Questions about leaving car plugged/unplugged in winter.

[Amazing1]

New Leaf Owner has perhaps what may be to some a stupid question. Today is the first day that its raining outside and our car is scheduled to charge tonight between 2 AM and 6:30 AM. Using a dedicated 240v outlet inside our garage, so the "box" on the charging cable is indoors, away from the elements. Do I need to do anything to prevent the rain from blowing into and onto the area where I am hooked up to the plug on the front of the car, or does the rubber surround keep the electrical part of the plug from being effected if water gets on it? :?

 

[LeftieBiker]

The charge plug and port don't become "hot" until after the plug is fully seated in the port. Don't worry.

 

[TheLostPetrol]

New Leaf Owner has perhaps what may be to some a stupid question. Today is the first day that its raining outside and our car is scheduled to charge tonight between 2 AM and 6:30 AM. Using a dedicated 240v outlet inside our garage, so the "box" on the charging cable is indoors, away from the elements. Do I need to do anything to prevent the rain from blowing into and onto the area where I am hooked up to the plug on the front of the car, or does the rubber surround keep the electrical part of the plug from being effected if water gets on it? :?

I've charged outdoors in the rain at Level 2 and DCFC. AFAIK, it's safe. Rain water is fairly pure H2O and not a good conductor of electricity, but nevertheless, I would try to introduce a minimal number of drops of rain into the plug and port.

 

[DunanyDon]

I appreciate all of the information. My current daily commute is a total of 34 miles, when I'm driving in eco mode, and not using the highway or climate control, I'm using 35% of the battery each day. I'm intentionally only charging to 75-85% and unplugging, but if winter is going to be more of a drain on power, I may let it charge a bit more.



What makes highway driving better in the winter compared to normal when it uses much more of the charge?



In the Flint area.

If you are going the same distance without the heater, highway driving uses more power than city driving because aerodynamic drag increases sharply with speed. However, the city trip will take much more time, so the cabin heater will use much more power for the trip at city speeds since it will be on for a much longer time. Let's say you go 60 miles on the highway at 60 mph. if the heater uses 3 kW, it will draw a total of 3 kWh. But, if you go 60 miles in the city and are caught in ridiculous stop-and-go traffic, you might average only 5 mph. The heater would draw 3 kW for 12 hours or 36 kWh. In an older leaf with a 24 kWh battery, you would have to stop to recharge the battery.