help her with a few things, like opening the hood. Here's her hubby; we had to add a little antifreeze.
Did I mention the i8 is gorgeous? And she drives it everywhere. Tires are one off sizes, I believe.
I hope to change the oil one day, if she lets me...
Umm...what's the hubby say about you being so helpful?I help her with a few things, like opening the hood. Here's her hubby; we had to add a little antifreeze.
I hope to change the oil one day, if she lets me...
It's a long story...
I took over about 5 years ago when her 1st husband Ken, a really great guy, got cancer and passed away waaay to early. She recently remarried.
Debbie and Ken fostered like 25 kids over the years. Amazing. They welcomed the worst of the worst; oftentimes kids who failed at previous homes. She deserves the best; I help where I can.
Honestly, performance. The Volt feels much quicker than a Fusion Hybrid which was another option I was considering. I thought I could plug in my car more frequently than I really can, so I’m just trying to see if I have to worry about going out of my way to charge it or just enjoy it as a regular hybrid most of the time. I can not charge at home.
I hate to say this but German Engineering (I used to work for a German company).
They like to design the best solution for the best operating conditions, and assume it is the owner's and user's responsibility to make sure the operating condition is perfect, or else it is their fault, not the designers and engineers.
Guess what kind of cars and appliances I am never going to buy in my lifetime?
So true.
I had one owner who had no home charging facility! No sir you cannot just drive it in petrol mode indefinitely.
Everything German is designed for German mentality. We report issues with cars in the UK that Germany just don’t get.
I once read a blurb about how hybrid batteries are built to expect a high number of smaller charges/discharges as it switches between gas/electricity.
PHEV’s often are made expecting more deep discharges as they typically are plugged in and turn into a normal hybrid after most of the battery is discharged (albeit, within normal operational bounds since there’s cushion programmed in there)
But even though I wrote all that out, it may, may not apply here and even if it did, I wouldn’t worry about it.
It’ll behave fine as a non-plug-in hybrid, the concern is that you’ll get slightly less economy than an identical hybrid with a smaller battery (less weight) and you may or may not have paid more for the bigger battery upfront. Not sure if the Volt is as appealing as a fuel saver when used primarily in hybrid mode though.
But I think you’ll be fine - worst case occasional mountain/charge mode use?
Anyways, you already bought the car so enjoy it!
PHEV’s often are made expecting more deep discharges as they typically are plugged in and turn into a normal hybrid after most of the battery is discharged (albeit, within normal operational bounds since there’s cushion programmed in there)
But even though I wrote all that out, it may, may not apply here and even if it did, I wouldn’t worry about it.
It’ll behave fine as a non-plug-in hybrid, the concern is that you’ll get slightly less economy than an identical hybrid with a smaller battery (less weight) and you may or may not have paid more for the bigger battery upfront. Not sure if the Volt is as appealing as a fuel saver when used primarily in hybrid mode though.
But I think you’ll be fine - worst case occasional mountain/charge mode use?
Anyways, you already bought the car so enjoy it!
Thank you
It's definitely fun to drive. And I've been getting about 35MPG just using it as a hybrid.All batteries have a finite number of charge/ discharge cycles. The less often that they're charged and discharged then the longer they will last. Period. So you shouldn't charge/discharge them unnecessarily. That said, all batteries also have a certain cell voltage at which they will last the longest. For lithium batteries it's at about 80% of their maximum voltage. So ideally you want to charge your battery to the point that it has it's maximum life span (instead of it's maximum stored energy) and then keep it at that voltage and never discharge it (but obviously that negates the whole purposes of having an electric vehicle). You will need to look up the exact details for your particular battery. Quite often the exact details vary even for the same battery but made by different manufacturers due to the slightly different chemistry that each one uses.
But it sounds like your battery is being kept at a low charge state and the bottom line is that that will shorten it's life.
How is your electric so expensive? Are you charging at public chargers only?
But they told me electric cars were cheaper!
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