The battery testing company Aviloo is taking a stance against reporting on a recently published Stanford study, which claims that occasional sprints extend the service life of electric car batteries.
Aviloo describes this interpretation as “misleading – both technically incorrect and unsupported by real-world data.” Given that the study was titled ‘Dynamic Cycling Enhances Battery Lifetime,’ the misconception is not entirely unexpected, however.
As a provider of battery diagnostics, Aviloo believes it has a responsibility to “correct this misconception and clarify what the study actually reveals.” Specifically, Aviloo argues that the study conducted two types of battery stress tests in lab settings, including constant current cycling, a process that can only take place under lab conditions, and dynamic cyclic, which involves variable charge and discharge profiles, more similar to real-world operations.
The tests showed that more intense use of the electric drive system degrades the battery at a faster rate. Media coverage of the study reported that more dynamic driving habits could preserve EV batteries, but the study was not meant to explore this, instead it focused on the efficiency of lab testing.
As Aviloo writes, the company recommends driving “efficiently, not aggressively,” in order to best preserve an EV’s battery during use. This means that driving should be done as smoothly as possible, in a more anticipatory and energy-efficient fashion. Furthermore, preconditioning is to be used “only when plugged in,” and to be used both in summer and winter. Long idle periods with over 80 per cent state of charge are also to be avoided, as well as limiting fast charging processes to “only when necessary.” Finally, avoiding parking in extreme temperatures was also listed.
Aviloo’s CTO Mikolaus Mayerhofer explained: “As our study shows, moderate driving behavior reduces energy consumption by 10% over the battery’s lifecycle. In practical terms, this means that driving 100,000 kilometers with an efficient driving style is comparable to 110,000 kilometers driven aggressively.”
aviloo.com (PDF)
