To charge with timer, or without.
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AudiWorld Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2023
Posts: 25
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From: Eastern WA state
To charge with timer, or without.
I have a new Q8 e-tron, which I charge every 2-3 days to 80% using Level 2 40amp charger at home. My question is... should I bother to charge the car using a timer, or just plug in and start charging immediately. I'm retired, and have no urgent need to depart at any particular time in the morning. Therefore, setting climate control with the charging is unnecessary, as I may not leave for several hours after charging is completed. Also, my electricity rates are constant, with no discount for usage after midnight.
Just plugging in the car for immediate charging when I go to bed would be the most convenient method for me. Is there any benefit at all to use timer charging in my situation?
Just plugging in the car for immediate charging when I go to bed would be the most convenient method for me. Is there any benefit at all to use timer charging in my situation?
AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 2,529
Likes: 651
From: Portland, Oregon
I'd say charging right away is fine for you, as long as you charge only to 80%. Using a timer, as you note, is an advantage mainly in 2 situations: 1) when you can get favorable charging rates; and, 2) if you know when you are going to depart (a timer set for your departure time, and with cabin conditioning turned on, will give you a warm cabin and a full battery that is somewhat warmed, by the charging, closer to its ideal operating temperature). If you are planning a long trip and want to charge to 100%, it would be "ideal", but not critical, if you were to use a timer set for your departure time so that your car battery would not be sitting for a long time at 100% SOC.
Note, though, even then, at a 100% SOC reading, you are really charged up to only 98% since Audi locks out the top 2%.
Note, though, even then, at a 100% SOC reading, you are really charged up to only 98% since Audi locks out the top 2%.
AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,980
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From: DC
If you have no need to schedule a timer then you don't need to worry about it.
The Audi BMS is VERY slick. If you were departing at a certain time, then the computer would pre warm the battery up for you, the cabin and have everything optimal. Because of that, whatever range you could eek out of the battery would be available and no extra effort or efficiency would be wasted heating or cooling the cabin.
Charging immediately will forgo that increased efficiency and when you depart, the battery will work to bring itself up to ideal operating temp as well as the cabin. This is not bad for anything, just less efficient.
Charging at home this is very minor, but charging immediately after you return from driving is actually less stressful to the battery as it is already at operating temperature. You really do not need to worry about this with the timer as at most you are charging 240V at home which really will not EVER stress the battery.
The Audi BMS is VERY slick. If you were departing at a certain time, then the computer would pre warm the battery up for you, the cabin and have everything optimal. Because of that, whatever range you could eek out of the battery would be available and no extra effort or efficiency would be wasted heating or cooling the cabin.
Charging immediately will forgo that increased efficiency and when you depart, the battery will work to bring itself up to ideal operating temp as well as the cabin. This is not bad for anything, just less efficient.
Charging at home this is very minor, but charging immediately after you return from driving is actually less stressful to the battery as it is already at operating temperature. You really do not need to worry about this with the timer as at most you are charging 240V at home which really will not EVER stress the battery.
AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 2,529
Likes: 651
From: Portland, Oregon
If you have no need to schedule a timer then you don't need to worry about it.
The Audi BMS is VERY slick. If you were departing at a certain time, then the computer would pre warm the battery up for you, the cabin and have everything optimal. Because of that, whatever range you could eek out of the battery would be available and no extra effort or efficiency would be wasted heating or cooling the cabin.
Charging immediately will forgo that increased efficiency and when you depart, the battery will work to bring itself up to ideal operating temp as well as the cabin. This is not bad for anything, just less efficient.
Charging at home this is very minor, but charging immediately after you return from driving is actually less stressful to the battery as it is already at operating temperature. You really do not need to worry about this with the timer as at most you are charging 240V at home which really will not EVER stress the battery.
The Audi BMS is VERY slick. If you were departing at a certain time, then the computer would pre warm the battery up for you, the cabin and have everything optimal. Because of that, whatever range you could eek out of the battery would be available and no extra effort or efficiency would be wasted heating or cooling the cabin.
Charging immediately will forgo that increased efficiency and when you depart, the battery will work to bring itself up to ideal operating temp as well as the cabin. This is not bad for anything, just less efficient.
Charging at home this is very minor, but charging immediately after you return from driving is actually less stressful to the battery as it is already at operating temperature. You really do not need to worry about this with the timer as at most you are charging 240V at home which really will not EVER stress the battery.
AudiWorld Member
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 403
Likes: 96
As it sounds like my use case is similar to yours, I generally charge every couple of days and usually only up to 60-80%. One of the advantages of a timer in this scenario for me is I can set it for the end of the week, and then say if I've gotten down to 54% on Tuesday and don't expect to drive much the next day or two so don't really want to charge, I can plug it in with the timer set say for Friday and it won't charge. BUT, if something comes up Tuesday night and I realize oh I'll actually need some charge, because its plugged in I can just use the app to either adjust the timer to a new date/time or just kick up the immediate charge. (my use case also has my car parked a few blocks away form me, so I realize this is probably less useful for those of you who can just walk to their garage and plug the car in)
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