lpickup
Well-known member
I didn't quite understand what you were referring to when you said "Is it??" And actually I do have Bluetooth on 100% of the time on my cell phone (I use a Bluetooth cordless phone at home that is actively connected to my phone almost all the time). Nonetheless, the point I was trying to make is that some of the examples of "dark power" that were brought up (and I don't dispute at all that there is "dark power") was Carwings communication, key fob searching, security system, etc. Those seem very similar to my phone's standby power needs. I.e. Why would the car's Carwings TCU use any more power than my cell phone waiting for a call or text message? And okay, my cell phone isn't searching for a key fob, but it does have its Bluetooth radio powered up which I suspect is drawing at least as much power as whatever key fob receiver is. Point being, my phone has a 1.1Ah battery and can last almost a week before being discharged. Okay, it's not lead acid--is lead acid really that much worse than Li-ion at retaining a charge? I don't have the A-h/W-h spec on the LEAF's 12V battery, but I've gotta believe it's quite a bit larger than my cell phone's battery!DaveinOlyWA said:lpickup said:Seriously my little tiny Li-ion battery on the cell phone can keep my phone powered up for almost ONE week (I don't yet have a smartphone) and that's including a few calls each day!
is it?? you might want to look at power needs of your "dumb" phone verses a smart phone. you might find the power demands increase quite a bit with the capabilities of the device.
turn on Wi Fi and Bluetooth. these are two radios constantly scanning for a signal. this should give you an idea of the differences between your cell phone and the Leaf
it has already been WIDELY and EXTENSIVELY DISCUSSED here that plugging your car in while on an extended vacation is a mistake.
Okay, so it's a car and not a cell phone that's obviously been optimized for low power operation. So for the example given: 50mA @ 12V = 600mW I suppose that's a fair standby power budget, but in 2 weeks that's going to consume 200 Wh (16 Ah @ 12V). That would mean be only 16X more capacity than the little Li-ion battery on my phone!