Can a GLE 500 e have a flat auxiliary battery if plugged in?

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fozzy2926

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Hello all,
It may be a silly question but when the car is plugged in, is the auxiliary battery (by which I mean the battery used to start the combustion engine) also charged?
I ask because I'm looking for a new-to-me car, and it seems that a used GLE 500 e would be a good choice, primarily because of the odd-ish way I use a car. This includes the car being left for up to a couple of months without being driven. During this time there's no problem with it being on charge but having read that some (or all?) PHEVs use the ICE to drive the car initially (so that it is warmed up in preparation for any use under greater load/high speed), it occurred to me that I could find myself with a plugged in car that won't start due to a flat battery!
Any help from owners or the technically knowledgeable will be much appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Steve
 
MB has form for tracking use of a car and if it detects low use, or no use for extended periods, it refutes battery related claims.
 
I was about to post the same question about my 350e

I suspect that the answer to this is no but:
If my car is plugged in does it keep the normal 12V battery charged as well as the electric motor battery?
It would be handy as it's sat here not going anywhere for weeks on end.

If it doesn't is there anything different regarding charging a hybrids starting battery compared to a non hybrid car?
 
I have a GLE 500e. I've pasted the following from the owners manual. Hope it helps

Exhaustive discharge caused by the vehicle standing idle for lengthy periods can damage the high-voltage battery. If the vehicle is idle for lengthy periods leave the high-voltage battery connected to a charging station. If the battery charge is sufficient, the high-voltage battery can also supply the 12 V battery with energy. This happens only if the battery charge of the 12 V battery requires this, e.g. after using electrical consumers for an extended period with the engine switched off. As the on-board voltage is continuously monitored this can also be performed when the engine is switched off.
The battery charge of the 12 V battery and the on-board voltage are thereby kept stable for
longer.
Consult an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center if you wish to leave your vehicle parked for a long period of time.
 
Slightly different car/model, as I have the C300h diesel hybrid which is not a plug-in. However, since I spend extended periods away from my C300h, I have a CTEK charger permanently plumbed into the main 12V battery to ensure this does not run flat through the lack of use.

Over Christmas, I experienced an Aux Battery malfunction message whilst driving the car. So I made a booking with MB, but whilst driving the car around before the appointment for several days, the aux battery warning message disappeared. Needless to say, MB did not find anything wrong with the car or its AUx Battery when it finally went into their workshop.

The strange thing is that on the W205, the Aux Battery is a Capacitor, so one would have thought that it wouldn't need 'charging' in the traditional sense. But it would appear that it was charged up after several days of driving around London!
 
I have a GLE 500e. I've pasted the following from the owners manual. Hope it helps

Exhaustive discharge caused by the vehicle standing idle for lengthy periods can damage the high-voltage battery. If the vehicle is idle for lengthy periods leave the high-voltage battery connected to a charging station. If the battery charge is sufficient, the high-voltage battery can also supply the 12 V battery with energy. This happens only if the battery charge of the 12 V battery requires this, e.g. after using electrical consumers for an extended period with the engine switched off. As the on-board voltage is continuously monitored this can also be performed when the engine is switched off.
The battery charge of the 12 V battery and the on-board voltage are thereby kept stable for
longer.
Consult an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center if you wish to leave your vehicle parked for a long period of time.
That's excellent, Oldhamm - many thanks:thumb:
 
Cheers wongle! Particularly interesting as it is in London where my car is parked up for long periods:thumb:
 
I have a GLE 500e. I've pasted the following from the owners manual. Hope it helps

Exhaustive discharge caused by the vehicle standing idle for lengthy periods can damage the high-voltage battery. If the vehicle is idle for lengthy periods leave the high-voltage battery connected to a charging station. If the battery charge is sufficient, the high-voltage battery can also supply the 12 V battery with energy. This happens only if the battery charge of the 12 V battery requires this, e.g. after using electrical consumers for an extended period with the engine switched off. As the on-board voltage is continuously monitored this can also be performed when the engine is switched off.
The battery charge of the 12 V battery and the on-board voltage are thereby kept stable for
longer.
Consult an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center if you wish to leave your vehicle parked for a long period of time.

Thanks
I wonder if this applies to the 350E as well. Common sense says that it should. Can't find anything in the manual though.
 
What constitutes "...a long period of time.." that sounds like MB have written themselves a get out clause.

Now everyone is going to have their own version of a 'long period of time' . Time is relative and up until recently was not even measured.

A small child waiting for Christmas day has a very different concept of time than a person sitting on death row who is watching the clock tick.
 

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