Extended charging time at home charger

[alohart]

Mitsubishi recommended the same 40-50% charge level when parking my former i-MiEV for an extended period. The i3 owner's manual is the worst of any car I have ever owned (poorly written/translated and lacking much in-depth information), so I don't doubt that this sensible recommendation was simply omitted. The fact that someone at BMW recommended a full charge when parking for an extended period makes no sense from an electrochemical perspective if one wants to extend the battery pack's life as much as possible.

I find this attitude of neglecting proper maintenance because who cares what the next owner will experience to be pretty disgusting and self-centered. Failure of battery packs soon after their warranty expires due to improper maintenance could give EV's a bad reputation hurting resale values.

 

[PhilH]

Well, I've just checked my manual and need to correct my earlier post. The i3 is best left fully charged. Page 193 says:

"Long periods of non-use and laying up the vehicle

Do not leave the vehicle for a longer period with too low a charge status Before standing for a long time, use the load state indicator to ensure that the high-voltage battery is fully charged. Allow the vehicle to stop for longer stoppage phases plugged into a suitable power source. Check the charge state regularly. Otherwise, the high-voltage battery will be damaged by excessive discharging.
When the vehicle is standing around for several weeks, where possible stop with a fully-charged high-voltage battery. Do not leave the vehicle for longer than 14 days if the electric range is less than 10 km, approx. 6 mls.
For phases of standing of up to three months, where possible park the vehicle plugged into a suitable power source or virtually fully charged."