Hi all - I’m looking to buy my first ever EV soon (probably a Model Y, Polestar 2, or BMW i4) and have quick question. I’m often gone from home for a few weeks (sometimes months) at a time, and I currently keep a trickle charger on my 12V battery the whole time (it’s a “smart” CTEK charger that doesn’t overcharge the battery). That charger recently broke after many years of use, so I’m wondering whether there’s any need to replace it.
I know the answer may differ across EV models, but in general: if I leave the car in a garage for a few weeks it’s plugged into the main EV charger whole time, is there any need for a trickle charger?
Any quick thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
I know the Tesla and probably the Polestar will maintain the 12v automatically. Leave the car plugged in anyway.
Some of the legacy carmakers like Nissan and Chevy (on the bolt, etc) don’t have this and you might want to trickle the 12v. THey only charge the 12v when the key is turned to ACC, which is pretty lame.
I don’t know about the i4.
The Bolt does maintain the 12 V battery even without the car on. The exact criteria for how often it does it depends on the SoC of the propulsion batter and whether a charger is connected, but with SoC above 40%, and/or a charger connected (for the propulsion battery) you are all set.
And the bit about ACC is completely wrong for the Bolt. That setting on the Bolt is specifically to power the 12 V systems while locking the HV systems off. That means it will NOT maintain the battery.