Keeping RAV 4 EV Unplugged

Anyone see a problem with a fully charged RAV 4 EV going for 7-14 days completely unplugged if
not driven and temperature 35 degrees and above for transport. May be driven 2-3 miles during
the time period for moving on or off transport vehicle.

It would probably be better to only be half charged, but this time of year during late Winter, hauling it cross country ought not to be a problem even if unplugged that long after a full charge. I would not worry about it, but if I were you I would have the dealer document the mileage before it is shipped to you, because there should NOT be anymore than a FEW TENTHS of a mile added to the odometer upon delivery to your door.

Hey thanks very much. I didn't figure it would be an issue but it's very reassuring to have
advice from more experienced people.

Yeah, they sent me email of picture of odometer.

Thanks again!

They likely only charged it to 80%, since you need to push a command to force it to charge to 100%.

The only possible precaution that I might take is pulling the fuse on the battery heater.

There's absolutely no problem allowing the battery to get cold... every Nissan LEAF does. It will actually be best if the battery were 50% charged and cold.

But, I'm not convinced that the battery heater will work at all while the car is turned off. Maybe at minus 20 degrees !!! The good news is that you shouldn't have to worry about the heater draining your battery power.

After the famous New York Times article with Tesla, I'm now convinced that heater doesn't come on at night ordinarily.

When I went to pick up my Rav4 EV from the dealership last year, it was completely dead despite being connected to the Leviton charger. Turns out the 12-volt battery discharges completely over 2-3 weeks of non-use, and having the main battery charged makes no difference. Since my dealership is stingy about allowing test drives of their Rav4 EVs, the cars can sit for weeks at a time, and they come up dead. The dealership has started putting trickle chargers on every Rav4 EV. Stupid! What if I want to take a three week vacation out of state? When I come back, my Rav4 EV will be dead and I'll have to jump start it and drive it around for an hour just to get the 12-volt fully charged again. Dumb!

Blastphemy said:

What if I want to take a three week vacation out of state? When I come back, my Rav4 EV will be dead and I'll have to jump start it and drive it around for an hour just to get the 12-volt fully charged again. Dumb!

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We have the same 12v battery discharge issue with the LEAF. It can and does go dead in a week or less.

Yes, put a trickle charger on it for vacation OR disconnect it.

Put a trickle charger directly on the 12 V battery?
So if it's dead, can you just jump start to the 12 V like regular car?

2-3 weeks of standby does seem to be on the shorter end. Most gas cars will easily go 1 month on standby. But then again, I've had a couple that won't last more than 2 weeks as well.

As a one time moving deal, I wouldn't be too concerned. Just have her fully charged up and ready to go. You never know what other situation you may run into while en route, and even worse, wind up with a depleted traction battery. That can have significantly more severe consequence than have her fully charged for 1-2 wks.

Back to the standby time, one can always retrofit a larger or secondary 12V automotive battery if you find your car sitting a lot. Have the 12V deep discharge regularly will kill it in short order.

TonyWilliams said:

Yes, put a trickle charger on it for vacation OR disconnect it.

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Does anyone have a photo showing exactly how one disconnects the 12V or connects a trickle charger? My mechanical vehicle experience begins and ends with plugging in (or filling with gas)!

Pennsylvania RAV said:

Put a trickle charger directly on the 12 V battery?
So if it's dead, can you just jump start to the 12 V like regular car?

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Yes, trickle charge the 12v. You can get a solar powered trickle charger to put on the dash, and connect directly to the battery.

Lead/acid batteries get very distressed when dropped below 12.7v. You can jump start it, of course, but for battery long life, I don't recommend letting it get discharged.

Blastphemy said:

TonyWilliams said:

Yes, put a trickle charger on it for vacation OR disconnect it.

Click to expand...

Does anyone have a photo showing exactly how one disconnects the 12V or connects a trickle charger? My mechanical vehicle experience begins and ends with plugging in (or filling with gas)!

Click to expand...

Tons of info on the net:

http://batterytender.com/

http://www.carsdirect.com/car-repair/how-to-use-a-trickle-charger

http://youtu.be/AYh8pwLpjNo