Six week vacation - SOC for battery?

[mrradon]

So I read the owners manual about not using the vehicle for extended period of time.
If the vehicle will not be used for an extended period of time, charge the Li-ion battery using the long life mode once every 3 months. Do not operate the charging timer repeatedly while the charge connector is connected to the vehicle after the Li-ion battery charging is completed. Doing so may discharge the 12-volt battery.

It doesn't mention SOC other than:
Avoid sustained high battery state of charge (caused, for example, by frequently charging to 100% state of charge and/or leaving the battery above 80% state of charge for long periods of time).

So is it better to leave it at 2 bars, 4, 6?

I'm in Seattle - so it never gets real cold. And its parked outdoors.

 

[TomT]

Mid-range around 6 is good.

So is it better to leave it at 2 bars, 4, 6?

 

[Randy]

I've done this twice, very simple. Parked the car at about 50% SOC, made SURE everything was off when exiting, and left it UNPLUGGED for the duration.

When I came back weeks later, the LEAF was still at about 50% SOC when I started it up...

 

[Stoaty]

So is it better to leave it at 2 bars, 4, 6?

I would probably opt for 4-5 bars.

 

[Herm]

and leave the 12V battery disconnected...

 

[EVDRIVER]

Far too much concern on this. Just charge no further than the 80% mode and if one is worried about the 12V put a battery tender on, I would regardless. Worrying about 50%, 55, etc is just that, worry.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Far too much concern on this. Just charge no further than the 80% mode and if one is worried about the 12V put a battery tender on, I would regardless. Worrying about 50%, 55, etc is just that, worry.

tough to do in PNW when car is parked outside. I know one girl who charged it to about 40% and was gone a month and said there was no issues at all.

it seems pretty counter intuitive, but if you plan to be gone more than a few days, leave it unplugged and half SOC and you will be good for several months that way

 

[downeykp]

For the past two summers (2 1/2 months), I have left mine charged to about 50% then set timer to charge for 10 minutes once a week. This has kept enough charge in 12 volt that I have no worries when I return for the school year.

 

[youngr3]

I have left my Leaf for 6 week periods twice, and once for a four month period. My suggestion, and the way I do it is to start at about 4-5 bars. Plug in with 110 volts. Set timer for once a week for 10 minutes. One of the advantages is that it can send you a message once a week with an update on level of charge. If you plug in at 220 volts this is about 50% too much and it will gain a bar about once a month. When I did this last year starting at 3 bars I had to have a neighbour unplug it after about 3 1/2 months to keep it below 7 bars.

 

[Phoenix]

It is unnecessary to keep the car plugged in while on extended vacation. You are using up your battery cycles unnecessarily. Just unplug the 12v battery at the negative terminal (per Ingineer's posts) so that the car's traction battery does not continue to charge the 12v battery while you are gone.

 

[DarkStar]

For 6 weeks, I would also recommend you charge to the standard 80% "long-life" level and unplug the car from the EVSE. If you cannot use a battery-tender on the 12 volt battery due to the location, I would recommend unhooking the 12 volt battery for the duration of the vacation.

While the owners manual doesn't have any particular recommendations on unhooking the battery, my understanding is that you should wait at least 5 seconds after powering off the vehicle and unhook it within 5 minutes of powering off the vehicle.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Far too much concern on this. Just charge no further than the 80% mode and if one is worried about the 12V put a battery tender on, I would regardless. Worrying about 50%, 55, etc is just that, worry.

Well, I agree that 50 or 55% is not a concern, but I wouldn't leave it at 80%.

Leave the 12 volt battery connected to a tender (and all your saved radio channels will still be there) or disconnect it while gone.

There are WAY too many dead 12 volts otherwise, and the tenders are cheap.

http://amzn.com/B000CITK8S" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ABSOLUTELY do not leave the J1772 connected while gone. You could leave the car for a year this way.

 

[Herm]

I think the manual recommends storage in the Long Life mode, that is 80%.. really long term should be at 40% in an air conditioned garage..with the 12V disconnected and on trickle