Initial Six Battery Cycles

Chevy Spark EV Forum

Help Support Chevy Spark EV Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Sparkler

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 14, 2013
Messages
116
Location
SJ, CA
The salesman told me that I should run the battery down to empty for the first six cycles. Has anyone else been told that?

He said he was told to say that, and he actually said "They are saying", etc. But who is saying that and why?

I assume this has something to do with balancing the cells at the lowest SOC, but can't find anything in the manual about it...
 
Sparkler said:
The salesman told me that I should run the battery down to empty for the first six cycles. Has anyone else been told that?

I have never heard that. The Spark has a extensive battery management system. If 6 full cycles were required, they would either do that at the factory, or at the dealer. Many people buy a Spark EV that's been test driven at the dealer. Are the dealers really doing full-depletion runs for their first 6 cycles? Driving the car down to near 0 is actually harder than you might think, unless you just drive around pointlessly to deplete it.
 
I have never heard of this practice. From what I understand constant depletion of the battery is potentially more damaging to the battery and optimal conditions is keeping the car fully charged and plugged in whenever possible. Either way you wouldn't actually be driving the car down to empty because part of the battery is reserved and cannot be discharged. You'd run out of power and stop but the battery wouldn't be at 0%.
 
Chaconzies said:
I have never heard of this practice. From what I understand constant depletion of the battery is potentially more damaging to the battery and optimal conditions is keeping the car fully charged and plugged in whenever possible. Either way you wouldn't actually be driving the car down to empty because part of the battery is reserved and cannot be discharged. You'd run out of power and stop but the battery wouldn't be at 0%.
Some sales people just need to be dope-slapped sometimes. Where is this nonsense is coming from is probably his father telling him to keep his NiCad power drills batteries drained to the maximum to avoid the battery memory effecting the next "full" charge. The number six is probably came from ???? good "not quite round" number, "half a dozen sounds just about right".... who knows. The manual specifically says to plug in the vehicle even if it's completely charged.
 
Back
Top