[nopuk2021]

Am getting an ID.3 but keeping seeing that everyone says charge to 80%? Why not 100%? Does it really damage the battery?
Also, what is meant by the term battery reserve?

 

[ChristophW]

Welcome!
VW recommends charging the battery only to 80% if possible. Fully charging a Li-Ion battery is stressing it (aka battery degradation) and shortens its useful life. Plenty of material on the net if you want to dig deeper into why and how that is the case.

A decent and practical approach is this:

• On regular days charge to 80%, drive your daily errands, and charge back up to 80% when you need it.
• Before a long trip where you want the full range, charge to 100% so your first leg of the trip can be maximized.

Battery reserve, the way I understand it, is the 5% at the bottom and 4% at the top that VW makes unavailable. (77 kWh usable, 84 kWh theoretical for the large battery).

 

[Huey52]

In the charging setup screen in the ID.4 it specifically cites that VW recommends a maximum of 80%. Not sure if the ID.3 has a similar listing.

Li-ion batteries in general are availed of 40%-80% usage range for best longevity. However [in the USA] our ID.4 main battery is warrantied for 8 years (at no less than 70% capacity) so not really a concern.

 

[Spin]

I was told by VW Customer Care that if you must charge to 100% it is best to use level 1 or 2 charging.