[Bill in Oregon]

Hi,

I have a 2023 Niro EX PHEV. When the dealer was explaining the scheduled charging feature to me, he said it was primarily there to increase the lifespan of the battery. I thought it was there primarily to allow a person to take advantage of lower utility rates at night or to charge it at the best possible temperature during the day.

I am a bit skeptical that a sophisticated car like this could suffer from leaving it in the charge mode too long. Does anybody know if you can in fact reduce the battery life by continually leaving the PHEV plugged in after it is fully charged?

 

[Hulaviking]

I think the PHEV never charges up fully, even when it says 100 percent there is a buffer. I just let the computer handle it.

 

[Techy]

PHEV can be charged fully as you choose. It has a battery management system that will protect the battery.

 

[FredO]

PHEV can be charged fully as you choose. It has a battery management system that will protect the battery.

Maybe. But what I read about Li-ion batteries indicates that they live longest if kept under ~80%. Thus, when I return from a trip and do not anticipate another trip for a day or three, I charge to 80-85%. Then just before a non-trivial trip, I top up to 100%.

 

[atc98092]

But what I read about Li-ion batteries indicates that they live longest if kept under ~80%.

That is a general statement that is most applicable to a full EV, not a PHEV. To maximize range, an EV uses a larger percentage of total battery capacity. For PHEVs, the engineers leave a larger buffer at both the bottom and top end of the capacity range. Unless Kia changed things in the 2023 version, the PHEV has no ability to restrict the maximum charge level. You plug it in, it's going to charge to 100%. Also, it's impossible to drain the battery below around 16%, as the remainder is reserved to ensure Hybrid mode works correctly. The car forces a change to Hybrid mode when the battery reaches that level, and you cannot force it back into EV mode until the battery gets back to around 20%. Of course, EV mode won't last long with the battery at only 20%.

The Kia engineers have programmed the battery control module for maximum battery life, even charging to 100% every time. Drive more, worry less.

 

[atc98092]

When the dealer was explaining the scheduled charging feature to me, he said it was primarily there to increase the lifespan of the battery.

The person explaining it didn't understand what that function does. Scheduled charging is usually done to take advantage of lower electricity costs at certain times of the day/night. So you can plug it in when you get home at 5PM, but charging won't actually start until after 11PM to take advantage of cheaper power. I just pulled those times out of my hat, as every user case is different. For me, my power costs the same 24/7. But my utility offered me a free EVSE, and in return they monitor my charging times and give me a $10 monthly credit if I only charge within specific time periods. $10 may not sound like much, but most months that between 1/4 and 1/3 my total monthly charging costs for my Bolt. So actually is pretty substantial.

 

[paulwhy.2]

I just bought a 2023 Niro PHEV, and I live on a hill. I'd like to limit the overnight charging and use regenerative braking to top up my battery as I descend in the morning. It seems from this thread there is no way for the Niro PHEV to do this automatically, is that correct? Is there a charger I can buy that has this feature?

 

[atc98092]

It seems from this thread there is no way for the Niro PHEV to do this automatically, is that correct?

It was correct for earlier models. I can't say for certain if they added that ability to the '23, but honestly I would be surprised if they did. I have downloaded the owner's manual, and I don't see anything about adjusting the max charge level like the EVs can. It does have a delayed charging function, which I believe is new, and if you programmed it for a departure time slightly later than you actually will leave, that would leave the charge level at less than 100%. It would probably take some experimentation to get the right amount of time to use.

 

[dblackfl]

How about this? Questions on charging Niro PHEV to 80%

 

[TheAirman]

Great discussion. Battery technology in 2023.

The battery management system will never let you fully charge or discharge your battery even though your meter says 100% or 0%.

Let your older iPad or cell phone Li-ion battery sit at 0%, and you might find a swelled battery and busted screen. Charge it to 100% every day and you'll shorten its life.

LiPo batteries are even more critical. Overcharge them, and they may explode and burn your house down. Let them go too dead for too long and you may find a destroyed RC model when it bursts.

I think this 80% number might be coming from DC fast charging an EV. You never want to feed it that much that fast.

But like Dan says, charge your PHEV to 100%, and "drive more, worry less."