Gigi
Well-known member
Is there any advantage to charging the FFE battery at a slower rate than the onboard charger can handle?
When I bought a Fusion Energi, I installed a Leviton 3.8kW 16 Amp EVSE. It matched the wiring and circuit breaker I already had available and was sufficient to charge the Energi. Now that I have a Focus Electric, I am thinking about replacing that unit with a 7.2 kW 30 Amp unit in order to have faster charging time for the Electric, but before I run heavier wire from one end of the house to the other (more than 60 feet) and upgrade the circuit breaker, I am wondering if the effort and the expense are worth it.
The Focus Electric charges overnight, so 6 and a half hours on the existing unit versus 4 hours on a 7.2kW unit doesn't really make a difference. It would be nice sometimes on the weekend or in the evening, though, to be able to gain 20 miles on an hour's charge between trips rather than only 11.
If putting more pressure on the battery by charging at a higher rate degrades the battery quicker, I might just live with the occasional inconvenience of slower charging and driving a backup vehicle when necessary. If there's really no difference in battery life, then all I need to consider is the cost of wire, breaker, and trading out the EVSE and the time and effort to install.
Does anybody know about charging rates and battery longevity?
When I bought a Fusion Energi, I installed a Leviton 3.8kW 16 Amp EVSE. It matched the wiring and circuit breaker I already had available and was sufficient to charge the Energi. Now that I have a Focus Electric, I am thinking about replacing that unit with a 7.2 kW 30 Amp unit in order to have faster charging time for the Electric, but before I run heavier wire from one end of the house to the other (more than 60 feet) and upgrade the circuit breaker, I am wondering if the effort and the expense are worth it.
The Focus Electric charges overnight, so 6 and a half hours on the existing unit versus 4 hours on a 7.2kW unit doesn't really make a difference. It would be nice sometimes on the weekend or in the evening, though, to be able to gain 20 miles on an hour's charge between trips rather than only 11.
If putting more pressure on the battery by charging at a higher rate degrades the battery quicker, I might just live with the occasional inconvenience of slower charging and driving a backup vehicle when necessary. If there's really no difference in battery life, then all I need to consider is the cost of wire, breaker, and trading out the EVSE and the time and effort to install.
Does anybody know about charging rates and battery longevity?