How to store my EV for Winter

[nuuk1]

So this year i will be putting away my EV since i have an SUV and dont want to ruin my new car in the harsh canadian winters. Mostly because they pour so much salt on the roads.

So is there something special i should do? Do we keep it plugged in? do we remove the smaller batter or disconnect it?
Any advice would be welcomed.

I plan to store it for 3 Months in a garage, which is somewhat heated. But it would be nice to know how to store it outside under a Winter Tempo as well.

 

[Astrand1]

Interesting question. I've never thought about that with an EV. I'm sure someone on here will have a good idea. I would imagine maybe charge the battery like to half or so and disconnect the HV battery manually. But maybe not. For the 12v battery I think a small auto battery tinder just to keep it charged would be good. I suppose asking the service dept at your local ford store would prolly not yield much. But maybe worth a call just to see what they say.

 

[nuuk1]

Personally i dont trust any dealers up north. The had a 2014 in stock and when i asked just to look at it, it was dead (both batteries to 0 in the lot), they didnt seems to treat it any different than a gas car, so much for trained EV specialists.

 

[Astrand1]

Funny. So was mine. I did wind up buying it. They gave me a great deal. I made them put in a brand new 12v battery cause the one in it they charged back up and it still had low voltage and a red eye. But it seems these dealers just don't have a clue about these cars.

 

[Santo9]

I am interested to store for winter

I guess a small 2 amp battery charger for the 12 volt permanently and recharge every month the HV battery pack ????

 

[EVA]

You might call Ford Customer support and ask.

I would guess keeping the 12V battery charged is the right thing to do. One of those battery tenders. I would think there is enough parasitic drain that the 12V battery would die.

For the high voltage battery pack - somebody that knows about storage of lithium batteries could probably give you good advice. If you pull the disconnect behind the rear seat, the battery is completely disconnected and isolated from the car. No idea if that is the right thing to do.

Hey - you really need to drive this thing in the snow and ice. It is a blast. At least take it out a few times to do donuts in a parking lot. You have to feel what the traction control does.

 

[davideos]

You might call Ford Customer support and ask.

...For entertainment puposes only. If it isn't in the flip chart, they won't know.
The trickle charger on the 12V battery cannot hurt. On the high voltage battery, when the car is off, the battery is disconnected by relays. The lithium battery should be fine for 3 months in this state. I have read papers on not storing at full charge and that around 50% charge is better; however, the FFE doesn't charge to full, so you might be ok. In addition, there are different kinds of lithium battery chemistry and configuration, so I don't know if the FFE battery is different.

If it were me, I'd likely plug it into the charger and let the car take care of itself.

 

[davideos]

From the FFE Manual...
LOW AND HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY STORAGE
If your vehicle is to be stored for 30 days or longer, the high voltage
battery should be charged to above 25% state of charge and the low
voltage (under hood) battery negative terminal should be disconnected.
If your vehicle is to be stored for 3 months or longer, the high voltage
battery should be charged to between 80% and 100% state of charge and
the low voltage (under hood) battery negative terminal should be
disconnected. Failure to do this could damage the batteries.
Note: If battery cables are disconnected, it will be necessary to reset
memory features.