Charge during long vacation?

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by Vinoh, Dec 23, 2018.

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  1. Vinoh

    Vinoh Member

    If the Clarity will sit unused for 2-3 weeks, is there any need to leave it plugged in and charging?
     
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  3. Heino

    Heino Active Member

    I would say no... charge the battery up to about 80% and unplug the car. That way, there is plenty of juice without a chance of damaging the battery.

    I also wouldn’t leave my vehicle plugged in, in case of thunderstorms / power surges.
     
    Vinoh likes this.
  4. KentuckyKen

    KentuckyKen Well-Known Member

    3 weeks is OK. 3 months is not per manual. @Heino has a good idea to only charge it up to 80% usable which is about 70% of the total battery capacity.

    Is it’s outdoors and in the fridgid north, I’d cover it and keep it plugged in especially if it’s a Canadian model with the battery heater. A $10 desiccant pack in the cabin wouldn’t hurt but is really only needed for months long storage.
    Be sure to check under hood, under carriage, and the cabin air filter for any critters that may have made a home while you were gone.
    The tires may develop a flat spot but will round back out after a few miles of driving. So don’t worry if you start back with a little mild “thump thump” at first.
    Also, you might want to run a little HV at first when you get back to make sure the engine is ready and the 12v battery is charged.
    And bring your Clarity a present... she will miss you!
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2018
  5. MNSteve

    MNSteve Well-Known Member

    Is running the engine the only thing that charges the 12v battery?
     
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  7. RickSE

    RickSE Active Member

    No. I killed my battery leaving the fog lights on overnight and drove to work on EV alone. The 12v charged up during the drive.
     
  8. Richard_arch74

    Richard_arch74 Active Member

    "If it’s outdoors and in the fridgid north, I’d cover it and keep it plugged in especially if it’s a Canadian model with the battery heater."

    When I asked my dealer about cold weather storage here is what they said:
    "Keep the car in a garage, keep the charging cable plugged in, do not cover it with a tarp."
    Don't know exactly why not to cover the car up but that is what they recommended.

    As far as the flat spot: what I do is buy a 3/4" x 4' x 8' insulated sheathing called "Thermax", cut it in to 2'x2' pieces and drive the car onto the thermax. The tires compress the thermax a little giving them more support so they will not get a flat spot.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Inside EVs mobile app
     
    KentuckyKen likes this.
  9. Vinoh

    Vinoh Member

    Thanks all. Good advice!
     
  10. Sandroad

    Sandroad Well-Known Member

    Interesting idea on the Thermax. I might try that next year with my camper to see how it works. I really haven't had flat spot trouble with radial tires anyway; that's mostly a former problem with the old bias ply tires, which flat-spotted a lot when left alone for too long.
     
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  12. PHEV Newbie

    PHEV Newbie Well-Known Member

    The best advice I've found for long term storage of Li ion batteries is to charge to 50% and keep the temp between above freezing to room temperature. They don't do well just sitting around (I once bought a brand new laptop that was manufactured a year before and the battery was already more degraded than the similar laptop I bought 2 years before that--it sat idle for that year). One option is to let the battery run down to about 30%, plug it in and stop charging using the Honda App. Then every few days, you can charge from wherever you are for 15 min to keep the electrons flowing.

    Oh, re-read your post. For 2-3 weeks, don't worry about it. I was thinking 2-3 months or more.
     

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