The battery is a key component of electric cars, since together with the engine, it represents the life of the vehicle. According to different surveys conducted by specialists worldwide, this component of an electric car should last at least eight years, which is about 3,000 charge cycles. It is estimated that, after that time, the battery will reduce 75% of its capacity, so that, technically, it would still have a long life ahead of it, despite reducing its performance.
BYD, a manufacturer of cars, buses, trucks, bicycles, forklifts and electric batteries, explains through its expert advisor, Miguel Zamudio, the importance of this device and how to take care of it.
Zamudio emphasizes that taking care of the battery of electrified cars is simple, since users only have to follow recommendations and be aware of those actions that can go against the proper use to have a pleasant driving experience and especially prolong the life.
Pay Attention to the Load
The BYD specialist points out that the charging and discharging of the battery represents a fundamental factor to extend the time of use. “We know that extremes are bad and this also applies when it comes to taking care of the battery of electric cars,” he said.
Zamudio specifies that allowing the battery to be discharged to 0%, and to remain that way for a long period of time, seriously affects the useful life. Likewise, he pointed out that it is not advisable to leave it at 100% for more than 8 hours, so he recommends that the last charge should be done just before starting the trip.
He pointed out that one of the measures that can be taken to implement charging in the best way is to use time programmers that may be installed directly at the point or in the electric vehicle’s configuration. “This will avoid extreme discharges and overcharges that will eventually accelerate the wear and tear on your car’s battery,” he noted.
Check the mileage
The BYD specialist considers that another key aspect to take care the battery with this technology is to be aware of the amount of kilometers traveled to have a good measure to estimate the useful life of a battery.
“Let’s keep in mind that BYD electric batteries have a warranty of 8 years or 500,000 km and after that, they will have 60% of their original capacity, which will allow you to estimate the battery replacement. Keep in mind that every time you connect or disconnect the charger to your electric car, a partial charge is generated, but this will not affect the life of this component,” said Zamudio.
Exposure to Adverse and Extreme Temperatures
BYD also recommends customers to consider the temperature to protect the batteries. Zamudio explains that they operate better with an external temperature ranging between 15°C and 35°C, since they work with chemical reactions and affect performance.
“Specifically, to take care of the battery of electric vehicles, we must avoid exposure to high temperatures, since Lithium batteries may cause premature degradation. On the other hand, low temperatures can momentarily decrease performance together with loss of autonomy which is recovered once temperate operating values are reached,” said Zamudio.
The expert recommends users to carefully follow the guarantees offered by BYD and to know the brand’s electric vehicle models. The company invites to schedule test drives to take the first step towards sustainable mobility.
Furthermore, BYD urges customers to take care of the battery of electrified cars, through periodic maintenance performed by its specialists.
