How to Look After Your EV Battery: Tips for Australian Drivers

Your EV's battery is its most valuable component. A few simple habits — how you charge, park and drive — can keep it healthy for longer. Here's what to do.

Your electric car's battery is its most valuable component, and its health directly affects how much range you get over time. If you're searching for EV battery care advice, or wondering how to look after an electric car battery, you've come to the right place. The good news: looking after a high-voltage battery comes down to a few simple habits around charging, parking and driving. The same principles apply whether you drive an XPENG NEW G6 with its 5C battery or any other electric vehicle.

Charging habits: the key to electric car battery health

• Charge to 100 per cent soon after delivery. When you take delivery of a new EV, charge the battery fully as soon as practical. This helps the battery management system establish an accurate baseline.

• Know your battery type. Every XPENG sold in Australia — including the NEW G6 and X9 — uses a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. Unlike some other chemistries, LFP has no full-charge or full-discharge restrictions, so you can charge freely and rely on the battery management system to handle the rest.

• Charge around 30 per cent, stop around 90 per cent. For daily driving, it's efficient to charge when you have about 30 per cent remaining. Most sessions can stop around 90 per cent. For most Australian households, an overnight AC charge on a home wallbox covers a day of driving — plug in, and let the car top up while you sleep.

• Do a full charge regularly. Every two weeks or every 1,000 kilometres, charge the battery fully to 100 per cent. This helps keep the battery management system's readings accurate and slows battery degradation. If the car sits parked for more than a week, give it a full charge before storing.

• Prefer slow charging. For day-to-day battery maintenance, AC home charging is the gentler option. AC home charging is gentler on the battery than DC fast charging. Use slow charging for daily top-ups at home, and fast charging on the road when you need it — most public DC chargers in Australia are best kept for longer trips.

• Mind the temperature. The recommended charging environment is between 0°C and 45°C. In winter, keep at least 142 km of range in reserve, since cold weather reduces efficiency and extends charging times. Australian winters are milder than Europe's, but the guidance still matters for early mornings, alpine drives and Canberra winters.

Storing your EV: how to protect the high-voltage battery over time

If the car will sit unused for a while:

• Aim for 30 to 60 per cent charge before parking. If the battery is low, charge it first. Never leave a high-voltage battery fully discharged.

• Match storage time to charge level. With the right charge level, a car can be parked for roughly 90, 150 or 180 days, depending on how much charge it holds.

• Check it every three months. Power the car up and check the charge level. If it's low, charge it — a depleted battery left sitting loses performance.

• Store it in the shade. High or low temperatures accelerate battery wear, which is one reason battery care advice always comes back to temperature. Park in a cool, dry, ventilated spot, away from heat sources and low-lying areas. In an Australian summer, that means a garage or shaded carport rather than full sun, which can push cabin temperatures well beyond the outside reading.

Driving: protect the battery under the car

• The battery sits under the vehicle floor. Underbody protection is part of electric car battery maintenance too. When driving over mud, potholes, kerbs, driveways or speed humps, take care to avoid scraping the underbody.

• Stay within the operating temperature range. XPENG recommends using the vehicle between -30°C and 55°C. Outside this range, battery performance can be affected.

• Avoid deep water. Don't drive through deep or prolonged water crossings — they can cause short-circuiting, leakage or damage.

• Know the warning signs. If you feel or hear an underbody scrape, or the battery gives off an unusual smell, stop driving and contact your XPENG service centre.

A safety note on high-voltage batteries

The battery's voltage is far higher than the safe limit for the human body — contact can cause serious injury or worse. Never disassemble, inspect, modify or repair the battery or its wiring yourself. Leave that to qualified technicians.

The bottom line

Battery care isn't complicated. Charge sensibly, park it right, drive with care, and your EV's range will hold up far longer. Good EV battery health isn't luck — it's habit. In short, these habits protect the battery's State of Health — the figure that determines how much range your car keeps over the years.