How to keep 12 volt battery charged when gone

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paul373

New member
Joined
May 31, 2018
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2
I recently purchased a used 2016 Leaf SV. Later this summer my wife and I will be leaving on a six week trip. I am concerned that the 12 volt battery may be dead when we return. Is this likely? Should I leave a trickle charger (i.e, a battery tender) hooked up the 12 volt battery to keep it charged while we are gone?
 
Yes, lots of threads on this. I trickle charge my 12V battery weekly. I'm almost seven years on the original one.
 
Leave the car parked with the traction battery at 60% to 70% SOC and not plugged in. Unplug anything from the OBDII diagnostic port, turn the car off, lock the doors, and enjoy your six weeks. The car will charge the 12-volt battery from the traction battery as necessary. I have parked my 2011 and 2015 up to 3 weeks with no noticeable loss of traction battery charge. I never connected a battery charger to my 12-volt battery in either LEAF.
 
A good compromise between easy and effective might be to fully charge the 12 volt battery with an external charger right before (maybe the night before) going to the airport. Running the wipers on their slowest intermittent setting on the way might also help, as that raises the voltage to 14-ish.
 
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