Charging Question

[Andy Dykes]

Question probably been asked before but currently can't find a solution.

I have a BP Pulse wall charger which is basically dumb - plug in cable and switch on/off. I cannot control this or the car remotely which is my only gripe with the car.

When is the best time to charge the car? Currently plugging in when down to 30 miles left at 4:30pm to roughly 9:30pm. Should this be later and does the unit stop charging when battery fully charged.

Not really wanting to get up at 3:00 to go outside to switch the unit on. Currently with E.On and had a big dispute over smart meters and actually got £600 off the bill thanks to Ofgen.

 

[Kithmo]

Doesn't matter what time you switch the charger on, unless you're on a cheap night time tariff, the car will stop when it's full, so you can unplug it in the morning when you get up.

 

[Jomarkh]

Hi, what percentage is the car then on after 5 hours charging?
I take it that you are not on a night tariff so doesn't matter what time you connect the car. You can just leave it connected and it will charge and balance the battery.
You could also not let it go so ĺow and keep it between 30-80 which you could do in about 5 hours.
How often do you charge and how many miles do you do a day or week?

 

[Andy Dykes]

Hi, after 4-5 hours charging get 100%. I do roughly 50 miles per day of mostly dual carriage way which is quite hilly in places have keys set to 3 with driving set to normal doing between 60 & 70 mph. Only getting lower due to having to use the heater and demister

 

[Andy Dykes]

Hi, after 4-5 hours charging get 100%. I do roughly 50 miles per day of mostly dual carriage way which is quite hilly in places have keys set to 3 with driving set to normal doing between 60 & 70 mph. Only getting lower due to having to use the heater and demister

 

[Spinynorman]

I’m by no means an expert on this but I think you need consider outside temperature, as the charge level is affected by lower temperatures, so the earlier you can charge it in the evening, the better.

 

[MoDolph]

Setting a timer so that charging completes just before you need to drive is usually the best. It minimises the time spent at high state of charge reducing degradation and also slightly warms the battery increasing range.

If you don't have a way of scheduling the charge just plug it in whenever is most convenient. Don't wake up at 3am to plug it in, that's crazy