Charge before or after leaving for 10 days

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freefaller

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2017
Messages
10
Hi all,

I know this is a bit early, but I'll be leaving my Leaf for 10 days over Christmas at the airport - which is far enough away that it will definitely need a charge to get me back home afterwards.

The temperature in the UK at the end of December is variable (as it is for the rest of the year)... it could be -10C (14F)... it could be +10C (50F)... there is no way of knowing this far in advance. To be fair, there's little chance of knowing a week before hand!

Assuming it's in the 0C (32F) to -10C (14F) range, is it better to get to the airport and use the fast-charger (to get it 80%) and then park up for 10 days. Or is it better to park up, leave it for 10 days with approx 30% charge and use the fast-charger before coming home?

Many thanks,
Tom :)
 
either way you're fine, but I would charge it to 80% prior to parking. That way when you land you don't have 1 more thing to worry about as I'm sure you'd just want to get home.
 
Phatcat73 said:
either way you're fine, but I would charge it to 80% prior to parking. That way when you land you don't have 1 more thing to worry about as I'm sure you'd just want to get home.
It's a fair point, an extra hour at the airport on the journey home is not appealing.

However...

willbur4 said:
It is better for the battery to park it at a lower (30 to 40) SOC. When you return you can warm up the car while fast charging.
If it's better for the battery, then maybe this is the best way to go.

And there's also a whole bunch of bonus points to be gained here...
- my partner can keep warm in the terminal with the bags while I go get the car from the long-term car park (she can also get a coffee)
- the charge station is just outside the terminal in the "quick pick-up" area (meaning I can join her for a coffee)
- my partner has a short walk to the car, which is warm for the journey home!

OK, it's cost us an hour, but I think it's worth it.

Thanks for your replies :)
 
If you get there at under 30%, which I believe is not a great state to leave it in, can you visit the QC briefly as you come in to the airport just to pop it up to about 35% before parking? That would be ideal, and would eliminate worrying about hypermiling or limiting climate control on the way to the airport. Then you can proceed with your plan for a full QC and coffee on return.
 
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