100 or 90 %: How much to charge as a Tesla driver?

Have you ever wondered why the charging speed of electric cars is often given in "x minutes from 0 - 80 %" and not "up to 100 %"?

Charging a Tesla correctly

Different charging recommendations

Well, on the one hand this of course allows the specification of much shorter charging times, - but it also has a technical reason. Due to their chemical properties, batteries lose some of their capacity over time. However, depending on how far and how much you charge the battery, this process can be intensified or slowed down.

Maximum charging capacity in everyday life

But how far should you charge the battery? Tesla recommends charging the battery to a maximum of 90% in everyday use and only using the full capacity if you actually need it for a longer trip. This guarantees the longest possible service life and also reduces the average charging time: due to the cell chemistry, the charging current drops rapidly above 80 % charge level, which means that the first 80 % is reached much faster than the remaining 20 %.

Tips for charge management

With this knowledge, it is helpful to be able to set a maximum everyday charge level in the charge management of a Tesla. By the way: If the vehicle is parked for a longer period of time, make sure the charge level is between 20 and 80 %, anything more will damage the battery.

Frequency of loading vs. Charging cycles

While it is relevant how far you charge the battery, it is almost irrelevant how often you do it, contrary to popular belief. The decisive factor for a battery is the number of charging cycles, which describes how often it is fully charged from 0 to 100 %. So if you recharge 20% on each of five days, you don't "consume" five charging cycles, but only one. Accordingly, Tesla itself recommends simply recharging the battery to 90% every day.

Charging speed and battery types

What is relevant for the service life, on the other hand, is how strongly or how quickly you charge the battery. Fast charging stations such as B. Tesla Superchargers, some of which have several 100 kW charging capacity, are excellent when it comes to saving time. However, they are more harmful to the batteries, which prefer low power levels such as the 3 kW of a household socket. However, as this also has disadvantages (relatively high charging loss, safety problems, long on-board computer activity during charging, battery does not warm up properly), charging at a wallbox with 11-16 kW is the ideal compromise.

Important: Many of these instructions only apply to vehicles with NCA batteries, i.e. all older models as well as Performance and Long Range versions. Other recommendations generally apply to new standard range Teslas with LFP batteries.

Do you have any experience with your Tesla's charging practices? Share your thoughts and tips in the comments below.