I am a bit confused. I read the another thread on 12V but it's kind of old and deep, if not strays off-topic. I've also read what I could from the MANUALS but still not clear. Questions: - When the car is running (in motion), does it CHARGE the 12V Battery? If not, WHAT actually charges it? - When the car is running (in motion), do various functions (heater/air, seat heaters, entertainment) all work via the 12V Battery or the High Volt Battery system? - When plugged in for CHARGING, is the 12V charged at the same time? - Should I be driving the car for "at least 20 mins" to re-charge/top the 12V ?? Thanks in advance ...
- When the car is running (in motion), does it CHARGE the 12V Battery? If not, WHAT actually charges it? Yes, DC to DC converter charges the 12v battery from the high voltage traction battery - When the car is running (in motion), do various functions (heater/air, seat heaters, entertainment) all work via the 12V Battery or the High Volt Battery system? Yes they all work of of 12 V - When plugged in for CHARGING, is the 12V charged at the same time? Sometimes - Should I be driving the car for "at least 20 mins" to re-charge/top the 12V ?? I don't think it will make much of a difference, but potentially shorts trips may be precursors to the 12V battery draining a little more than expected.
One important thing to mention is that 12 Volt batteries of EV's tend to go bad faster than on ICE cars and my understanding is that this is caused by the car not drawing too much current at any time. It appears to extend 12 volt battery life if there is a higher draw on the battery frequenly.. (like starter motor use on an ICE car)
Interestingly, for the first time after 11 months of ownership, this morning I noticed the front badge light on. The car was not plugged in. When apu says "sometimes", can we assume that it would be nothing more than coincidence when the battery saver kicks in during charging?
12V battery is on-charge as needed while in 'run' mode. Each tick is 5 seconds. Only the heat pump (or AC compressor), resistive cabin heater and resistive battery heater (all 'as equipped') run off the HV battery. The car will warn you when you are draining the 12V battery when the car is 'on' but not in 'run' mode. At the start of Level 1 charging (and no-doubt Level 2 and DC) the 12V battery is charged. Around 12 minutes in this example, reducing charge HV kW for that time.
