Should I not charge?

[krsone]

Just picked up my Volt last week, loving it so far. Just a quick question that I couldn't surmise the answer for from the manual. My wife will be doing the majority of driving, going to work each day as I work from home. The question is, she only has to drive about 22 km a day (13 miles) so she has a lot of charge left at night. Is it a better idea to charge it back up to full each night or just leave it and charge it every other night? I know about the thermal management system and the extreme temperatures so I know it's probably best to charge it every night in the heart of the summer and in the winter but in the moderate spring and fall what would be best for the long term benefit of the battery, a nightly charge or a bi-nightly charge? Thanks for any info.

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

@krsone,

Congratulations on your new Volt, glad to hear you are loving it so far! It is recommended to have the Volt plugged in whenever possible because of extreme weather. But in moderate temperatures, either way will be fine. Since fully charging and fully depleting a battery shortens its life, the Volt has an energy management buffer zone, so the battery charge is kept in a safe area between the two extremes.

[DonC]

I'm assuming you're asking this question because Nissan recommends that you only charge the Leaf battery to 80%. The Volt is not a Leaf. The Volt uses roughly 10 kWh out of the 16 kWh pack, reserving capacity at the top and bottom of the cells. Since it's only charging using the middle of the cells, which minimizes stress on the cells, you can charge it whenever you want without worrying about degrading the battery. So plug it in!

Not only will you always have 100% charge in the morning, but, as you mention, plugging in will allow the car to condition the battery if the garage is hot or cold.

[scottf200]

Absolutely plug it in every night. This is not a rechargable drill, laptop, phone, or anything else that you may need to take precautions on based on myths (old battery types vs new or old management techniques). The GM engineers designed it to be plugged in so they charge it to the levels it needs to be (90ish% of entire battery or 100% of the "useable" area) and then trickle charge or use what is needed to maintain the battery temp or electronic temps. My car is always plugged in when I'm at home.

[jeffhre]

10.4 kWh of 16 kWh looks about 65ish% for a brand spankin' new battery pack

[PatsVolt]

Question is to only charge when needed. Well, my way of thinking is that, you do not know the extent of how many miles you will do. That can be estimated based on habbit, comuting to work etc. But in reality I have found that there is always that forgotten errand or detour that always crops up. Also the Volt is a car that you just want to drive and driving on electric is so cheap that, if you are like me, you will just go somewhere just to have the pleasure of driving the Volt. So My answer is, put it on the charging station as soon as you get home, and make it ready for what ever crops up. That is what I do and have found that it will maximize your EV experiance.

Pat