Lithium battery trickle charging

[UKGTC]

I was told by my garage my GTC has a lithium battery that costs £900 to replace and needs to be kept at a specific charge level. They suggested I buy a trickle charger from MB and leave it plugged in constantly.
My issue is when I park it at the front of my house I don’t have a suitable plug socket unless I’m trailing a lead from a window which isn’t happened if I’m out of the house.
I thought maybe a mini solar panel on the dash but I’m thinking it isn’t being controlled buy a smart charging system.
Any ideas?

 

[whitenemesis]

I thought maybe a mini solar panel on the dash but I’m thinking it isn’t being controlled buy a smart charging system.

It just won't be generating sufficient current to be of any significant benefit.
I'd suggest installing a 13 amp weather proof socket to enable the use of a mains charger.

 

[AMGeed]

I'd suggest installing a 13 amp weather proof socket to enable the use of a mains charger.

+1
And that socket will come in handy for a pressure washer and any other electrical gadgets you use at the front of the house.

 

[Chrishazle]

Is the GTC AMG electric/hybrid, if not it's the first time I've heard of a normal ICE car having a lithium battery!

Does your car insurance include fire risk??

 

[alabbasi]

Get a solar power charger and use that when you're not driving. It will give you about 0.5-1.5amp which is about what a trickle charger gives.

 

[ChrisPDuck]

Does your car insurance include fire risk??

It's likely a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery, in which case it won't suffer from the thermal runaway problem often associated with lithium batteries. In fact it's likely to be safer than a lead-acid battery.

I've not heard of them having to be kept at a specific charge level. For long term storage it's recommended that they're not kept fully charged, but are left at around the 50% SOC. For a vehicle that's regularly used that doesn't apply. If it really does have a LiFePO4 battery, it will most likely have a Battery Management System (BMS) built in, which will protect it from over-charge, under-voltage, over-current etc, so I'm skeptical about that advice. It will cope with thousands of charge cycles, and will deliver more of its rated amp-hours without damage than a lead-acid battery, so it's a 'good thing', but I'm not convinced about that advice to keep it attached to a trickle charger.

Would love to hear what people in-the-know have to say about this.

 

[whitenemesis]

Get a solar power charger and use that when you're not driving. It will give you about 0.5-1.5amp which is about what a trickle charger gives.

On a typical UK day? Mid summer maybe, on a good day, perhaps..

 

[AMGeed]

Is the GTC AMG electric/hybrid, if not it's the first time I've heard of a normal ICE car having a lithium battery!

Does your car insurance include fire risk??

The GTC is a proper AMG with an M178 V8 engine.
None of this electric nonsense.

 

[UKGTC]

After all the comments I think I’ll call the main dealer and see what they have to say. A waterproof outdoor socket does look like a good idea either way.

 

[UKGTC]

The GTC is a proper AMG with an M178 V8 engine.
None of this electric nonsense.

That’s the reason I bought it even though for the same money I could have bought one of the later C63s. I know the 4 pots with an electric turbo are fast but I’m a sucker for a nice V8 exhaust.

 

[KennyN]

Is the GTC AMG electric/hybrid, if not it's the first time I've heard of a normal ICE car having a lithium battery!

Does your car insurance include fire risk??

The E3 Cayenne has a lithium starter battery , all in the name of weight saving which is pretty pointless in a 2T SUV IMHO. It saves around 10 lbs from the kerb weight and £2000 from your wallet if it needs replaced.

If i leave the vehicle unused for a prolonged duration i plug in my BMW (CTEK) charger which does Lithuim / Normal batteries and keeps the voltage where it should be.

K

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

My mate Dave tells me that the lithium battery in your car will will not show any loss of charge even when left standing for long periods, and will start on the button very easily, even when a car with a traditional lead acid or AGM battery might struggle.

However if it does reach the lower voltage threshold due to a drain then the Battery Management System (BMS) will kick in and disconnect the battery to prevent it discharging further and reaching a critical level.

Once this happens then you can’t just jump start it, connect another battery or simply connect a battery conditioner and wait for it to charge. The BMS needs to be reset using STAR, so you need to call out Mercedes breakdown assistance.

When lithium batteries discharge to critical levels then there’s no warning, it very quickly goes from performing perfectly to being so low that it will cause permanent damage, and hence the BMS intervenes to protect it before it reaches that point.

A CTEK Lithium XS or CS One conditioner would make a fine choice. There’s no need to leave it on charge 24/7/365 if you don’t have easy access to power. Leaving it on charge for say 12-24 hours per month in one or several sittings will be fine.

My mate Dave’s top tip is to not use WiFi to connect your phone to your car, your car to your phone or your car to your home WiFi. It sometimes keeps the car awake and the BMS will intervene to protect the battery in as little as 24-36 hours.

PS Both CTEK devices are IP rated and so are fine charging when parked outside if required

 

[rf065]

Look at the Noco Genius 5, that does lithium and and is a better charger than the Cteks in my opinion.

Noco Genius 5 - 5A 6V & 12V Battery Charger - AutoAdvisor

Noco Genius 5A Battery charger Designed for 6-volt and 12-volt batteries including automotive, marine, AGM, maintenance-free,lithium-ion batteries and more

www.autoadvisor.co.uk

 

[donshl]

I use a NOCO charger (which has a Li mode) to keep mine topped up. I'll soon be getting one of these fitted (it's weatherproof) to make it more convenient.

 

[UKGTC]

I use a NOCO charger (which has a Li mode) to keep mine topped up. I'll soon be getting one of these fitted (it's weatherproof) to make it more convenient.

Would you use that with a NOCO or a CTEK one because I see it shows a whole list of CTEK compatible chargers?

I would be interested to see where it fits and your installation.

 

[donshl]

Would you use that with a NOCO or a CTEK one because I see it shows a whole list of CTEK compatible chargers?

I would be interested to see where it fits and your installation.

You can use it with either, basically get an extension cord for which ever charger you have and chop off the ring terminals and solder onto the connector. For now I’m thinking under rear bumper but will have a proper look when it’s time to get it done

 

[richard]

Get a solar power charger and use that when you're not driving. It will give you about 0.5-1.5amp which is about what a trickle charger gives.

Please dont. We've had to fix cars where the solar charger pushed too high voltage and blew up the SRS module.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I use a NOCO charger (which has a Li mode) to keep mine topped up. I'll soon be getting one of these fitted (it's weatherproof) to make it more convenient.

Have you decided where yet?