EV 101
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1 min read
Should Electric Cars Be Charged Every Day?
March 18, 2024
Ferhat Babacan
CEO @Bluedot
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There is one question that new and prospective owners of electric vehicles frequently have: should electric cars be charged every day? The answer to this issue varies depending on one's circumstances and choices. The answer to this one question, "Should I charge my EV every day?" actually just comes down to how often you travel and how much range your vehicle has. If your car has a 200-mile range and you average more than 100 miles daily, you'll want to plug it in and charge it daily.

However, the daily average for US drivers is 40 miles. It doesn't make sense to plug in and charge every day in that situation because the electric car charge lasts longer. Additionally, most EV drivers don't plug in their EVs daily. Instead, they plug in every second or third day.

On the other hand, the answer to the question “Should electric cars be charged every day?” might depend on the fact that if you do charge your car at night, it develops into a strong habit, making it much less likely that you will forget to do so when you need to. It's far simpler to forget to charge on a night when you need to if you don't charge daily. Want to remember to charge? Make sure to plug in daily when you come home and make it a habit. Should electric cars be charged every day, though? No, if you don't travel much.

How Frequently Must an Electric Car Be Charged?

How often you use your EV and how far you drive each day will determine how frequently you need to charge it. Should electric cars be charged every day?

Generally speaking, you shouldn't charge your EV's battery to 100% every night because repeated charging cycles can harm the battery. But how long does an electric car charge last? Most EVs on the market can travel a few hundred kilometers on a single full charge. That charge should last a few days unless you make big commutes every day. More time spent charging an electric vehicle can shorten its lithium-ion battery's life.

How many charge cycles do electric cars have? An average battery for an electric vehicle has between 1500 and 2000 charge cycles. To finish a cycle, the array of cells must charge to 100% and discharge to 0%. Five hundred cycles may be reasonable for a phone, but not for a car meant to endure for at least ten years. Manufacturers of electric vehicles take precautions to guarantee that the batteries live longer. One of these strategies is the energy management system, which prevents complete charging and discharging and ensures that the batteries take longer to reach the dangerous cycles. So, should you charge an electric car every day? No, you shouldn't.

Furthermore, depending on several variables, like your location and the chargers you use, the daily cost to charge electric car might vary significantly. When utilizing a level 3 charger, charging your EV at a public charger while traveling can cost between $10 and $30. If you charge an EV in your home, the cost might raise your bill, so the question of should electric cars be charged every day is answered.

With the Bluedot app, you can elevate your charging experience by easily finding hundreds of charging stations.