Electric Cars Often Run Low on Battery: What are the Effects?
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The trend of electric vehicle (EV) usage in Indonesia continues to increase along with the growing number of model choices and the development of charging infrastructure.
However, behind this popularity, EV owners are also required to better understand usage patterns and battery maintenance to ensure optimal performance in the long term.
One habit that is often considered trivial but can impact battery life is frequently allowing the remaining power to drop to near zero percent.
According to him, frequently allowing the battery to be at a very low level can put greater pressure on the battery cells in the long term.
“Extreme battery levels or depth of discharge are one of the factors that accelerate degradation. Too often charging to 100 percent or letting it drop to 0 percent is not good for battery health,” said Mahaendra to Kompas.com, Friday (15/5/2026).
He explained that EV batteries work most optimally when at a certain power level range. Therefore, users are advised not to get used to the vehicle being in a very low condition before recharging.
In addition to making battery performance decline faster, a very low power level can also increase the risk of the battery experiencing thermal stress, especially if the vehicle is immediately charged using fast charging.
On the other hand, the habit of letting the battery run too low can also have an impact on the convenience of daily vehicle use. Drivers become more prone to experiencing range anxiety or the fear of running out of power in the middle of a journey.
For daily use, many manufacturers and EV enthusiasts recommend keeping the battery level in the range of 20 percent to 80 percent so that the battery cell condition is more stable and the lifespan is longer.
In addition to battery level, Mahaendra also mentioned extreme temperatures, frequent use of fast charging, charge-discharge cycles, and age as the main causes of EV battery degradation.
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