I just purchased a used 2016 SV over the weekend. I love the car, but my biggest concern is how it will handle Michigan winters. I see that a common piece of advice is to only charge to 80-90% and stop, to give the battery a longer lifespan. My user manual also mentions keeping the car plugged in during cold weather so that the battery can heat itself from the power source instead of draining itself. It seems like that would go against the idea of not fully charging the battery. As far as specifically in the winter and below freezing temps, what is the better choice? Charging to full so the battery can warm itself from the charging cable, or letting the battery warm itself and continuing to unplug at 80%? I'm afraid of having no range in the morning if it spends all night warming itself unplugged, but without going through it, I really don't know how much power that requires. If I used a charge timer to limit charging, would the charge cable still be able to warm the battery, or would the timer cut off all power use from the cable?
Some additional questions along the same line: I'm currently using the included trickle charger, until I can get the work done to install a level 2. I'm currently using an extension cord, as it's the only way to keep the plug and box inside and safe from rain/snow. Is there any issues with using an extension cord, or any better ways to weatherproof the charger for outside use? I noticed the manual advises against it, but the dealership told me it was no problem. And if the extension cord is okay for normal charging, would the cold weather battery heating cause any other issues with an extension cord?
And last cold weather question. I know leaving the car plugged in for days at a time can kill the 12 volt battery. If I was leaving the car for several days or longer without driving it in cold weather, could the cold do any permanent damage assuming the charge got low enough that the battery could no longer heat itself? I know it'd have to warm up to start, but other than that would me leaving town for a week in the harsh winter ruin my battery?
Some additional questions along the same line: I'm currently using the included trickle charger, until I can get the work done to install a level 2. I'm currently using an extension cord, as it's the only way to keep the plug and box inside and safe from rain/snow. Is there any issues with using an extension cord, or any better ways to weatherproof the charger for outside use? I noticed the manual advises against it, but the dealership told me it was no problem. And if the extension cord is okay for normal charging, would the cold weather battery heating cause any other issues with an extension cord?
And last cold weather question. I know leaving the car plugged in for days at a time can kill the 12 volt battery. If I was leaving the car for several days or longer without driving it in cold weather, could the cold do any permanent damage assuming the charge got low enough that the battery could no longer heat itself? I know it'd have to warm up to start, but other than that would me leaving town for a week in the harsh winter ruin my battery?