Why 80 percent is the most sensible charge target

At every charging stop the planner works with a target of 80 percent rather than a full battery. That sounds like wasted range, but over long distances it shortens the total travel time. The reason lies in the charging curve.

The charging curve

A battery does not take power evenly. Up to around 80 percent it charges close to the maximum possible rate; after that the car throttles noticeably to protect the cells. The step from 80 to 100 percent can therefore take about as long as everything before it.

Two short stops instead of one long one

Charging to 80 percent twice usually gets you there earlier on a long trip than charging full once and having to stop again later. What counts is the sum of driving and charging time, not the state of charge when setting off. A short stop in the steep part of the curve buys more kilometres per minute than a long one in the flat part.

When charging full does pay off

On the final leg before the destination, ahead of a stretch without reliable charging, or overnight when time does not matter anyway, nothing speaks against 100 percent. In the vehicle profile the value can therefore be set freely between 50 and 100 percent; the planner calculates with whatever target is set.