It's a good question. I hadn't thought of that or researched it yet. Your question encouraged me to look. I found this Road Show article. Mentions break-in still for brakes and wheels.
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EV Break-in?
I'll ask this likely dumb question but does VW recommend any particular break-in procedure for the ID.4?
This aside from the 40%->80% optimal battery charging window.
Yes, I know, still thinking in ICE. 🤪
This aside from the 40%->80% optimal battery charging window.
Yes, I know, still thinking in ICE. 🤪
1 - 5 of 5 Posts
You really have no break-in on an EV. You can drive it full speed right out of the dealers lot (just obey the law). Break-in on ice cars is to help seat piston rings and sealing between piston walls to avoids oil blow by.
I have owned many EV’s and subscribe to the ABC mentality (Always Be Charging). I have never limited any of my EV’s to 80% top charging. I charge them each night to 100% and have not had any noticeable range degradation or issues. Remember the batteries in these, by nature of the engineering setup, do not allow the full cap so 100% is not 100%. They do this for battery longevity. You really don’t have to worry about charging. Just make sure you have enough juice and if you need more that there is a fast charger on your route. Some limit charging but IMO this has negligible longevity effect. While none of my EV’s are Tesla’s I have read about Tesla owners who have driven many hundreds of thousands miles and have had very minuscule range degradation. You probably get worse with a gas car wearing down over time. The important thing here I have found from experience is battery thermal management. VW has it. Those are liquid cooled and heated packs. This makes a huge difference with keeping the cells in top top shape.
My EV’s by far have been the best and most reliable cars. I have not had service visits except to rotate tires. They really are nearly maintenance free except for occasional washer fluid, tire rotation and cabin air filters. If this is your first one, your gonna love it, but it does require throwing away what we have been conditioned to think about how we treat ICE based cars. I love it so much that with the delivery of the ID.4 we will be ICE free. Also prepare to grin as you pass fuel stations.
Edit: Brake break-in is largely not necessary because you seldom use friction brakes on an EV. Only when you hard stop, the battery is full and can’t take the recharge energy, or when the car is holding at a complete stop. All other times your vehicle is using regen. Essentially regen handles most breaking and as you come to a stop a few miles an hour, your EV blends in the friction brakes. Blending of friction and regen also happens when your battery is 100% full because there is limited place for the extra electrons to go. This all is another bonus of an EV. I have an EV in my garage with 8000 miles on it and the rotors look brand new.
I have owned many EV’s and subscribe to the ABC mentality (Always Be Charging). I have never limited any of my EV’s to 80% top charging. I charge them each night to 100% and have not had any noticeable range degradation or issues. Remember the batteries in these, by nature of the engineering setup, do not allow the full cap so 100% is not 100%. They do this for battery longevity. You really don’t have to worry about charging. Just make sure you have enough juice and if you need more that there is a fast charger on your route. Some limit charging but IMO this has negligible longevity effect. While none of my EV’s are Tesla’s I have read about Tesla owners who have driven many hundreds of thousands miles and have had very minuscule range degradation. You probably get worse with a gas car wearing down over time. The important thing here I have found from experience is battery thermal management. VW has it. Those are liquid cooled and heated packs. This makes a huge difference with keeping the cells in top top shape.
My EV’s by far have been the best and most reliable cars. I have not had service visits except to rotate tires. They really are nearly maintenance free except for occasional washer fluid, tire rotation and cabin air filters. If this is your first one, your gonna love it, but it does require throwing away what we have been conditioned to think about how we treat ICE based cars. I love it so much that with the delivery of the ID.4 we will be ICE free. Also prepare to grin as you pass fuel stations.
Edit: Brake break-in is largely not necessary because you seldom use friction brakes on an EV. Only when you hard stop, the battery is full and can’t take the recharge energy, or when the car is holding at a complete stop. All other times your vehicle is using regen. Essentially regen handles most breaking and as you come to a stop a few miles an hour, your EV blends in the friction brakes. Blending of friction and regen also happens when your battery is 100% full because there is limited place for the extra electrons to go. This all is another bonus of an EV. I have an EV in my garage with 8000 miles on it and the rotors look brand new.
My approach, regardless of vehicle type and based on my personal research, has been to avoid hard braking as much as possible for the first 500 miles. This mates the pads to the discs well and will pay off later.
Brake break in is to do two or three hard stops in a row from 70 MPH
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