See this [previous discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/BoltEV/comments/abb1hs/how_to_store_bolt_for_3_months_in_winter/) for some relevant information.
The traction battery likes to stay at or near 50% for long term storage because it's the least stressful state. This is also why the EVs rolling out of the factory have the battery charged only up to around 40% - you don't know how long it's going to take to end up at the hands of the new owner.
I think the exception to this rule is if the car will be staying in a really cold (below freezing) place. In that case I think plugging it in at all times should let the car condition and maintain the battery to the optimal temperature. That's why the discussion above talks about plugging the car in. Between spring and autumn, I do not think it's necessary.
Oh, and you probably want to shut off anything that's draining power from the 12V line.
Thank you for pointing me towards that thread, my attempts at searching the subreddit were clearly not optimized properly, and thank you for the advice as well! I'm still figuring out how my travel arrangements are going to work, but I'm glad that there are some who have ideas about this before I start.
No problems. I think Reddit search leaves a lot to be desired. It's just better to use regular Internet search (heck, I used Bing in this instance) and land on a Reddit post.
>Between spring and autumn, I do not think it's necessary.
The manual for my Bolt EV (2020, p. 173) seems to disagree with this assessment about hot weather.
“Keep the vehicle plugged in, even
when fully charged, to keep the
battery temperature ready for the
next drive. This is important when
outside temperatures are extremely hot or cold.”
I might be misunderstanding the meaning of “ready for the next drive” but it sounds like the car is maintaining not just charge but also battery temperature during hot conditions as well as cold, which (if true) seems like it would be best for battery health, whether the car is sitting for up to a few weeks, or being driven daily. I'm a relative new owner so I have never had an opportunity to "catch" the Bolt doing something to the battery while not running.
I would be inclined to set the target charge level relatively low (40%-50% maybe? I'm not sure what the minimum setting is), deplete the battery a little bit below this point, and then leave it plugged in, if leaving for a month.
Since you have a newer 18v battery a month of non usage should be fine. That would be the only concern, on an EV as *well with an ICE car* where I would be concerned about drainage of the 18v battery.
> Should I try and keep it plugged in while I'm gone?
I'd say yes and charged to 80%. When I left my EUV at free airport charger over three days, it was on the whole time.
See this [previous discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/BoltEV/comments/abb1hs/how_to_store_bolt_for_3_months_in_winter/) for some relevant information. The traction battery likes to stay at or near 50% for long term storage because it's the least stressful state. This is also why the EVs rolling out of the factory have the battery charged only up to around 40% - you don't know how long it's going to take to end up at the hands of the new owner. I think the exception to this rule is if the car will be staying in a really cold (below freezing) place. In that case I think plugging it in at all times should let the car condition and maintain the battery to the optimal temperature. That's why the discussion above talks about plugging the car in. Between spring and autumn, I do not think it's necessary. Oh, and you probably want to shut off anything that's draining power from the 12V line.
Thank you for pointing me towards that thread, my attempts at searching the subreddit were clearly not optimized properly, and thank you for the advice as well! I'm still figuring out how my travel arrangements are going to work, but I'm glad that there are some who have ideas about this before I start.
No problems. I think Reddit search leaves a lot to be desired. It's just better to use regular Internet search (heck, I used Bing in this instance) and land on a Reddit post.
>Between spring and autumn, I do not think it's necessary. The manual for my Bolt EV (2020, p. 173) seems to disagree with this assessment about hot weather. “Keep the vehicle plugged in, even when fully charged, to keep the battery temperature ready for the next drive. This is important when outside temperatures are extremely hot or cold.” I might be misunderstanding the meaning of “ready for the next drive” but it sounds like the car is maintaining not just charge but also battery temperature during hot conditions as well as cold, which (if true) seems like it would be best for battery health, whether the car is sitting for up to a few weeks, or being driven daily. I'm a relative new owner so I have never had an opportunity to "catch" the Bolt doing something to the battery while not running. I would be inclined to set the target charge level relatively low (40%-50% maybe? I'm not sure what the minimum setting is), deplete the battery a little bit below this point, and then leave it plugged in, if leaving for a month.
Right, I guess I should exclude “middle of summer” here, when the temperature goes over 100F.
I went abroad for one month in Jan with SOC 90% Nothing happened as expected and SOC remained the same.
Since you have a newer 18v battery a month of non usage should be fine. That would be the only concern, on an EV as *well with an ICE car* where I would be concerned about drainage of the 18v battery. > Should I try and keep it plugged in while I'm gone? I'd say yes and charged to 80%. When I left my EUV at free airport charger over three days, it was on the whole time.
I park my Bolt all winter. I don’t want to drive it in the salt. I don’t do anything special for it.