Recurrent Auto just published research on fast charging and how it affects battery health in the long run. And the short version is this – fast charging doesn’t seem to impact battery health at all.
Admittedly, the research only involves Tesla cars – Model 3 and Model Y. However, the data is collected from 12,500 vehicles, so we can have a lot of confidence in the conclusions.
Recurrent compared the battery health of vehicles that used fast charging at least 90% of the time and vehicles that used it in less than 10% of the time. And as it turns out, the two groups have no statistical difference.
Battery degradation: Model Y • Model 3
The article outlines certain scenarios in which fast charging would be detrimental to the battery, like charging in extreme temperatures (either low or high) and in a low or high battery charge state. Luckily, all EV makers have invested in mitigating those scenarios with software and hardware solutions.
For instance, pre-conditioning of the battery is extremely important as it brings the battery cells to optimal temperature for charging. Additionally, the software regulates the charging speed when the battery reaches 80% and slows it down to reduce degradation. In fact, Recurrent suggests using a slower tier 2 public charger as it may actually be faster and cheaper for those final few KWs.
