Auto Stop Charging?

Hi All! Day 2 with my new MiEV! (S.E. Washington state, 160 miles from my dealer.)

The first evening after delivery I charged to 16 bars anf then stopped it manually, not wanting to let it run while I slept until more familiar.
Drove 32 miles and drew it down to 7 bars. Plugged in for 12 hours overnight, (Level 1 stock) and again, 16 bars but still charging this morning. I unplugged it.

What are your experiences with what it takes to get to Auto Stop on charging?

110V at 8 amps for 12 hours calculates out to about 10.6 kw drawn. What can I expect I added to the battery - I know it is not 100% Using 9 bars I figured I used 9 kw, so I must have been close to Auto Stop...right?

How long should I let it run to verify that Auto Stop is functioning?

Welcome! Glad you found our forum

Yes, the charging efficiency is closer to 85% than 100% so it does take longer to charge that you calculate it should. Also, the last 30 or 40 minutes of the charge cycle isn't actually charging . . . . it's doing a cell balance charge where only the lowest cells are bought up to the average of the higher cells

Plug it in overnight and let it charge to 100% (it will shut off automatically once the cell balancing function is finished) once in a while

Don

Welcome aboard DogMan- I'm glad to see an Eastsider taking advantage of cheap BPA power! You should really enjoy the remote climate control this winter (though not unless you install L2 charging). I'd not worry about charging while sleeping, especially if you're just using the under-rated L1 8 amp Panasonic EVSE. The charging will stop when the onboard charger stops demanding power, and the EVSE has very little say-so in the matter. The Panasonic won't even trip out for a ground current leak (hence it's the only EVSE that'll charge my wet-cell homebuilt EV). I've yet to hear of an OEM EV overcharging. That's usually reserved for DIY setups. In the two garage fires that come to mind, both included suspicious wiring that wasn't part of the new EV (which very well could have been overstressed by the new EV load).

Don, jray - thanks. That cell balancing phase is important, I know. Will go to 100% regularly.

BTW, my commute is 33 miles, so a double run with no charging is just out of reach for now. I am getting used to how to maximize with this car. I have averaged 44 mpg with a '94 Escort ICE the way I drive, so making the most of momentum is in my skill set.

tonight did a couple errands in town and got home with 7 bars again.

D

Depending on how and where you drive, a 66 mile trip is easily do-able in this car . . . . *if* you keep the speed down - You probably can't do it running the freeways. There are people who have done 100 miles. We regularly do 75 to 80 . . . . maybe 10 or 15 less if we're using the A/C. For longer runs, we usually drive the outward leg not using the A/C and see what our energy situation is before we begin the trip home

Actually, the current thinking on recharging Lithium cells is that the cell balancing feature probably isn't needed for every charge. If your regular use allows you to stop charging at 12 to 14 bars on the fuel gauge, doing that is probably beneficial for battery life. A full, 100% charge once every month or so is still a good idea, but it's certainly not necessary every single time

Don

Thanks again. One of these days I'll give a double a try, when I have backup. How far will it turtle?

My drive into town is out of the foothills descending a total of 900 feet with some up rolls. Of course, climbing to get home. Used 3 bars going in yesterday, and 6 coming home, mostly in Eco with some coasting and some regen. Even D regen is too strong to maintain speed on the downhills I have, so I coast, Use Regen in town. At the end of the day projected range reported 27 left. With 33 for another round trip...??? Not confident.

Understood on the frequency of 100% charge with balancing. Thanks.

DogMan12 said:

... How far will it turtle? ...

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Soon you'll get a lot of comments about how it's not good to turtle, but I'll answer your question about how far you can go on turtle. I've gone 15 kilometers / 9.3 miles while on turtle. The truth is that you shouldn't find yourself in that situation. Just like an ICE, how far will your ICE take you when the fuel light comes on? But, you don't want to be in that position.

You want to have plenty to spare to not only keep your blood pressure down but also to be kind to your batteries. Planning ahead helps solve this problem most of the time, the great turtle is there to help you when things just don't go your way that day. Just like an ICE, I know how far I can go on a tank of gas and now that I've had my car a year - I roughly know how far I can go on a full charge. It's just going to take you a few months until you are totally comfortable and learn to drive the EV way. Basically, slow and easy on long trips and let her go on short trips.

Yah cool. I used 7 bars and have 9 left tonight... the main diff being a 35 mph road around the south end of town instead of the highway around the north end.

R

DogMan12 said:

Yah cool. I used 7 bars and have 9 left tonight... the main diff being a 35 mph road around the south end of town instead of the highway around the north end.

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That's the secret!

We've found several 35 to 40 mph alternate roads to using the freeways and as it turns out, the mileage is actually about the same, but using the backroads we can go lots farther using lots less energy. We're so used to the routine now after having the car a year that we frequently leave home for fairly lengthy trips without a full charge

Once you get used to the car and what it will do, any 'range anxiety' quickly becomes a non-issue. You'll know you're getting there when you start buying trickle chargers and non-ethanol gas for your ICE powered cars . . . . so that they will still start after 2 or 3 months of unuse

Don

Ain't the universe funny? I didn't quite get the plug all the way in last night so was "forced" to do a double stint.

Got home tonight with 2 (two) miles remaining! Whew!

Wife's first day to use it tomorrow. Will triple check the charging before bed.
R

That's what I really like about the battery box blower that only seems to come with CHAdeMO and Cold Weather Package cars. The blower that cycles with EVery plug-in gives a nice little audible that charging has started. Just last night I didn't quite click the connection and started to walk off but then a little voice said "It's quiet....too quiet.." :roll:

I spent a week without the MiEV while EVSE Upgrade had my charger. Got it back Monday eve and went from "1 bar flashing - 3 miles remaining" to "Auto Stop - 16 bars" in about 12 hours on 110. Perfect. When I do two RTs and am nearly empty, I can fill back up overnight. Now I have to learn how to set the timer with the remote so I don't "top off" every time.

Apparently I am gaining experience, because yesterday I did 1 round trip using only 6 bars total, best yet.

100 degree weather on the way - A/C and battery stress!

I have not had the time nor inclination to learn the Remote functions, so I used a mechanical timer rated at 15a last night. I was trying to NOT top off, but in 7 hours added 9 bars to total 16 anyway. So, if it is at 7 again tonight, will try 4 hours.

New thought re pre-cooling the cabin: Can I not just go to the car while it is plugged in and start the A/C, and have it using grid power for that? Or must that command come through the remote to keep it on grid power?

DogMan12 said:

New thought re pre-cooling the cabin: Can I not just go to the car while it is plugged in and start the A/C, and have it using grid power for that? Or must that command come through the remote to keep it on grid power?

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DogMan12, yes you can, by turning the key to ACC.

You will eventually zero-in on the number of bars/hour for each setting of your EVSEUpgraded unit (keep notes). I'm putting a small spreadsheet together on this, but it's still incomplete.

The Remote really is a useful tool and well-worth the effort to learn to use it. It DOES work perfectly with the Mitsu EVSE, even the EVSEUpgraded one (but not with some others). The pre-heat and pre-cool functions are especially nice. I use the delay start-of-charging function in summer to ensure I'm charging when the car has cooled off appreciably at night. Many areas have time-of-use rates which are lower after midnight.

Thanks Joe.

Even with it getting to 100+ by afternoon, in the morning at the house it is not bad, so pre-cooling may not happen. come November, pre-warming will definitely happen! (I use a 1500 watt hairdryer in my little Ford.)

Yes, I have a spreadsheet, too. I'll get it.

No time of day rates here, but charging after the car is cooled off is something I had in mind. I have some time off in late July, I can focus on the remote procedures.