2016 500e newbie charging questions

[zombieg33]

Just picked up a used 2016 500e. I'm hoping someone here knows the answer to some of these questions...

- Is it ok to leave the included charger plugged in when I'm not driving the car? I'm using the provided level 1 charger that plugs into a standard home outlet, not the 240v charger. Can I leave it plugged in all day? Overnight?

- In the morning when I pull out of the garage it says I have at least 100 miles or more on my charge. By the time I've driven four miles, it's down to 75 or so. Is this normal battery degredation if the mileage is 26k, or do I have a bad cell or something? It usually hangs in the 75-80 range for awhile after that so it also could just be a really crappy "guestimatator" on the car??

- Is there any way the dealer can provide me with a battery status printout or something? I asked, but they said no. I want to make sure. If there is a report, what is it referred to as?

And I'm sad to learn that the UConnect software no longer works with this year model. :-(

Thanks for any help with any of these questions.

[ga2500ev]

It seems no one answered your question. I'll take a crack at it...

Just picked up a used 2016 500e. I'm hoping someone here knows the answer to some of these questions...

- Is it ok to leave the included charger plugged in when I'm not driving the car? I'm using the provided level 1 charger that plugs into a standard home outlet, not the 240v charger. Can I leave it plugged in all day? Overnight?

Yes it's OK. The car will disconnect from the EVSE, which is the official name for the "charger", when the battery is full.

- In the morning when I pull out of the garage it says I have at least 100 miles or more on my charge. By the time I've driven four miles, it's down to 75 or so. Is this normal battery degredation if the mileage is 26k, or do I have a bad cell or something? It usually hangs in the 75-80 range for awhile after that so it also could just be a really crappy "guestimatator" on the car??

You nailed it. EV people usually call it the GOM: guess-o-meter. I usually explain that the range meter has a tough job because of the limited amount of energy the car is working with. A full 500e has about the same amount of energy as less than 1 gallon of gas. ICE range meters seem more accurate simply because they have a long time and a ton of data to work with. EV GOMs use somewhat complicated algorithms to try to guess the range based on previous driving, current temperature, and driving style.

Another aspect of the GOM is the fact that the car often has to condition the battery early in the drive. If the battery is too hot, the car cools it. Or if too cold, the car warms it. If not done before disconnecting from the EVSE, this conditioning takes energy from the battery, which is indicated by an immediate dropoff in range.

In short, it's normal for a quick drop at the start of a trip.

- Is there any way the dealer can provide me with a battery status printout or something? I asked, but they said no. I want to make sure. If there is a report, what is it referred to as?

Most 500e folks do it themselves. With a cheap bluetooth OBDII reader, a phone/tablet, and software called AlfaOBD, one can get a ton of information on the health of the battery. Do note that it is a bad idea to use a standard OBDII reader on a 500e. Even though it uses the same port, the communications are not the same as standard gas cars.

And I'm sad to learn that the UConnect software no longer works with this year model. :-(

A homegrown product called my500e will replace that functionality. Currently there is only a cell based model that requires a $300+ device and a $60+ subscription annually to use. The developer is claiming they may work on a bluetooth/wifi version in the future. In that future I may take a look at it.

Thanks for any help with any of these questions.

Hope this helps,

ga2500ev

[PLP]

What is your location?

Yes, it can be left plugged in. No problem at all.

The sudden drop in estimated distance is due to several factors - your driving style (hard acceleration/hard braking - the last one - limited regen in full battery scenario), use of heat or cool (all comes from the battery), terrain, and others.
I had the GOM show 114 miles at 100% and then I could not even get more than 80 miles till 5% charge remaining. Next charge is 114 miles again... so yeah, take it very carefully. Mine is 2014 with 43k miles.

As for degradation - there might be some, but buffers built into the battery should cover it, at least partially.
Even in case of losing 30% of the total capacity, FIAT will not cover it under 8 year battery warranty. They specified degradation is not covered.
My ChargePoint says 20 kWh delivered for 100% charge (from 0 to 100), so nowhere near 24 kWh especially taking into account about 90% charging efficiency.

[FlyboyUtah]

For PLP:
I'm a new owner of a 2013 500e, and I'm concerned that when I leave it plugged in overnight it charges to 100%. This runs contrary to common EV practice (Tesla) of charging to no more than 80%-90% to minimize damage to battery.
The question: Do most 500e charge to 100%? Does it effect the battery deg?

[ga2500ev]

Reports from several 500e forums indicate that the cells used for the high voltage battery for the 500e only charge to 4.1 volts per cell where 100% full is 4.2 volts per cell. This means that even when the car is showing a 100% charge, the battery really isn't fully charged.

Short answer is there's nothing to worry about with the 500e charging it to 100% all of the time. It's designed to protect the battery even in that instance.

ga2500ev

[PLP]

Correct.
Max voltage per cell I found was 4.1 V (you got 96 cells or 97 - not sure now). That gives almost 400 V total, which is the max the battery ever gets to.
Fiat claims it has 24 kWh battery, but it turns out it has buffer zones, which can be used to keep extra power or be used to supply energy for degrading battery or to allow for full charge without the worry of damaging battery.