Hello,
I have a 2016 Camry V6 with 51, 000 miles. I have a city commute to work and would like to help my battery last longer. About how long of driving (low speed, low rpm) after starting the car for the battery to get back to full charge?
When I run errands, the grocery store is less than a mile from my home so I doubt the battery can get full charge in that short distance, so I will put trans into lower gear to make the rpms higher. Will higher rpms help to recharge faster?
I appreciate your advice.
Thank you!
Do not do that. It makes no sense to wear out a $5,000 engine or transmission for the sake of a $100 battery. The charge rate is regulated by computer anyway, and over-revving will not charge it up faster. I would definitely avoid driving around in the wrong gear.
Your battery will recharge to around 95% within minutes of starting up. To fully top it up and prolong the life it needs TIME. There's no way around it. So either take it for a proper long drive every week, or plug your car into a battery maintainer when not in use. They are inexpensive.
this is especially true in the colder months.