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Leaving Volt plugged in

31K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  solar_dave 
#1 ·
I do not drive my Volt everyday. Does it hurt my batteries if I leave it plugged in continuously for 3-4 days at a time. I have just had my Volt for a week now and could not find an answer in the manual or a search on this forum. Thanks
 
#2 ·
Actually it is a good,thing as the system can then condition the battery occasionally. It happens every 4 hours or so here in Az in the summer.
 
#3 ·
It is considered best to leave it plugged in. This allows it to use house current to run the battery heating/cooling system if needed.
 
#4 ·
The manual suggests that in extreme conditions (below freezing and above 95), you should definitely leave it plugged in when not in use so that the battery can remain conditioned. Otherwise, there exists a possibility of detrimental effects to battery health.
 
#5 ·
Leaving the battery at a higher charge level will allow it to degrade faster than a drained one. Although miniscule, I'm going to be that leaving it unplugged will be better than leaving it topped off. Although the health benefits probably really really minor...
 
#6 · (Edited)
Page 10-23 in the manual:

Keep the vehicle plugged in, even
when fully charged, to keep the high
voltage battery temperature ready
for the next drive. This is important
when outside temperatures are
extremely hot or cold.


The Volt manages the charge on the battery closely and unlike other batteries doesn't sit at 100% of actual raw capacity when you leave it on the charger. The Volt battery is not at 100% raw capacity when it's 'fully charged' as long as the customer is concerned, it's actually about 86% to help with longevity. This should alleviate any concerns about 'over charging'.

Also, the car is not applying charging power to the HV battery when the dash light is blinking green. You can leave it sit for a long time and unless you are in an extremely cold climate where it may decide to use some power to warm the battery it will only charge if the SOC declines to a point low enough to need to be topped off. I'm not sure where that is yet but you can rest assured that even if its plugged in it's not 'cooking the battery' or anything.
 
#7 ·
Electric Tom,
All the literature definitely encourages you to leave it plugged in. I do not have any details about the battery programming or conditioning, but they make it clear it is the best thing for battery health, based on how it is designed.
I see you're in Texas as well. Plugging in is a must in the summer here (and probably deep winter as well). Fortunately, we're getting Blink stations installed at work this month. (Where do you live/work? -- Blink/Ecotality is looking for public host sites and your business may be able to get them at no cost -- we did x4). I'm frustrated that DFW Airport and Love Field have no charging stations yet, but I am hoping they have that fixed by the summer. There's no way I'm leaving my favorite ride parked in 110F to get its brain cooked! Maybe GM tested to these conditions, but I'm not conducting a field test with mine over a period of years.
 
#12 ·
I live in Maine where we see max temps around 100F and lows in the winter below -10F. We leave it plugged in all the time per the manual. Actually, I installed a live monitoring system for my Voltec charger that shows live charging power and a 24hr and 7day chart of power used (OK I'm a Geek!). You can see the charts on my Volt Page - near the bottom. I have not seen any extra power draw on 95F days, and will be keeping an eye on the charts in the dead of winter.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Yep looks like a TED, check mine out in the link in my signature,
LT. Blue is the pair of car chargers, DK blue is my Net, Red is my main house, Pink is my office Bldg and Green is the Solar backfeed.

You will see the TMS bumps of about 800 watts every few hours and at the end of charge cycles usually have a TMS event as well. Use one minute graphs over 12 hours.
 
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