[JRRF]

The manual suggests that you keep the car plugged in all the time until you are ready to leave in the morning. So if you leave your OEM charger at home each day, can you leave it plugged into the wall, or does the brick continue to draw current (similar to a computer brick)?

 

[llninja]

The manual suggests that you keep the car plugged in all the time until you are ready to leave in the morning. So if you leave your OEM charger at home each day, can you leave it plugged into the wall, or does the brick continue to draw current (similar to a computer brick)?

I have a level 2 charger at home, but keep it plugged in all the time. I suspect that unplugging and plugging in daily would wear out to socket. Some people unplug their evse's during a thunderstorm to avoid frying their equipment with a lightning strike or power surge, but I don't bother.

 

[freshcut]

I can't exactly comment on the Gen 2 EVSE but on the Gen 1 there is an LED that indicates power is going to the EVSE, so that will draw a small amount of power. If I recall when I had mine on a Kill-a-watt it would indicate about 3 watts of power when plugged into the wall, but not connected to the car.

 

[llninja]

I can't exactly comment on the Gen 2 EVSE but on the Gen 1 there is an LED that indicates power is going to the EVSE, so that will draw a small amount of power. If I recall when I had mine on a Kill-a-watt it would indicate about 3 watts of power when plugged into the wall, but not connected to the car.

My rates are 6 cent per kWh, with taxes and surcharges the net is about 10-11 cents per kWh. So 3 watts would cost me .72 cents - less than a penny a day. I'm not going to waste the muscle energy to save that fraction of a penny. This is ignoring dollars to save pennies here. Spend your time earning more income, doing something with your 401k investments, or enjoying prescious time with family.

 

[JRRF]

So there's a small cost, but otherwise no harm in leaving this thing plugged in in your garage. Until I can get the electrician out here it's a little inconvenient for me to plug and unplug, so I won't bother wasting the time.

 

[freshcut]

Agree, it's really not worth the effort to plug in and unplug daily. Not to mention even though it's a fairly robust plug repeatedly plugging it in and out can cause wear which after time may increase resistance and allow the plug to get warm or even hot.

 

[DaveG]

The best reason to leave it plugged in the the pre-condition feature. Heating and cooling the cabin affects EV range. By using wall power to pre-heat or pre-cool the cabin, you have more usable electric range. It's also more comfortable.

 

[edk-austin]

I measured about 2 watts on my 2014 GM OEM L1 EVSE. Outlets are not designed for daily insert/remove of plugs, they WILL wear out with that type of use. Once the outlet no longer grabs the plug tight, you WILL need to replace it. A loose contact is a dangerous contact.

BTW, computer AC adapters these days are only 1/10 of that power when plugged in and not in use. Unplugging a computer brick is So last century...

 

[JRRF]

Somewhat tangentially, if you are going away on vacation (not with the car) and it's parked in your garage, should you leave the car plugged in for a week or more?

 

[llninja]

Somewhat tangentially, if you are going away on vacation (not with the car) and it's parked in your garage, should you leave the car plugged in for a week or more?

No issues with a week or more. If you are going to park the volt for 6 months or more, there is a procedure in the owner's manual to prep the car for storage.

 

[Steverino]

Somewhat tangentially, if you are going away on vacation (not with the car) and it's parked in your garage, should you leave the car plugged in for a week or more?

Se our Long Term Storage Guide http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...y-Charging-amp-Battery-Managment-System-FAQ-s

 

[JRRF]

Se our Long Term Storage Guide http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...y-Charging-amp-Battery-Managment-System-FAQ-s

That's great. Thanks.