What would be the best way of maximizing the longevity of a Tesla?

Owen Lucas

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I presume the following, but are there other tricks to extending the life of the battery and mechanicals?

- Slow charging at home.
- Avoiding fast charging.
- Not accelerating at max power.
- Anything else?
 
For giggles, this is Toyota's position on maximizing battery longevity during storage. I think some of this guidance may be applicable for owners as well:

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https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2023/MC-10247831-9999.pdf
 
Just drive the thing. Nothing lasts forever. Charging to 100% isn't that big a deal. Leaving at 100% isn't the best for it though. We basically plug in at anything below 40% or if we have a longer trip the next day. I always let it get to 100% before doing that. We have the LFP battery Model 3.

I also paid for the whole pedal and I'm going to use it, with respect to the tires of course. I don't think it takes overthinking this. I will say I appreciate seeing this topic come up on here. I think it speaks well to why this site exists and the knowledge and care we have for our vehicles. They aren't cheap and we want the most out of them. I just wouldn't let it make you feel like it's putting you inside a box to get there. It's easier to live with than the GTI. The few eccentricities of a tuned GTI definitely give a bit more personality while being an easy to live with car, but it does certain things that are never a concern in an EV. I can't think of a better way to get from A to B relaxed without distraction than an EV.
 
Considering most warranties are 8-10 years and 100k-150k miles on all of these cars, I think you're going to have a hard time finding a warranty that extends past this point.
The warranty does not require failure like in a gas drive train for example, it says more than 30% degradation within warranty period. Regardless, that battery will likely last far longer past warranty period. Want proof? If they did regularly fail just past warranty, the Tesla clickbaiters (and haters) would be screaming it from the rooftops.

Personally I charge at home to 80%, 90% if I want a little more leeway. Full disclosure, I have never driven much over 200 miles in one day. It was down to about 30% yesterday. Plugged in and, wha-la, full tank (80%) this morning. Same miles driven in our TSX would have been like $30; next to nothing in the Tesla.
 
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Maximize longevity: buy the biggest capacity battery and it will last longer before it reach a minimum acceptable range for you to keep it on the road. I am not familiar with battery degradation but I know in flash memory it is every 15% extra capacity will double the life cycle. If you use 8% / year reduction for EV, every 32% extra battery capacity would last another 4 extra year. If you don't need that much range of a bigger battery, instead of keeping it between 20/80% keep it at 30/70% or 40/60%, but the limit is likely still going to be # of years even if you don't drive it.

Maximize dollar per mile spent: buy the most affordable mile range per dollar EV now, upgrade when it ages. By the time you upgrade you probably will see EV price drop already. Or upgrade when there is a huge discount but you have no control over when and whether that happens.

To me, I think buying a plug in hybrid and call it a day is going to be easier. 98% of my driving is within 40 miles anyways and I get to use electric, save the environment, without overpaying for that 2% I have to worry about.
 
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