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How does an EV's 12V battery get charged?
When charging an electric car does any charging of the car 's 12v battery take place this seems to me a good feature to have as when the car has not been driven for sometime the car battery was flat, the electric car won't start and it is not easy to charge the 12v battery in situ or to jump start the car. Although less than 3 years old the battery had to be replaced!
Asked on 30 December 2024 by Chris Orme
Answered by
David Ross
How the system works varies between EVs, but generally speaking the 12V battery is trickled charged by the main traction battery when the vehicle is in use, but is not charged when the vehicle is off or plugged in for charging. While this might seem somewhat illogical, most manufacturers have taken the easy option of having the 12V system operate in broadly the same way as for a petrol or diesel car, so if the car is not used for an extended period of time or only used for very short journeys, the 12V battery can become depleted.
We would recommend using a trickle charger or solar charger to keep the 12V battery in good health when leaving the car for longer periods, or you can simply switch the car on for a period of time to allow the main battery to charge the 12V unit.
We would recommend using a trickle charger or solar charger to keep the 12V battery in good health when leaving the car for longer periods, or you can simply switch the car on for a period of time to allow the main battery to charge the 12V unit.
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