Battery Tender / Trickle Chargers

[theboots]

Has anyone used a trickle charger when away for a while to keep the 12V battery topped up? I see there are solar ones with reverse protection which should do the job. I am thinking of a long trip away maybe 12 weeks duration and that's a bit long to keep my fingers crossed that it survives. And would it need to be connected directly to the battery which would be a faff or can we go via the 12V cigarette lighter socket.

 

[siteguru]

The 12V socket is isolated via a fuse and switch/relay (i.e. it turns off a wee while after the car is locked), so I'd assume that there's no direct connection to the battery

 

[webhiker]

The answer in No from here, but,,,, I've left mine for 7 weeks without any issue. Instead of setting up some elaborate for while away, I'd suggest having a jump start power bank ready, if and only if it turns out to be needed. Seems like a more sure thing solution.

 

[JohnV6]

I use a CTEK charger on my Morgan. I am thinking for the ZS EV to leave it connected to the Ohme Home Pro charge point & charge say 5% occaisionaly via the app whilst away

 

[dsimpkins]

The answer in No from here, but,,,, I've left mine for 7 weeks without any issue. Instead of setting up some elaborate for while away, I'd suggest having a jump start power bank ready, if and only if it turns out to be needed. Seems like a more sure thing solution.

Yes, I have one of these in my car. Never had to use it on my car, but did use it to jump start someone else's EV with a low 12V battery.

 

[theboots]

I'd suggest having a jump start power bank ready, if and only if it turns out to be needed.

I have one but of course if you let the 12V battery drop too low that does knacker it.

I am thinking for the ZS EV to leave it connected to the Ohme Home Pro charge point & charge say 5% occaisionaly via the app whilst away

I have a Zappi, I guess that would mean starting with a lower battery %age say 40% and add 5% every week.

 

[ReintjeWA]

The high voltage battery should top up the 12V as long as it has sufficient charge itself. I would charge the car to 70 or 80% before leaving.

 

[Ian Key]

People have reported that the MG4 loses less than 1% charge when the car is left for a couple of weeks, also it appears the traction battery will keep the 12V battery topped up if it's at 50% or above.

Check the 12V battery terminals are tight, charge the car to 70% and over inflate the tyres to prevent flat spots. Don't worry if the iSmart app reports that it can't connect to the car as it will go into a deep sleep to conserve power and enjoy your trip.

 

[Tuareg]

I left mine for 5 weeks parked up while I was away on vacation in Feb/Mar. Left it at 75% and was still at 75% when I returned and just drove away just like it was used the day before.

 

[theboots]

People have reported that the MG4 loses less than 1% charge when the car is left for a couple of weeks, also it appears the traction battery will keep the 12V battery topped up if it's at 50% or above.

Okay if that's confirmed then no need to do anything special

I left mine for 5 weeks parked up while I was away on vacation in Feb/Mar. Left it at 75% and was still at 75% when I returned and just drove away just like it was used the day before.\

Hopefully that confirms what Ian says above that the traction battery does keep the 12v alive

 

[AndrewHastie]

You can monitor the 12v battery charge via the “Vehicle Status” feature of the iSmart mobile phone app. My car has been stood for several days. I checked it 3 days ago and it showed 12.2v. Today it shows 12.6v so must be getting topped up from the traction battery system.

 

[Eryk in a MG4]

HI check out my post on this very issue here:

Post in thread 'Dead battery after long time not driving'

Nov 9, 2024

This is my experience and how I overcame it. When I bought my MG4 X power it had a flat 12V battery (from being in the showroom for 6 months and travelling only 240 miles from new), because I still had some time to go on my current lease Nissan leaf, I hardly used the X power resulting in the 12V battery depleting alarmingly within a week or so. I had it changed under warranty and was told the car needed to be started regularly to keep the 12V battery charged. (Although it is not a starter battery, as in an ICE car, it was still needed to power the auxiliary systems, alarm, door opening...

• Eryk in a MG4

• 

With an update that I now use the |MG granny charger on a 16amp wifi plug switch (Sonoff S20 smart socket) so I have total control over remote charging, works a treat while I'm away.

 

[Paul99]

Has anyone used a trickle charger when away for a while to keep the 12V battery topped up? I see there are solar ones with reverse protection which should do the job. I am thinking of a long trip away maybe 12 weeks duration and that's a bit long to keep my fingers crossed that it survives. And would it need to be connected directly to the battery which would be a faff or can we go via the 12V cigarette lighter socket.

I use one of these, it does the job very well.

 

[morleym2002]

Has anyone used a trickle charger when away for a while to keep the 12V battery topped up? I see there are solar ones with reverse protection which should do the job. I am thinking of a long trip away maybe 12 weeks duration and that's a bit long to keep my fingers crossed that it survives. And would it need to be connected directly to the battery which would be a faff or can we go via the 12V cigarette lighter socket.

I have one that I purchased for 25 pounds it's marketed by the AA and I've used it on three different cars including my MG4. You simply connect it to a mains connection and then to the 12 volt battery and press the start button. It keeps the battery charged up and I have used it for a eight week holiday no problems.

 

[tsedge]

People have reported that the MG4 loses less than 1% charge when the car is left for a couple of weeks, also it appears the traction battery will keep the 12V battery topped up if it's at 50% or above.

Is it still 50%? I always thought that was a bug that got fixed, but I might be wrong about that.

Does anyone have any evidence of 12V top-up below 50%? Given the relative capacities and the impact of a flat 12V battery, it should really always charge the 12V, even if the HV battery is at 1%.

 

[DixieTGS]

Is it still 50%? I always thought that was a bug that got fixed, but I might be wrong about that.

Does anyone have any evidence of 12V top-up below 50%? Given the relative capacities and the impact of a flat 12V battery, it should really always charge the 12V, even if the HV battery is at 1%.

I'm inclined to agree with you, but you could argue if the 12V usage has worked its way through the remaining traction battery, then something is wrong such as a dash cam left on, or I believe there is a radio fault which will drain the battery.

In that case having enough remaining to allow a jump start and drive to a charger may be preferable.