Maintainence charge

[wattson]

Hi guys,
I read quite a lot about a maintainence charge, but how & when is this done. Can it be carried out at home? I can always go to the specialist in Bordeaux but he is 100 kms away.
Many thanks,
Wattson

[ChrisB]

The maint charge can ONLY be done by signalling the controller to go into it, this can be done via a main dealer or at home with EVan's EVlite.

Once done you MUST water the batts within 30mins or you have to go through it all again.

It needs to be done around every 4-6000 miles thinking it best done early than later , a light will light up on the dash when the controller has seen x number of hours over charge, cant remember the figure off hand but thinks its about 850Ah , must admit I think a lot of us do it around the 500Ah mark to be on the safe side.
EVlite that EVan sells will tell you how many Ah overcharge the pack has had, it also lets you reset the water light.

Hope that helps

ChrisB

[EVan]

It depends a lot on the usage of the vehicle and the local climate, how much water it uses.

Essentially, you want to fill it when it needs about 0.5l per module. 500AH is a conservative figure to start with, until you learn how much you need in practice.

[wattson]

Thanks guys,
Is there any harm in watering the batteries at any time? The Peugeot van had been unused for a few years so I did not want to charge them without watering. They took almost 15 litres.
Also, what does a maintainence charge actually do?
Evan, does your Evlite tell me in simple terms what it is reading, like "fault 23 = 2 batteries with faulty cells" or do I need a bit more electronics knowledge?
I think I will be ordering one soon but it will have to wait until I have a set of batteries for my 106.
Thanks again,
Wattson.

[EVan]

Thanks guys,
Is there any harm in watering the batteries at any time?

Yes, if you water batteries without doing the maintenance charge first, you end up losing electrolyte. This will always reduce the performance and life of the battery to some degree.

The Peugeot van had been unused for a few years so I did not want to charge them without watering. They took almost 15 litres.

It was OK to charge. (for the benefit of anyone else reading!)

Also, what does a maintainence charge actually do?

It's an overcharge which ensures that the electrolyte level is at the maximum possible level, so that when water is added, it will overflow having filled the remaining space, i.e. only replacing the volume which has been electrolysed or evaporated since the last filling.

Evan, does your Evlite tell me in simple terms what it is reading, like "fault 23 = 2 batteries with faulty cells" or do I need a bit more electronics knowledge?

The vehicle does not monitor each module, so there is no way that evLite can tell you this (although the latest software does report some other fault codes). You can easily deduce which battery boxes contain dead cells using a multimeter, and you can get a general impression of the condition by watching the volt display while driving.

[wattson]

Thanks Evan,
So what advantage will the Evlite give me & what sort of things will it tell me? Would it aid me if I went to look at another PSA EV with a view to buy? Is it idiot proof?
I'm beginning to get a handle on these EV things & I think the Chevvy Volt looks cool!
Wattson