Daily Battery Charging with Two EV's?

732 Views 25 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Turboman92, 3 d ago

Blackmax

Discussion Starter · 6 d ago

Hi there,

I’m about to buy a used 2017 Volt Premier. It will be sharing our detached garage with our 2022 Bolt EUV. Due to power issues, both vehicles cannot be plugged into their respective 110 cords.
I also have a level 2 charger mounted on the side of my house.
So here’s what I’m thinking. I keep the EUV in the garage plugged in where that cord usually is enough to top it off to the 70% max setting I’m using.

I charge the Volt in the driveway on the level 2 and then move it into the garage but it wouldn’t be plugged in.

From a battery maintenance standpoint here in New England, will the Volt be adequately protected from temperature extremes being unplugged? If I understand correctly, the onboard ICE.will kick on to either run the cooling system or to warm the batteries even if it’s not plugged in.

Am i looking at this correctly? Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks!

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

oscarw

· #2 · 6 d ago

If the unplugged volt will start the gas engine in the garage randomly (to keep the battery warm or charged) you will die of carbon monoxide poisoning in your sleep.
When we got our 11Volt 4 years ago there were no 110 outlets in the garage that were not shared with something else, like the garage door opener. I got a heavy duty extension cord (12 AWG wire I think) that was long enough to reach into the house and plugged into the family room, which has nothing drawing a lot of power (TV, lights...). Its been fine for the last 4 years.

Try running the cord thru a window to see how it works. If you have to run the wire thru a wall or floor, you only need to make a 3/8" hole to push an AWG 12 or 14 cord thru, and then put a screw-on wall plug on the end.

hellsop

· #3 · 6 d ago

Blackmax said:
From a battery maintenance standpoint here in New England, will the Volt be adequately protected from temperature extremes being unplugged?

It's probably good for right now, while the battery can still provide the juice to run the heater and drive at the same time. It might not be so great in another five years. On cold nights the battery may drift too cold to charge immediately (below freezing), but it'll probably still be okay for driving. Charging is much more temperature sensitive.

If I understand correctly, the onboard ICE.will kick on to either run the cooling system or to warm the batteries even if it’s not plugged in.

Nope. Or rather, the car can be set to ALLOW the engine to help if you remote-start while the car is plugged in, but by default, it doesn't.

Reactions: 1

MikeBCo

· #4 · 6 d ago

The ICE will not start to condition the battery. The conditioning will run for a few days or until the battery gets below a certain point. If you keep it charged and it only sits for a couple days, you will be fine.

noyoudont

· #5 · 6 d ago

or you buy two timers that turn on at different times

Reactions: 2

scottf200

· #6 · 6 d ago

Blackmax said:
Hi there,

I’m about to buy a used 2017 Volt Premier. It will be sharing our detached garage with our 2022 Bolt EUV. Due to power issues, both vehicles cannot be plugged into their respective 110 cords.
I also have a level 2 charger mounted on the side of my house.
So here’s what I’m thinking. I keep the EUV in the garage plugged in where that cord usually is enough to top it off to the 70% max setting I’m using.

I charge the Volt in the driveway on the level 2 and then move it into the garage but it wouldn’t be plugged in.

From a battery maintenance standpoint here in New England, will the Volt be adequately protected from temperature extremes being unplugged? If I understand correctly, the onboard ICE.will kick on to either run the cooling system or to warm the batteries even if it’s not plugged in.

Am i looking at this correctly? Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks!

noyoudont said:
or you buy two timers that turn on at different times

Just found this 15 amp capable timer that is a 'smart' appliance. You can program each outlet to start at diff times.

www.amazon.com

Smart Plug, Smart Home Outdoor Etekcity WiFi Outlet with 2 Sockets, Works with Alexa & Google Home, Wireless Remote Control, Energy Monitoring & Timer Function, IPX4 Waterproof, FCC and ETL Listed - - Amazon.com

Smart Plug, Smart Home Outdoor Etekcity WiFi Outlet with 2 Sockets, Works with Alexa & Google Home, Wireless Remote Control, Energy Monitoring & Timer Function, IPX4 Waterproof, FCC and ETL Listed - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Smart Plug, Smart Home Outdoor Etekcity WiFi Outlet with 2 Sockets, Works with Alexa & Google Home, Wireless Remote Control, Energy Monitoring & Timer Function, IPX4 Waterproof, FCC and ETL Listed

Alexa Devices for Indoor Home Use: Control devices from your smartphone or through voice command with Alexa or Google Assistant with a one-time easy setup. NOTE: A secured 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network is required
Dual Outlet Design: Enjoy customizable control over each individual socket through the VeSync app. Its power rating of 15A/1800W means 2 appliances can be used at once—ideal for holiday string lights, fountains, pool pumps, and indoor home use
Schedules & Timers: Schedule each socket to automatically turn on and off at specified times. With the energy-monitoring function, easily monitor and control your device's total power consumption anywhere, anytime (can't monitor separately)
Sunset & Sunrise Options: Coordinate individual socket schedules with local sunset and sunrise times. Program holiday lights to turn on at sunset, or patio decorations to turn off at sunrise—especially convenient during the holidays
Built Safe: Built-in surge, overload, overcurrent, and overheat protections. IPX4 Waterproof, ETL listed, and FCC certified. Can be indoor home used too

See less See more

Reactions: 2

noyoudont

· #7 · 6 d ago

https://a.co/d/15PVnXi

if you want 240 v
but you would need 2

Blackmax

Discussion Starter · #8 · 6 d ago

MikeBCo said:
The ICE will not start to condition the battery. The conditioning will run for a few days or until the battery gets below a certain point. If you keep it charged and it only sits for a couple days, you will be fine.

what if I plugged in the Volt (since it has limited battery capacity) and left the Bolt unplugged? Would the Bolt warm and cool the battery as needed using battery power alone?

noyoudont

· #9 · 5 d ago

dont know what you are trying to do
the volt on 120v will take 12 hrs to charge
the bolt would be forever

wordptom

· #10 · 5 d ago

Seems to me an important question for planning recharging options for two electric vehicles when L1 and L2 charging opportunities both exist is what is the anticipated daily ev miles / kWh Used for each vehicle will be. Will either the Bolt or the Volt on an average day be driven more than ~50 ev miles? Is leaving one vehicle outdoors, plugged into the L2 charging equipment overnight an option?

Reactions: 1

Blackmax

Discussion Starter · #11 · 5 d ago

My main objective here is to make sure that each ev is able to protect its battery from extreme cold or heat while sitting in my detached garage.

The garage can only support one 120v, 8 or 12 amp draw. My level 2 charger is mounted to my house and a car would sit in the driveway to charge off of that. I could use that to top off either ev and then park them in the garage.

The question then is which ev is better suited to being able to cool or warm its battery if it’s not plugged into the 120v level 1 in the garage. I’m thinking that would be the EUV since it has greater battery reserve to draw upon as needed. I just don’t know if it will actually do that or if it needs to be plugged in for conditioning purposes.

Just to rehash, I have a 22 Bolt EUV and will have a 17 Volt shortly. Found a nice one with 28k for miles, one owner. The proverbial little old man that hardly drove it.

Turboman92

· #12 · 5 d ago

Would it be that expensive to upgrade the garage electrics? Are you out of panel space? What was originally ran into the detached garage? It could have some cost to it, but being able to not worry about which one is where, and juggling cars around, would be worth the expense, to me.

hellsop

· #13 · 5 d ago

noyoudont said:
dont know what you are trying to do
the volt on 120v will take 12 hrs to charge
the bolt would be forever

Most people only drive a limited number of miles in a day. How long the battery takes to charge ain't gonna matter if the daily trip is 15 miles for either vehicle. Either will get more miles overnight than will be used the following day on Level 1.

Blackmax

Discussion Starter · #14 · 5 d ago

That certainly would be nice but extremely expensive. 103 year carriage house that was converted to a garage. Would involve trenching under the driveway, a sub-panel and so on. Had an electrician that was at the house doing something else look at it and he said it certainly could be done but would be very expensive.

hellsop

· #15 · 5 d ago

Blackmax said:
My main objective here is to make sure that each ev is able to protect its battery from extreme cold or heat while sitting in my detached garage.

The garage can only support one 120v, 8 or 12 amp draw. My level 2 charger is mounted to my house and a car would sit in the driveway to charge off of that. I could use that to top off either ev and then park them in the garage.

The question then is which ev is better suited to being able to cool or warm its battery if it’s not plugged into the 120v level 1 in the garage. I’m thinking that would be the EUV since it has greater battery reserve to draw upon as needed. I just don’t know if it will actually do that or if it needs to be plugged in for conditioning purposes.

Volt's got a generator to supplement the battery when it comes time to run the battery heater so it's got more "recovery" available despite the difference in battery size. So I'd make it the "least used" car, put it in the garage, and (in the winter) run it for ten minutes twice a week whether it moves or not. Make Bolt primary, let it have the Level 2 whenever the Volt doesn't need a charge up prior to heading out again that the Level 1 can't keep up with if you really want to save up gas for the inevitable FMM.

iamjeff995

· #16 · 5 d ago

The ICE never turns on by itself. The battery conditioner runs if it's plugged in. You hear it come on occasionally in hot weather. I don't think it runs if it isn't plugged in. That's why it's good to keep it plugged in. The Volt has amazing tech that was ahead of its time.

Steverino

· #17 · 5 d ago

iamjeff995 said:
The ICE never turns on by itself.

If the car is left running and the battery gets depleted, the ICE could start up. At least for Gen 1. GM later issued a software update that shuts the car off after 150 minutes it's in Park.

Reactions: 2

Cord

· #18 · 5 d ago

Can the Bolt - like a Volt with a DIY EVSE respect a 6 amp pilot signal
giving you 6,8,12 amp ability at 120 Vac ?

Reactions: 1

wordptom

· #19 · 5 d ago

Blackmax said:
My main objective here is to make sure that each ev is able to protect its battery from extreme cold or heat while sitting in my detached garage.

The garage can only support one 120v, 8 or 12 amp draw. My level 2 charger is mounted to my house and a car would sit in the driveway to charge off of that. I could use that to top off either ev and then park them in the garage.

The question then is which ev is better suited to being able to cool or warm its battery if it’s not plugged into the 120v level 1 in the garage. I’m thinking that would be the EUV since it has greater battery reserve to draw upon as needed. I just don’t know if it will actually do that or if it needs to be plugged in for conditioning purposes.

Just to rehash, I have a 22 Bolt EUV and will have a 17 Volt shortly. Found a nice one with 28k for miles, one owner. The proverbial little old man that hardly drove it.

Perhaps you should describe the "extreme cold or heat" limits you are anticipating for your 2022 Bolt EUV and 2017 Volt that would both be parked overnight inside an uninsulated detached garage. Perhaps a forum member who resides in such a climate can provide a more informed opinion on the harm or lack of harm leaving a vehicle charged but not plugged in could cause on a vehicle that is driven, then recharged every day (again, will either car normally be driven more than 30-40 miles per day?)... or on the advisability of which vehicle to leave plugged into the 120-volt outlet overnight.

Or, for example, it is possible to leave one of your vehicles overnight in the driveway, parked next to and plugged into the L2 charging plug? Would that be better for the battery than to charge it, then move it into the garage and leave it there unplugged for the night? That would also allow you to leave both cars plugged in overnight, one outside in the elements plugged into 240 volts, the other inside the garage, plugged into the 120 volt outlet.

Keep in mind too there seem to have been plenty of Gen 1 Volts that served for years as fleet vehicles, where the driver was issued a gas card, and chose to drive around most of the time on gas, with the battery state of charge at the "switch to gas" level (~20% SOC)... I can’t remember if anything was ever posted on this forum about battery issues those Volts encountered because the car wasn’t plugged in for days on end when driven in extreme cold or hot environments.

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noyoudont

· #20 · 5 d ago

hellsop said:
Most people only drive a limited number of miles in a day. How long the battery takes to charge ain't gonna matter if the daily trip is 15 miles for either vehicle. Either will get more miles overnight than will be used the following day on Level 1.

he didnt say how many miles a day he was driving now did he
and he answered my question
give it a rest will you
i get it , you dont like me
get over it , i have

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