newbie q - does drive-battery charge also charge non-drive b

[Woodman411]

Another newbie question - can you please tell, does the external (plug from wall) drive-battery charging also charge the non-drive battery? Just curious if there is any benefit in using a battery tender to charge the non-drive battery, thanks.

 

[ThudnBlundr]

The 12V battery is charged whenever the car is "on", so it shouldn't need attention unless you leave it for a long period. I think the car also wakes up once a day and checks the 12V battery, though I can't find the thread that someone mentioned that. If the 12V battery does go flat, you can't use the car, as it powers up the computers used by the car. There is a connection under the bonnet (? in the fuse box) in case you do need to jump-start it

 

[Woodman411]

The 12V battery is charged whenever the car is "on", so it shouldn't need attention unless you leave it for a long period. I think the car also wakes up once a day and checks the 12V battery, though I can't find the thread that someone mentioned that. If the 12V battery does go flat, you can't use the car, as it powers up the computers used by the car. There is a connection under the bonnet (? in the fuse box) in case you do need to jump-start it

The reason I'm asking is, if the ON vehicle state does indeed charge the 12V battery, and the wall-charger for the drive-battery does not charge the 12V battery, then it actually is beneficial to charge the 12V battery with a battery tender, since when the vehicle turns ON, neither the ICE or drive-battery needs to charge the 12V battery, and then one gets even better EV/ICE range (albeit very slight improvement). I am just not sure if the drive-battery charge from the wall outlet reaches the 12V battery as well... can someone please verify?

 

[HHL]

It does...
The extra range you could get if you kept it charged separately would be measured in inches..... :roll:

 

[anko]

It does...
The extra range you could get if you kept it charged separately would be measured in inches..... :roll:

This is a confusing response. If it did, the extra range would be 0, right?

BTW: I too believe the HV volt battery is charged while the HV battery is being charged.

And I also believe the potential gain would be minimal in case it was not.

 

[HHL]

Was being sarcastic..... the few Wh saved by charging the aux separately wouldn't make any difference, and yes, as soon as the main battery charges the aux gets 14.4V supplied as well to top it up.

 

[NightPHEVer]

I'd say your main concern with the auxiliary battery is to make damn sure you don't flatten it, and if you do make damn sure you are in possession of a Li-ion jump starter pack so you can get the whole thing going again (yes, there is a connector for this in the fuse box - have a look in the owner's manual). I managed to flatten mine by leaving the 'power' button in the first 'blue light' position for 10 minutes while I changed a wheel (my mistake, the heater fan and the hazard flashers were on, plus side lights on car and trailer). So it doesn't take much to flatten it.

Everything really does go totally DEAD. Apart from - in my case - the rear wiper intermittently operating even though it wasn't switched on a the time, and a few random messages coming up on the dash. Even the hazard flashers stopped working. God help anybody who's stuck in a snow drift or similar and doesn't realize how fast this can happen. My recommendation would be to press the 'charge' button in any sort of getting-stuck-for-a-while situation, just in case.

 

[Steepndeep]

I did the same thing when replacing rear springs with heavier ones. Had the radio on to listen to music and suddenly after app. 3 hours the sound was erratic and the front windshield wipers were moving very slowly. Tried to start but car was DEAD. Interesting that there is NO ACOUSTIC WARNING SIGNAL for running out of the 12 V battery but otherwise the car beeps, bongs and talks to you consistently if it thinks YOU do something wrong. Fortunatley I was at home so just recharged the battery and then everything was fine, it remembered all settings on MMCS and other controls except to long term fuel consumption for some strange reason. The automatic driver sidewindow button also took an hour to "remember" that it has an auto mode.

So, keep a small 12V battery in the car for safety is good but I do not know how to plug it in as if you just attach it I suspect it will drain in a few seconds to charge the 12V battery, or?????

 

[NightPHEVer]

A Li-ion jump starter pack will get it going - very small and very handy. Don't ask me how something this physically small works though. They can even start a diesel engine. Unfortunately to buy one is around £100. Any other kind of jump starter pack will work too.

I agree with you about the bings and the bongs though. Of all the times a VERY LOUD and relentless bing, bong or even a bing and a bong would be most welcome (along with a suitable dashboard message to clarify the purpose of the warning), it would be just before your battery dies and renders the entire car totally inoperable, including the hazard flashers.

 

[Claymore]

http://www.myoutlanderphev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2411

 

[jaapv]

So, keep a small 12V battery in the car for safety is good but I do not know how to plug it in as if you just attach it I suspect it will drain in a few seconds to charge the 12V battery, or?????

I doubt that will happen, the 12V battery is quite modest, and the car only needs very little current to start up.