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Of course the vehicle is not driven by a 12v battery. But that said 12v is needed for powertrain computers, etc. I think everybody understands that an EV has a high voltage and a low voltage battery both.
I think every electric car has a 12v. both of mine have. And the answer is...it depends. The leaf I had last had a small solar panel to trickle charge the 12v for example. My Tesla is new to me so I dont even know where it is yet.
Judging just how long your battery is "good", somewhat depends on how much juice your car needs to reliably start, each and every time.
I have a pretty good, strong battery. But I also have an engine (5.2L, V8) that is quite piggish on current when starting. So, most of the time it does great......I keep the whole system well maintained.
But when the starting-system faces some challenges, my battery better be nice and zapped-up, or the starter may spin the engine very slowly, even having to goose it with a charge to get it started.
DOH, wrong answer above!!!
Lifespan of a 12v battery utilized in an EV, I assume since it is not cranking a starter/engine, it should last a long time?
Lifespan of a 12v battery utilized in an EV, I assume since it is not cranking a starter/engine, it should last a long time?
The usual lifespan of a 12-VDC battery depends on numerous factors, but 4-6 years is about average unless you maintain the battery properly. For example, batteries operate the best if they don't get very hot or very cold. Since it gets so cold where I live at, most batteries last 4 to 6 years, but properly maintained, some can last longer than that. Maintaining them includes the following: Cleaning the poles and cable terminals, checking the electrolyte specific gravity, keeping them from freezing, avoid excess discharging, and so on. If a battery is nearly discharged and you park your vehicle outdoors overnight, when temperature drops to subzero numbers, it can freeze. The warranty of a battery that has frozen is not honored where I live at, and also that a frozen battery can break apart if you try to charge it or to jump start the car.
That said, if the EV is not plugged to an outlet, the traction battery controls maintain the state of charge of the 12-VDC battery to avoid discharging it too much. I believe that an EV can be jumpstarted, but its more like charging the 12-VDC battery instead cracking the engine of an ICE vehicle: https://cloreautomotive.com/wait-my-...a-12v-battery/
If you have accidently deeply discharged the battery it is going to take some serious life off of the battery.
If you do this - it is best to charge the battery with a good multi stage charger. Simply jump starting and then letting the alternator charge it is stressful for the alternator and not giving the battery the charge it really needs. Although, I recently learned that many cars have a shunt that is measuring the battery's state of charge and records it. So, if you take the battery out of the car to charge it - it could be problematic to the car's understanding of the battery's SOC.
While some batteries say maintenance free - many actually have removable caps for the six cells which would allow you to top off cells with distilled water.
If you are going to let the car sit for a long period of time - disconnecting the battery is a very good idea.
What does this have to do with the question about the 12v battery in an ELECTRIC car?
I think because FLA battery life has been pushed up to the forefront because some EV builders are having a hard time keeping the 12V battery alive. You would think that after nearly 200 years of dealing with FLA OEMs would have this figured out by now.
I can't understand it - you have a car with a huge traction battery and the ability to build a multistage charger that can take a fraction of the traction battery's power and use that to keep the FLA battery healthy.
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