Scheduling method 2 keep ur 12v battery charged while vaca

[scottf200]

Does the LEAF have a scheduler with sort time increments (ie. 15 minutes). Below is a thought I had on the Volt and thought it was applicable to the LEAF as well. If not let me know and I'll delete this thread:

We know even if plugged in that the 12v battery is only charged when the main 360v battery is also actively being charged. Given that ...

Re: Scheduling method to keep your 12v battery charged while on long trip

* The Volt charging scheduler does 15 minute increments (I just hopped in the Volt to see the incr units. I assume the MyVolt.COM is the same)
* You can charge "off_peak" OR "mid_peak"+"off_peak" as a combo. These are just esoteric names assigned to some hours.
* It has a weekday and a weekend scheduling component.

What if you used this combination to have normal (non-vaca) charging to be "mid_peak".

What if while down_south or on a long_vaca that you set to "off_peak" charging only. And you set the weekend only "off_peak" as an example to do ONE 15 minute charge. This would keep the 12v battery battery topped off. Plug into the 120v charger on the lower 8amp setting even if you have a 240v charger. Run the Volt down to say 5 EV miles or whatever before you leave.

"Automated" food for thought. Hope that makes somewhat sense. A little hard to explain and I'm not that good at it <grin>!

I vote they build in a "vacation charging" schedule so it just wakes up for a couple minutes a day or every 3rd day.

[TomT]

The Leaf's 12 volt battery requirements are somewhat different than the Volt's due to its different EV architecture. But yes, if the car is left alone, the inverter will come on every 5 days to top up the battery from the main pack. If the car is outside and it's an SL, the solar panel will also keep the battery topped up.

Does the LEAF have a scheduler with sort time increments (ie. 15 minutes). Below is a thought I had on the Volt and thought it was applicable to the LEAF as well.

[scottf200]

The Leaf does not have to ever start an ICE as the Volt does so its 12 volt battery requirements are different.

Not sure I follow this comment but the 12v battery in the Volt is *just* to "boot" the computers. The 360v battery and the generator motor would start the ICE/GG. Volt has *no* typical "starter motor" like on a conventional car.

On the other hand, the 12v battery in the Volt is good sized (CCA) as you can jump other cars from it easily and with the Volt "on" the APM will let the 360v charge the 12v so you can jump the neighbors 4x4 truck in the dead of winter.

But yes, if the car is left alone, the inverter will come on every 5 days to top up the battery from the main pack. If the car is outside and it's an SL, the solar panel will also keep the battery topped up.

Good to know. I was under the impression that the 12v battery was only charged when the main battery was also being charged. Thought I read LEAF post on that.

[TomT]

The 12 Volt DC-DC inverter can provide something like 100-150 amps (I forget the exact number now) so jumping is possible there too. I did exactly that with a friend's truck last winter, in fact.

On the other hand, the 12v battery in the Volt is good sized (CCA) as you can jump other cars from it easily and with the Volt "on" the APM will let the 360v charge the 12v so you can jump the neighbors 4x4 truck in the dead of winter.

[TomT]

What happens if the car has been parked with the main battery pack depleted - yes, I know it never actually is supposed to go to zero because the BMS does not allow that - and then is later started? Yes, it has no starter per se, but the generator motor still must be fed sufficient power to turn over the generator's ICE to start it up, and that clearly requires more power that simply booting the Leaf. The motor/generator still assumes a starter's function, no? I assume that is why the Leaf's 12 volt battery can be smaller...

I don't pretend to know all the inner working of the Volt any more than I know the ones of the Leaf, even though I have studied the Leaf service and training manuals in great detail...

The Leaf does not have to ever start an ICE as the Volt does so its 12 volt battery requirements are different.

Not sure I follow this comment but the 12v battery in the Volt is *just* to "boot" the computers. The 360v battery and the generator motor would start the ICE/GG. Volt has *no* typical "starter motor" like on a conventional car.

[scottf200]

The 12 Volt DC-DC inverter can provide something like 100-150 amps (I forget the exact number now) so jumping is possible there too. I did exactly that with a friend's truck last winter, in fact.

OK. I guess I was remembering this thread that stated "The User Manual states that a LEAF cannot be used to jump another vehicle":
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6707

I have not read the whole LEAF manual, however.

[planet4ever]

What happens if the car has been parked with the main battery pack depleted - yes, I know it never actually is supposed to go to zero because the BMS does not allow that - and then is later started? Yes, it has no starter per se, but the generator motor still must be fed sufficient power to turn over the generator's ICE to start it up, and that clearly requires more power that simply booting the Leaf. The motor/generator still assumes a starter's function, no? I assume that is why the Leaf's 12 volt battery can be smaller...

I'm fairly certain that the Volt's generator (running as a starter) can only be powered from the high voltage battery, so would never put a load on the 12v battery. But of course even "fully discharged" the main battery still has many times as much power (wattage) as any 12v lead acid battery ever has. So your hypothetical problem would never really exist.

Ray

[davewill]

But yes, if the car is left alone, the inverter will come on every 5 days to top up the battery from the main pack. If the car is outside and it's an SL, the solar panel will also keep the battery topped up.

Good to know. I was under the impression that the 12v battery was only charged when the main battery was also being charged. Thought I read LEAF post on that.

There's an issue where if the car is left plugged in on a charge timer, it seems to prevent the every 5 day 12v charge from happening. So, you want to avoid leaving it plugged in while sitting for long periods, or use a battery tender. The LEAF manual recommends charging it to 80%, leaving it unplugged, and then charging the car every 3 months while storing.

[smkettner]

How long are you on vacation?

Otherwise you can set LEAF timer to charge 10 minutes once a week and it will top up the 12v battery at the same time. I suggest starting with low state of charge and 80% setting.

It seems to work fine for those that have done it.

[leafydragon]

How long are you on vacation?
Otherwise you can set LEAF timer to charge 10 minutes once a week and it will top up the 12v battery at the same time. I suggest starting with low state of charge and 80% setting.
It seems to work fine for those that have done it.

Wait a minute, from what I understand of the 12V batt vacation-depletion problem, it is the fact that a charger is left plugged into the car, will either inhibit the 5-day charging of the 12V batt, AND/OR will cause additional draw on the 12V batt whenever the charger is plugged in.
This would be a design flaw.
Am I mistaken?

Off-topic suggestion, the Leaf looks surprisingly "low-tech" under the hood, because of the lead-acid-battery.
I understand the need for separate low-voltage pack for safe operation of accessories and safety stuff with the traction battery disconnected.
But how about using NiMH or LiFePO4 packs (with suitable charge circuit and discharge protection logic)?