Quote:
Originally Posted by Coastali8
Is the 12 volt battery charged or maintained also when the car is plugged into the charging port?
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Yes, there is a DC-DC power supply in the i3 that will top up the 12vdc battery while plugged in AND charging, or when the vehicle is in the READY state. On a long term sitting where the vehicle is not being used, it may not turn on the power supply to keep the 12vdc battery up unless put back into the ready state periodically since the LiOn batteries have a very low self-discharge rate, so they may not call for charging often enough to keep the 12vdc battery topped up. This is not generally an issue if you drive the vehicle regularly.
ALl of the computers are run from the 12vdc supply, so if that battery dies, your vehicle becomes a big brick even if the main high voltage battery is full. There is a phantom 12vdc charging circuit that MIGHT recharge the battery when plugged in, but it is a very small supply, and if the battery is too far gone, probably won't get you going again without changing the battery, or if you're lucky, charging it directly with an external 12vdc charger.