Vacation Storage Plan

[Airbesar]

I'll be away for three weeks leaving the Bolt in the 90 plus, day time heat of Sacramento. SparkE's "rocket surgery" sounds like a great way to get the automatic battery conditioning for the heat by keeping the car plugged in without causing the battery to be kept at a high charge level.

I'm naive so don't take this as critical, but I have a question on how the car senses that it is "plugged in" to enable conditioning. Does the car sense the mechanical connection, or does the car sense the electrical connection to the EVSE through the plug? It seems like "rocket surgery" relies on the former to be the case .

Thanks for any enlightenment.

 

[SeanNelson]

...how the car senses that it is "plugged in" to enable conditioning. Does the car sense the mechanical connection, or does the car sense the electrical connection to the EVSE through the plug? It seems like "rocket surgery" relies on the former to be the case.

One of the wires in the standard J1772 connector is a "pilot" signal over which the EVSE advertises its maximum current capability to the car. When the EVSE is powered and its cable is plugged into the car, the car can sense that signal.