Hi There, Help! If I were to go on vacation, what would be the optimal storage of my (beloved) Chevy Park EV? Should I leave it charging? If I leave it charging, how would this affect my electric bill? Should I leave it unplugged? I would be gone for 7-10 days. Help!
What to do when on vacation?
- Thread starter Regie1970
- Start date
Help Support Chevy Spark EV Forum:
Oberon
Well-known member
I don't think a week or two makes much difference, but generally lithium batteries are best stored somewhere about 2/3 full. I'd suggest driving it until you had about 50 miles of remaining range and then parking it unplugged.
markcmann
Well-known member
The following is from section 9-33 of the owner's manual:
Plug-In Charging
This section explains the process
for charging the high voltage battery.
Do not allow the vehicle to remain in
temperature extremes for long
periods without being driven or
plugged in. It is recommended that
the vehicle be plugged in when
temperatures are below 0°C (32°F)
and above 32°C (90°F) to maximize
high voltage battery life.
In order to maintain maximum range
from the battery, fully charge the
battery at each charge event. It is
not recommended to partially
charge the battery.
http://www.chevrolet.com/content/da...ip/Manuals and Videos/02_pdf/2k14spark_ev.pdf
Plug-In Charging
This section explains the process
for charging the high voltage battery.
Do not allow the vehicle to remain in
temperature extremes for long
periods without being driven or
plugged in. It is recommended that
the vehicle be plugged in when
temperatures are below 0°C (32°F)
and above 32°C (90°F) to maximize
high voltage battery life.
In order to maintain maximum range
from the battery, fully charge the
battery at each charge event. It is
not recommended to partially
charge the battery.
http://www.chevrolet.com/content/da...ip/Manuals and Videos/02_pdf/2k14spark_ev.pdf
Oberon
Well-known member
The first paragraph is about making sure there is power to run the battery thermal conditioning without draining the battery.markcmann said:
The second paragraph can be interpreted in a couple of ways:
a) Don't do partial charge cycles, ie if you charge do a full charge. I agree with this.
b) Try to keep the car fully charged. I'm not sure this is what they meant, but it's possible. It would have been nicer to have clearer wording, eg "Try to keep the battery fully charged" or "Charge fully as often as possible". The "at each charge event" wording does not quite say this.
Bottom line, I don't think it matters for a few days and either answer might be true. It would be good to get some clarification from GM on this.
And from section 10-14 of the manual.
Vehicle Storage
Up to Four Weeks
. Plug in the charge cord.
Four Weeks to 12 Months
. Discharge the high voltage battery until two or three bars remain on the battery range
indicator (Battery symbol) on the instrument cluster.
.Do not plug in the charge cord.
.Remove the black negative (−) cable from the 12-volt battery and attach a trickle charger to
the battery terminals or keep the 12-volt battery cables connected and trickle charge from the
underhood remote positive (+) and negative (−) terminals. See Jump Starting on page 10-57 for
the location of these terminals.
Sounds like just plug her in unless you get really long vacations.
Vehicle Storage
Up to Four Weeks
. Plug in the charge cord.
Four Weeks to 12 Months
. Discharge the high voltage battery until two or three bars remain on the battery range
indicator (Battery symbol) on the instrument cluster.
.Do not plug in the charge cord.
.Remove the black negative (−) cable from the 12-volt battery and attach a trickle charger to
the battery terminals or keep the 12-volt battery cables connected and trickle charge from the
underhood remote positive (+) and negative (−) terminals. See Jump Starting on page 10-57 for
the location of these terminals.
Sounds like just plug her in unless you get really long vacations.
Regie1970 said:
Once fully charged, the car stops charging automatically. I'm not sure how much the active cooling system draws, but I couldn't imagine it being anywhere as much as charging the high voltage battery. I do hear the cooling system engaged, even if temperatures are below 90 degrees. If parked in cool garage, I wouldn't worry about plugging in for such a short time away.
xylhim said:
When I measured mine with a Watt's Up it shows about 4W after charging finishes, I thought this was surprisingly low. I assume that if the temperature was high or low that the battery conditioning would raise that.
This consumption will have a negligible affect on your electricity bill and if the temperature required the battery temperature control then it would be available.
kevin
Oberon
Well-known member
Thanks for putting this up. So it does look like for long term storage they want the battery partially discharged. The stuff about the 12v battery is to shut down the car and avoid any dark current discharging and to maintain the 12v battery.emv said:
TonyWilliams
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2013
- Messages
- 572
Oberon said:
Any of the current lithium chemistry batteries need to be somewhere near the middle of their charge for storage, and kept cool (really important, but hard to do).
Most modern electric cars all have onboard telematics, and combined with any other vampire loads, can really drain a 12 volt battery. Lead acid batteries need to be fully charged at all times for longest life (about 12.7 volts resting). I put the trickle charger on the 12 volt even for a week of storage.
One change I make for longer term storage is to leave the 12 volt connected (so the telematics work while I'm away), and plug in the 12 volt trickle charger.
TonyWilliams
Well-known member
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nozferatu said:
Really? Your "advise" is that protecting the battery is fluff and folks should just buy a new one as opposed to maintaining the battery with a device that is far cheaper than a new battery and that device can be used with subsequent cars for many years?
After they relaod all their saved radio stations, reconnect their bluetooth devices, reprogram saved navigation destinations, etc, the grand prize is paying to replace the battery (and not be able to use the car until the battery is replaced), I'm going to guess that they aren't going to like your advise very much.
You plug your EV in everyday. Plugging in the 12 volt battery for the few times you take a week or more away from your car is pathetically easy AND wise. It's neither fluff nor complicated.
Here's a trickle charger I recommend:
http://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/bt-022-0185g-dl-wh.html
The Battery Tender® Plus High Efficiency is a 1.25 amp battery charger designed to fully charge a battery and maintain it at proper storage voltage without the damaging effects caused by trickle chargers. Included is a quick connect ring terminal harness for hard to reach areas and alligator clips for an alternate connection. This unit replaces the 021-0128 in the California market.
This is a very popular 12 volt unit for battery storage. The E-Z quick disconnect harness (1 of each ring ends and alligator clips included) allows you to leave the charger wiring attached to the battery while operating the vehicle. Battery Tender Plus will not overcharge or boil battery when connected long term. Our most popular battery charger/maintainer having a 5 year manufacturers limited warranty.
Each Battery Tender ships with one each quick disconnect ring set and alligator clips.
Features
Automatically switches from full charge to float charging mode.
Reverse Polarity Protection to ensure user safety.
Complete 4-step charging program (Initialization, Bulk Charge, Absorption Mode, Float Mode)
Optimal 4 Step Charging
Safety timer: 72 hours
Spark Free Hook Up
Perfect for Wet cell, AGM, and VRLA Batteries
Reverse Polarity Protection
Short Circuit Protection
5 Year Warranty
Nashco
Well-known member
TonyWilliams said:
To be clear, none of this happens when you disconnect your Spark EV 12V battery. I have disconnected the 12V battery for hours and never lost any settings at all.
Bryce
TonyWilliams said:
I've disconnected my 12V battery many times and as Bryce has already mentioned, none of the settings are lost, no bluetooth connections are lost, and the cost of a 12V battery is probably not much more than the $51 charging equipment used to charge it...not to mention the time I waste doing so.
So yeah...your advice is crap. When you don't know what you are talking about, best you keep quiet.
TonyWilliams
Well-known member
- Joined
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nozferatu said:
Did big mean Tony upset you again? Ah, isn't that special.
Ya, telling people NOT to buy and use a battery tender, but instead buy a whole new battery after destroying it... great advise from the Clueless Camp.
You seem to have your ad hominem count up for today, however. Good job, you very special little lad.
FutureFolly
Well-known member
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- Feb 27, 2014
- Messages
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The decision is all about how much reliability you want from your 12V battery. Comparing it to the cost of a replacement battery doesn't consider the time and annoyance cost of having a car that is not drivable. Low power electronics tend to have long lives too.nozferatu said:
Personally, I buy the best absorptive glass matt(AGM) battery I can afford, and I use the solar powered chargers that you plug into the power outlet on the dash board.
Tony is right that lead-acid batteries in cars like to be fully charged. The lead starts to crystalize on the inside of the battery case when it recharges, instead of the lead cells as it's supposed to.
The thread started clearly focused on proper maintenance of the vehicle's battery. Obviously no one thought a month of no charging would kill their car's $10K traction battery. EVs spend more than that long in transit and sitting on dealer lots. Owners that want their products to last look for the proper way to do things. They want a little overkill if it gives them a little reassurance. Using a 12V tender charger is a personal decision, but it is the proper way to maintain a lead-acid battery for an extended period of storage.
tigger19687
Well-known member
I will need to do that up here in Snow Land, as I am thinking I would not be driving this in the snow here and stay with the P/U for Winter.
Thanks for the post.
Just wondering, would it be better to have the trickle charger on for say a few days then off for a few days ?
I would really not want to keep it trickled for the full 3 months of Winter here.
Thanks for the post.
Just wondering, would it be better to have the trickle charger on for say a few days then off for a few days ?
I would really not want to keep it trickled for the full 3 months of Winter here.
FutureFolly said:
His comments may apply for people who store their cars for long periods of time...but not for everyday drivers.
For most people the hassle and cost of charging a 12V battery every day is way over the top and totally unnecessary. That's why I said it's best to follow what's recommended in the owner's manual as clearly outlined as to what needs to be done.
FutureFolly
Well-known member
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- Messages
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True battery tenders are barely putting out any current. The more I researched the issue the more I heard being able to plugging in your battery and forgetting about it is exactly what they're designed for. I got the solar unit for the same concern of over charging you brought up though.tigger19687 said:
They tell you to disconnect the negative terminal because the car might be drawing more power than the tender is producing and therefore not doing anything for the battery.
I used to work at a dealership, and dead batteries were a daily issue on new cars because they were almost never run until they were bought. Reshuffling inventory was a nightmare of jump starting. On models that didn't sell well, replacement battery claims were assumed because they discharged so completely while sitting for 3+ months.
