Jess said:
@Cai
Oh cool, my 2023 has NCM. I thought it might’ve been LFP!
Weird, the chart doesn’t match up with my 2023 at all. None of the letters line up.
Jess said:
@Cai
Oh cool, my 2023 has NCM. I thought it might’ve been LFP!
Weird, the chart doesn’t match up with my 2023 at all. None of the letters line up.
Did you read the first paragraph of the document OP posted? That might clear things up.
@Nico
Nah, I’m too stubborn to admit I might be wrong, so I’ll just ignore it.
Random question… Is it bad for the battery if I let it drain to around 10% before charging? Or is charging it around 40% better for the battery’s health?
Luca said:
Random question… Is it bad for the battery if I let it drain to around 10% before charging? Or is charging it around 40% better for the battery’s health?
For NMC batteries, staying closer to 50% is better for long-term health. Draining it down to 10% every time isn’t ideal. It’s best to set a lower max limit and charge daily. NMC batteries do better with frequent smaller charges.
@Paden
Thanks for the advice! I’ll try to charge more often.
I looked into this and found that no Lightnings are using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries yet. I think this just confused everyone.
Just charge your truck in whatever way works best for you. Some people like to fine-tune their charging habits, but honestly, if it stresses you out, don’t worry too much about it. It’s not a big deal.
I hate to go down the battery life rabbit hole, but I guess I’m doing it…
I’ve got a 2024 Lariat ER with an NCM battery. I probably drive 20-30 miles a day, max.
Do I really need to charge to 80% (or Ford’s recommended 90%) every single night? Or is it better to let it drop to 40% and then charge back up?
Also, there’s no reason to ever charge to 100% unless I’m going on a long trip, right? I honestly don’t think I’ll need to do that in my first year of owning this truck.
Side note, I usually leave it plugged in at night, even if I don’t plan to charge. For example, I might leave it at 73% and set the limit to 50%.
@Pax
From what I’ve read, shallow daily charges are the best approach. I’ve got mine set to 70%, and I only lose about 1-4% a day, but I still try to plug it in at least every other night.
Lior said:
@Pax
From what I’ve read, shallow daily charges are the best approach. I’ve got mine set to 70%, and I only lose about 1-4% a day, but I still try to plug it in at least every other night.
I heard Level 2 charging is slow enough that even deep charges don’t really affect battery health that much.
@Pax
I usually keep mine between 40-60% unless I’m going on a trip. I do a full 100% charge once a month though, just to be safe.
@Pax
Daily shallow charges are definitely better than a weekly deep charge. If you only drive 20-30 miles a day, charging from 40% to 50% is probably better than 70% to 80% over the long term.
Check out Engineering Explained on YouTube. He does a great job breaking down battery science. How To Ruin Your Electric Car’s Battery - NMC Edition! (youtube.com)
Hey AJL, could you drop a link to that Ford article?
Shan said:
Hey AJL, could you drop a link to that Ford article?
Sure! They emailed it to me earlier today without specifying what battery chemistry I have. Here’s the link: https://www.ford.com/support/how-tos/search/maintaining-an-ev-battery/?emailid=E23A0079_E_EN_BEVORCHARGING_OWN_F150L_TP2_1_NT
@Aza
I got that email too and immediately started trying to figure out what battery I have.
@Aza
You’ve got an NMC battery— Ford hasn’t shipped any LFP ones yet.
Looks like I’ve got some homework now!
I’ve got a 2022 model with a lithium battery. Should I be charging to 100% once a month too?
Blane said:
I’ve got a 2022 model with a lithium battery. Should I be charging to 100% once a month too?
No, you’ve got NMC. Keep the daily charge level as low as is practical for you. Charging to 100% is fine when needed, but for long-term battery health, stick to smaller daily charges.