more questions - charging in rain? topping off? saving EV?

Huh? What's the point of having a plug in then?

 

The point I was trying to make, was not to add any additional charging cycles more than necessary.

 

Make sure to shift into neutral before you brake then so you don't get any regen.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm not about trading all fuel economy for longer battery life. Topping up excessively not only degrades the battery faster, but it shortens the life of the charging cable, and contributes very little to fuel economy.
Sarcasm noted.

 

You are using terms that could mean a lot of different things. Maybe we should define "excessively?"

And lol to "shortens the life of the charging cable."

Another ambiguous statement: "contributes very little to fuel economy" Please explain.

 

I don't think you need scientific data to make the assumption that using the cable twice as much will make it last half as long.

If I plug in with 75% of my EV range left, instead of plugging in when it reaches zero, I will have plugged in 4 times more than necessary to achieve the same effect.

"Excessive" or "unnecessary," take your pick.

 

I personally don't get this one man. Spending a dollar to save a dime.

 

Where am I spending more? Have I confused you somehow? I can't imagine how I could make it simpler.

 

Burning gas when you could be using electricity. That has a very fixed amount you save every time. Using the plug each time has a very indefinite amount (and probably very small) that it costs you each time via wear and tear.

 

How does topping up use less gasoline than letting the EV range hit zero before plugging in?

 

haha - with that one I have to be done...clearly no use in arguing with you if you just asked that question

 

Off you go laughing then, but I fail to see where you successfully supported your arguments or refuted mine.

 

You do realize that regenerative braking is far harder on the battery on a regular basis than frequently charging it during the day? Anywhere from 4 to 20 times what we can draw from the wall.

 

I wasn't talking about charging current, I was referring to the number of charging cycles. Both affect battery life, but at least I have some control over the number of times I plug in.

 

Are you disagreeing with me, or the OP? Like you, I also have an outdoor hard-wired EVSE that is exposed to the elements all the time (no snow, though, just rain) and never had a problem.

 

Personally, I'd put the charging cable in some sort of shelter in such a case. Keeping it out sun and rain is never a bad idea.

 

As I understand it, the recharging limitations with LiIon are the number of FULL charging cycles; that is, there is no essentially no difference between going from 23% SOC to 85% SOC once, and going from 23% to 54% SOC twice.

 

According to the Tesla FAQ, high-amperage charging has absolutely no effect on battery life.

 

I thought they did say it affects slightly but i cannot remember where. And Tesla Li-Ion is slightly different make up of toyotas, not sure how much(if any) it will affect the end result

 

I have two answers:
The connector at the car is extremely safe, there are rigorous protocols to keep you safe.
The connector at the wall is not safer than any other 120 volt plug. If this outlet is in the rain, you are only protected at all if you are protected by a GFCI outlet where you plug in.