Equalising charge

[DON]

Hi all as a low mileage user I only top the battery up to 80% about every 3 weeks does anyone know when or how often you should charge to 100% and let the battery equalise ?

 

[siteguru]

Which version do you have? LR models are recommended for 100% / BMS balance once a month; SR models (with the LFP battery pack) are recommended to be done weekly.

 

[DON]

Sorry Trophy

 

[Jomarkh]

I would let it balance every other charge so every six weeks. How long would it stay at 100% until you use it?

 

[DON]

Use car most days but only short trips at the moment, will do more longer trips in the summer.

 

[dwrsr]

Which version do you have? LR models are recommended for 100% / BMS balance once a month; SR models (with the LFP battery pack) are recommended to be done weekly.

Hello siteguru,
I am new to EVs and have purchased a MG4 SE SR. How do I balance the battery? I tend to charge the battery back to nearly 100% overnight. My journey per day is roughly 40 mile round-trip which I am able to recharge overnight with a 3-pin plug charger (1.8kW). Is this a good thing to do, or not?

 

[siteguru]

You need to be able to leave it so that it reaches 100% and then has a few hours to be able do a balance - maybe at the weekend?

 

[dwrsr]

You need to be able to leave it so that it reaches 100% and then has a few hours to be able do a balance - maybe at the weekend?

Ok, I’ll give it a go this weekend. Thanks

 

[bowfer]

If the car is at 100%, how much more electricity does the balancing take?
It’s a potential expense I didn’t consider I’d need on my SR.
The 4 x cheap night hours I get suited both the leafs I’ve had since 2015 just fine, having to overrun those and go onto peak electricity would be annoying.

 

[Ayoull]

If the car is at 100%, how much more electricity does the balancing take?
It’s a potential expense I didn’t consider I’d need on my SR.
The 4 x cheap night hours I get suited both the leafs I’ve had since 2015 just fine, having to overrun those and go onto peak electricity would be annoying.

Balancing can take anywhere from 0.1kWh to 1kWh depending on how far unbalanced the pack is

 

[Jomarkh]

When it gets to 100% the car will draw 300-500w while the battery cells are balanced not the full 2.3kW of a granny or 7.kW of a EVSE

 

[philip456]

I don't have a charger at home. If I connect it to a PodPoint overnight, which charges it to 100% by say 4am. Should it balance by the time I pick it up at 9am?

 

[Ayoull]

I don't have a charger at home. If I connect it to a PodPoint overnight, which charges it to 100% by say 4am. Should it balance by the time I pick it up at 9am?

Yes it should do

 

[dwrsr]

I have just charged my car using my new Zappi (1st time). The Zappi and the myenergi app were showing a draw on the grid of 7kW, but whilst I was sat in the car it was suggesting a maximum charge of 2.4kWh - is this normal?

 

[siteguru]

6.4kW I would understand, but not 2.4kW (if the charge point was indicating 7kW). What charge rate was showing in the iSMART app?

 

[turntoport]

EIther one of the reports is in error, or you'll be seeing some 'warmth' appear somewhere - 4 kW power dissipating in a rectifier and/or the cable/connections is a lot... Is the car 'battery heating' while this is happening? (I had the heating scheduler default to 'on' the first few times i used the battery charge scheduler; doesn't do it now...)That would sink a couple of kW. Aircon on 'precondition'?

 

[dwrsr]

Thanks for your replies. The iSMART app was showing the same as the car 1.7 - 2.4kWh. No air conditioning, just the radio keeping me company. I don’t think I had the battery heating on - not deliberately, but not sure. Certainly didn’t have intelligent battery heating as I came across this whilst sat in the car fiddling, and it was off.

 

[kickmaleerie]

I had a PodPoint 3 7kWh home charger installed recently, but the default is for 2.4kWh output you have to get the installer's app or PodPoint to switch it to 7kWh output remotely. Not sure if Zappi's come with the same default setting, but worth asking: or try having another EV charge from it to see if it pulls 7kWh

 

[colsky]

I've just charged my Trophy to 100% for the first time this year. The low draw balance once it reached 100% only took another 40 minutes. Perhaps I'm not as out of balance as my wife says I am!