Summary
The four BEVs driven in Phoenix, Arizona were faced with a hot climate, and two were fast charged twice as often as recommended by their manufacturer. Despite these conditions, the vehicles were operated without failure for 50 thousand miles. A greater loss in battery capacity was observed for the fast charged vehicles, though the difference compared to the level two charged vehicles was small in comparison to the overall capacity loss. The vehicle operation was, as intended, verified to be very similar between test groups, and the largest difference in conditions noted was battery temperature during charging. Hotter ambient temperatures appear to have accelerated capacity loss for all of the vehicles in the study, though the exact relationship remains to be seen.
by Jake Hertz
by Aaron Carman
by Duane Benson
by Jake Hertz