[eurosteve]

I'll be picking up my new EV6 in a couple of weeks but I'll need to store it for a couple of months shortly after delivery. I'm trying to figure out the best way to store it, mainly to preserve the 12 volt battery. (I'm thinking that if I leave the big battery at around 50%, it should be okay a few months.)

The manual says to disconnect both battery terminals "if the vehicle is not going to be used for an extended period." Later in the manual it goes on to say that the following items should be reset after the battery has been discharged or the battery has been disconnected: Auto up/down window, wide sunroof, trip computer, climate control system, integrated memory system, and audio.

I'm not sure what is involved in resetting all of the items listed. Can I reset them by just running through the menu system or is this something that requires the KIA service department?

As I think more about it, I guess my question boils down to how much of a hassle is created by disconnecting and reconnecting the 12 v battery. I would think that surely the 12 volt battery can be replaced without bringing the car to a KIA mechanic...

Any ideas on the 12 volt battery and on storing the vehicle in general are greatly appreciated!

 

[Cnsheets]

You can drop it off with me, I’ll babysit it for you. I’ll take it out for exercise and feed it some juice too!

 

[MikeV]

In situations where you are going to leave your car without running the engine periodically you would hook up a battery tender to keep it charged but I am not sure this is advisable with the EV6 if it is going to use the main battery pack to automatically charge the 12v. Perhaps it is a moot point if the main battery pack will charge the 12v automatically.

 

[YellowFE]

As I think more about it, I guess my question boils down to how much of a hassle is created by disconnecting and reconnecting the 12 v battery. I would think that surely the 12 volt battery can be replaced without bringing the car to a KIA mechanic...

Any ideas on the 12 volt battery and on storing the vehicle in general are greatly appreciated!

My 2 cents. I don't have my EV6, yet, so this is just my experience with my other vehicles.

You might check online about availability of the EV6's 12V battery. Last year my 2019 Niro PHEV 12V battery failed to start the car and it turned out to be an oddball battery type not available from auto parts stores. It was still under a three year warranty but would have been a special order and rather pricey if I had to replace it. Kia Roadside Assistance was unable to jump start my car and could tow it to the dealer, but I decided to buy a 12V battery charger/conditioner from Amazon and that brought the battery back to life. I did have to reset some of the Niro settings, but nothing that required professional service.

I also stored my previous car, a 2002 Honda Insight (1st Gen hybrid), for over three months, twice in quick succession (6.5 months total). Yes, disconnect the 12V battery, but also increase tire pressure to max. I also added fuel stabilizer (Stabil) and plugged exhaust and air intake with steel wool to prevent rodent intrusion, obviously not applicable to EVs. IIRC, some recommend jacking up the car to prevent flat spots on the tires, but that could create other issues with suspension and modern tires will recover shape pretty quickly anyway. For the Insight, I was also able to switch off the hybrid battery pack. Not sure how to do this on the EV6, but losing charge in the battery pack is real and a potential problem. Some Insight owners use trickle chargers to maintain the hybrid battery in storage, and with the EV6 this might be possible with a L1 charging cable and setting a 50% charging limit if you aren't worried about leaving it unattended or have someone to keep an eye on it.

 

[jongodfrey]

personally I would charge the main battery slightly more... say 65%. I would use a Battery Conditioner (not just a charger) as these devices allow the 12v to drop slightly and cycle a charge when needed. This is probably better then disconnecting in my view, as you avoid all the resetting process when you take it out of hibernation. I would avoid using Kia Connect too much as when you do you start up the car's systems and that will drain both batteries. Kia Connect needs to access the 12v but also all the vehicle ECU's especially battery management so you drain both more than you might wish to. But that's just me... and assumes you will have mains power for the Conditioner.

 

[eurosteve]

In situations where you are going to leave your car without running the engine periodically you would hook up a battery tender to keep it charged but I am not sure this is advisable with the EV6 if it is going to use the main battery pack to automatically charge the 12v. Perhaps it is a moot point if the main battery pack will charge the 12v automatically.

Thanks. I'm hesitant to leave the 12 v connected, even if the main battery will charge the 12 v. I have no idea how quickly the main battery will discharge under these circumstances and I wouldn't risk discharging the main battery too low.

 

[eurosteve]

My 2 cents. I don't have my EV6, yet, so this is just my experience with my other vehicles.

You might check online about availability of the EV6's 12V battery. Last year my 2019 Niro PHEV 12V battery failed to start the car and it turned out to be an oddball battery type not available from auto parts stores. It was still under a three year warranty but would have been a special order and rather pricey if I had to replace it. Kia Roadside Assistance was unable to jump start my car and could tow it to the dealer, but I decided to buy a 12V battery charger/conditioner from Amazon and that brought the battery back to life. I did have to reset some of the Niro settings, but nothing that required professional service.

I also stored my previous car, a 2002 Honda Insight (1st Gen hybrid), for over three months, twice in quick succession (6.5 months total). Yes, disconnect the 12V battery, but also increase tire pressure to max. I also added fuel stabilizer (Stabil) and plugged exhaust and air intake with steel wool to prevent rodent intrusion, obviously not applicable to EVs. IIRC, some recommend jacking up the car to prevent flat spots on the tires, but that could create other issues with suspension and modern tires will recover shape pretty quickly anyway. For the Insight, I was also able to switch off the hybrid battery pack. Not sure how to do this on the EV6, but losing charge in the battery pack is real and a potential problem. Some Insight owners use trickle chargers to maintain the hybrid battery in storage, and with the EV6 this might be possible with a L1 charging cable and setting a 50% charging limit if you aren't worried about leaving it unattended or have someone to keep an eye on it.

Each winter for the past five years I've stored my Audi A4 and my Chevy Bolt for 5 months over the winter. For the Audi, I put it on a trickle charger and put stabil in the gas tank. For the Bolt, I disconnected the negative terminal of the 12 v battery and put the 12 v battery on a trickle charger. I left the main battery at around 30-40%. The Bolt main battery didn't discharge at all over the 5 months. I just don't know if the same procedure would be ok for the EV6. The Bolt required nothing to be reset when I reconnected the 12v battery.

 

[eurosteve]

personally I would charge the main battery slightly more... say 65%. I would use a Battery Conditioner (not just a charger) as these devices allow the 12v to drop slightly and cycle a charge when needed. This is probably better then disconnecting in my view, as you avoid all the resetting process when you take it out of hibernation. I would avoid using Kia Connect too much as when you do you start up the car's systems and that will drain both batteries. Kia Connect needs to access the 12v but also all the vehicle ECU's especially battery management so you drain both more than you might wish to. But that's just me... and assumes you will have mains power for the Conditioner.

Thanks. In fact, when I've stored my Chevy Bolt for 5 month stretches each winter I did use a battery conditioner on the 12 v battery. With the Bolt I only disconnected the negative terminal of the 12 v battery and put the conditioner on it, as per the instructions in the Bolt manual. The EV 6 recommends to disconnect the 12 v battery entirely...

 

[jongodfrey]

Thanks. In fact, when I've stored my Chevy Bolt for 5 month stretches each winter I did use a battery conditioner on the 12 v battery. With the Bolt I only disconnected the negative terminal of the 12 v battery and put the conditioner on it, as per the instructions in the Bolt manual. The EV 6 recommends to disconnect the 12 v battery entirely...

Hmmmm... does the manual tell you HOW to reset all the things that need resetting... sounds like a dealer visit and a bill to me.

 

[eurosteve]

Hmmmm... does the manual tell you HOW to reset all the things that need resetting... sounds like a dealer visit and a bill to me.

Yes, that's my question. Is this a minor reset that I can do with the menus or does the dealer need to be involved...

 

[harrim99]

I have left my car for 2 weeks with main battery plugged in to charge from solar. I used Kia connect to check how the main battery level increased.

After 10 days the 12v level had dropped to a point where Kia connect refused to start, so it does hit the 12v battery, and it is unable to use the main battery to top up 12v if unattended.

Also have managed to drain the 12v with the car left on, to a point where the car was dead and needed to jump start the 12v directly - next to froot.

In summary, if unattended the 12v will die over time. Either leave on trickle charge or avoid lots of Kia connect use!

Mark

 

[eurosteve]

I have left my car for 2 weeks with main battery plugged in to charge from solar. I used Kia connect to check how the main battery level increased.

After 10 days the 12v level had dropped to a point where Kia connect refused to start, so it does hit the 12v battery, and it is unable to use the main battery to top up 12v if unattended.

Also have managed to drain the 12v with the car left on, to a point where the car was dead and needed to jump start the 12v directly - next to froot.

In summary, if unattended the 12v will die over time. Either leave on trickle charge or avoid lots of Kia connect use!

Mark

Thanks for sharing your experience. I agree that the 12 v battery can't be left without some attention. I could completely disconnect it (after charging it up) and it should retain all or most of its charge. I could leave it on a trickle charger and leave it connected but will this cause any harm to the car if I leave it like this for 2 months? I have no problem with the idea of disconnecting the 12 v battery. The question is how much attention the car will need after I reconnect it. Will I need to bring it to KIA to "reset" things I can't reset?

 

[harrim99]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I agree that the 12 v battery can't be left without some attention. I could completely disconnect it (after charging it up) and it should retain all or most of its charge. I could leave it on a trickle charger and leave it connected but will this cause any harm to the car if I leave it like this for 2 months? I have no problem with the idea of disconnecting the 12 v battery. The question is how much attention the car will need after I reconnect it. Will I need to bring it to KIA to "reset" things I can't reset?

I do sort of think that the car with a massive drive battery should be able to be left without having to disconnect a poxy 12V (or leave a trailing lead to a 12V trickle charger). Id vote for this to be a future software upgrade - to kick in the drive battery to top up the 12v if left unattended for long periods.

I think until that point something to watch and agree either disconnect 12V (which would no doubt disable the Kia Connect functions - shame) or leave on trickle charge.

M

 

[klingon]

I've been spending a lot of time reading thru that massive user manual and on pg 1-44, it states that there is an "Aux. Battery Saver+ (if equipped)", will auto charge the 12V batt if its low. See attached clip. Just not sure which trim levels are equipped with it.

 

[YellowFE]

I've been spending a lot of time reading thru that massive user manual and on pg 1-44, it states that there is an "Aux. Battery Saver+ (if equipped)", will auto charge the 12V batt if its low. See attached clip. Just not sure which trim levels are equipped with it.
View attachment 2451

My 2019 Niro PHEV has the same battery saver feature, but it didn't stop my 12V battery from going flat last year and I was driving the car every couple of days, not in long-term storage. Therefore, I would not depend upon this feature.

I still support disconnecting the 12V battery as the best approach for long-term storage. Resetting after the Niro battery died was not a big deal, and I expect the same holds true for the EV6.

 

[DMiller]

When the 12V battery in my Toyota Prius developed a bad cell, I starting putting it on a charger, especially when I went away for a couple of weeks. I would use it on my EV6. The smart 12V chargers won't overcharge the AGM batteries, and can be left on indefinitely.

 

[eurosteve]

Does anyone know how to connect a trickle charger (Battery Tender brand in US) to the 12 v battery? In my Chevy Bolt, I would disconnect the negative terminal and then connect the Battery Tender to the 2 terminals of the 12 v battery (as per the Bolt manual). Is this a good procedure for the EV6? Would it harm the EV6 if I connect the Battery Tender with both terminals connected to the car? I suppose the safest thing is to totally disconnect the 12 v battery but then we're back to the question of whether the car would need a trip to the dealer after I reconnect the battery (to reset things)?

 

[DMiller]

In my Toyota you don't disconnect any battery leads; there is a special charging tab in the fuse block under the hood to connect the positive lead, and any metal area can be used for the ground lead.

 

[zonekia]

Any update regarding long term storage solution? I just picked up my EV6 and will need to store it for couple months really soon.

For my previous Tesla Model 3, extended storage recommendation was simply keep the car plugged into charger and set a 6-70% main battery charge, not sure why it’s not recommended for EV6 since the main battery will kick in to charge the 12v when needed?

I may just do the disconnecting negative terminal on the 12v if there is no other better solution.

 

[DMiller]

A lead acid battery has about a 4% self-discharge rate per week. I would recommend putting a battery maintainer on it if you plan to disconnect it and leave for 10-12 weeks. (Personally, I don't think you need to disconnect it to put the maintainer on. The maintainer should keep the voltage up to normal, and the car won't need to add more to it.)