Storage and 12-volt battery

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GloMini

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So here a car storage concern I know most electric cars have a main battery that drive the car but they also have a 12-volt system (i.e., battery) to run computers ETC. So, my question is for long term storage (there are times the car will be stored for 2 or 3 months) I know the main will be fine on a level 1 or 2 will I need to put the 12-volt battery on a maintainer. I know if it goes dead the car is pretty much dead. And if I do need to use a maintainer were is the battery located. I just researched the BMW IX which I have and it monitors the 12-volt battery and will trickly charge it using the main battery if the system detect a need.
 
GloMini said:
And if I do need to use a maintainer were is the battery located. I just researched the BMW IX which I have and it monitors the 12-volt battery and will trickly charge it using the main battery if the system detect a need.
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That's exactly how the 12 V battery works in the SE, you absolutely do not want to hook up a maintainer. The SE automatically keeps the 12 V battery fully charged via the high-voltage battery system. In addition, the SE goes to sleep and does not drain the 12 V battery so it should last for much longer than a few months when parked.
 
Puppethead said:
That's exactly how the 12 V battery works in the SE, you absolutely do not want to hook up a maintainer. The SE automatically keeps the 12 V battery fully charged via the high-voltage battery system. In addition, the SE goes to sleep and does not drain the 12 V battery so it should last for much longer than a few months when parked.
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How does the app get data from my SE when my SE is asleep? Does my SE send its current data to the MINI server before it goes to sleep? Does that mean if my SE is towed away (hopefully on a flatbed truck), it won't update its location for the app?
 
insightman said:
How does the app get data from my SE when my SE is asleep? Does my SE send its current data to the MINI server before it goes to sleep?
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That would be my guess. The SE only "phones home" for significant events, like when you lock/unlock the car, or at the beginning/end of a trip (e.g. switch drive-ready state on/off).

insightman said:
Does that mean if my SE is towed away (hopefully on a flatbed truck), it won't update its location for the app?
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Probably not. You may have to send a command via the app for it to update its status.
 
MichaelC said:
That would be my guess. The SE only "phones home" for significant events, like when you lock/unlock the car, or at the beginning/end of a trip (e.g. switch drive-ready state on/off).



Probably not. You may have to send a command via the app for it to update its status.
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Can you access the trip details at the end of a trip, like speed, temp, power consumption, mileage consumed, trip time?
 
I was worried about this after I ended up in hospital then imobile for 2 months. When I evenyually unlocked the car, the 12 volt battery was still showing 12.9 volts, which I though was pretty good. I had visions of having to use my compact boost starter on.
 
Akanaten said:
I was worried about this after I ended up in hospital then imobile for 2 months. When I evenyually unlocked the car, the 12 volt battery was still showing 12.9 volts, which I though was pretty good. I had visions of having to use my compact boost starter on.
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This is one of the rare instances when owning a MINI Cooper SE causes agony: when you aren't allowed to drive it. Glad to hear you're out of the hospital and back into your SE!
 
azausa said:
Can you access the trip details at the end of a trip, like speed, temp, power consumption, mileage consumed, trip time?
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If you use a third-party service like TRONITY (brief discussion in this thread), yes. The MINI app used to show this information (for just the last trip), but that feature was lost when they overhauled the app. Many of us have been anxiously waiting for BMW/MINI to reimplement that feature...but we've been waiting a long time.

Oh--and I have noticed that if I leave an OBDII dongle plugged in, my SE doesn't "phone home" to the cloud as reliably.
 
To OP: I suggest NOT leaving the SE plugged in during long-term storage. The 350v battery will keep the 12v battery maintained. And the 350v battery will last a very loooonnnng time.

My greater concern would be a voltage surge or lightning that might damage the SE, or the EVSE.



Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
Jim In Tucson said:
My greater concern would be a voltage surge or lightning that might damage the SE, or the EVSE.
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I don't know what sort of protections are built in to the EVSEs or the car but if you are concerned (like I was) you can install a whole house surge protector.

I installed a Siemens FirstSurge Pro 140kA when I added my EVSE:

Screenshot_20220417-162018_Photos.webp
 
MichaelC said:
If you use a third-party service like TRONITY (brief discussion in this thread), yes. The MINI app used to show this information (for just the last trip), but that feature was lost when they overhauled the app. Many of us have been anxiously waiting for BMW/MINI to reimplement that feature...but we've been waiting a long time.

Oh--and I have noticed that if I leave an OBDII dongle plugged in, my SE doesn't "phone home" to the cloud as reliably.
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That’s a shame, they should bring that feature back to complement the charging history.
 
Puppethead said:
That's exactly how the 12 V battery works in the SE, you absolutely do not want to hook up a maintainer. The SE automatically keeps the 12 V battery fully charged via the high-voltage battery system. In addition, the SE goes to sleep and does not drain the 12 V battery so it should last for much longer than a few months when parked.
Click to expand...
In Bmw I 3 was 20 Ah 12 V. Battery I just wander why Mini SE is equip with 50 Ah 12V .battery Which is 3 times heavier and you can crank 8 cylinder ICE bc of it size .That how I check health on my SE 12 V. Battery once a while I plug into cigarette plug Voltmeter to have idea how 12 V. Battery performs.8DF04263-06DB-4056-A6A6-2205A2F1D50D.webp
 
insightman said:
How does the app get data from my SE when my SE is asleep? Does my SE send its current data to the MINI server before it goes to sleep? Does that mean if my SE is towed away (hopefully on a flatbed truck), it won't update its location for the app?
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I have had multiple incidences of '12v battery discharging' warnings when I've gone to drive my SE. If it was plugged in at the time, it will not have charged.
 
pictsidhe said:
I have had multiple incidences of '12v battery discharging' warnings when I've gone to drive my SE. If it was plugged in at the time, it will not have charged.
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I had that issue too, turned out to be fob button pushes while key was in my pocket was constantly waking my SE.
 
I drove my SE for the first time in 6 weeks and...

... nothing, really. It turned on exactly as normal, with no sign whatsoever that it hadn't been driven in a while. Only oddity is that the app doesn't show the couple of hours I charged it before switching it on.

ETA: Car sat unplugged in our unheated-but-tuck-under garage at 37% charge. No detectable battery usage.
 
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