Study: Tesla car battery longevity unaffected by frequent supercharging

The peak charging rate of the battery may decrease slightly after a large number of DC fast charging sessions.

It was long believed that frequently fast-charging vehicles is bad for their battery’s longevity. Tesla even warned their users against it. However, a new study shows that Tesla battery degradation isn’t accelerated by frequent supercharging.

The study conducted by Recurrent is said to have access to data from over 12,500 Tesla vehicles in the USA. The study states that there is little to no difference in battery degradation between cars that frequently fast-charge to those that rarely fast-charge.

Recurrent stated that they focussed on extreme use cases, comparing Tesla cars that fast charge 90% vs. those that fast charge only 10% of the time. The results showed no significant differences in range degradation. Reports also state that the Tesla owner manual doesn’t mention battery degradation being affected by frequent fast charging anymore. Instead, it just mentions the potential to “slightly decrease” the peak charging rate.

The study stated, “The peak charging rate of the battery may decrease slightly after a large number of DC fast charging sessions, such as those at Superchargers. To ensure maximum driving range and battery safety, the battery charge rate is decreased when the battery is too cold when the battery’s charge is nearly full and when the battery conditions change with usage and age.

The study does warn about fast charging under extreme heat or cold conditions though, as it is not said to be ideal for battery performance.

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