Battery equalisation

[andrewhs]

Does the battery equalisation happen automatically or do i need to do something ?

 

[fnegroni]

Automatically when reaching the target charge on the NMC battery, and at 100% on LFP battery.
You do need to wait until it confirms it has finished charging, even if it might seem to draw hardly any current.

 

[siteguru]

You need to charge to 100% (assuming your profile of SE SR is correct) on an AC charge point (7kW wall box is best, but the granny lead will do) and then leave it to complete charging. The SE SR will typically balance charge at about .02kW (20W) for about 30 minutes before it tells the wall box/granny lead that the charge is complete.

 

[gazza487]

Yep just leave the car to do its thing. When I got my SE the balancing sessions were quite lengthy (my charger displays a graph and there would be several spikes so 7kW charging down to near nothing then a few spikes up to a kW or so). Not sure if it’s colder weather weather, more use or changing to keeping charging to 5hr window but it seems to do one spike now and complete.

I’ve recently learned every few months you are meant to go below 10% apparently on SE anyway and slow charge I wonder if that’s for calibration. Below about 20% got some weird issues of limited power 28% then fine again - maybe the cold. Wonder how important that process is ?

 

[Jomarkh]

Does the battery equalisation happen automatically or do i need to do something ?

As others have said leave it once at 100% then monitor your IHD to see when the balance has finished.

 

[Coulomb]

I’ve recently learned every few months you are meant to go below 10% apparently on SE anyway...

Wonder how important that process is ?

Not very, I would guess, if it's beneficial at all. It may help if you regularly go down to low SoC, but then you're already doing it.

Edit: It seems that the manual disagrees with me. See the next several posts.

 

[Coulomb]

The SE SR will typically balance charge at about .02kW (20W) for about 30 minutes before it tells the wall box/granny lead that the charge is complete.

Wow. My ZS EV takes about 350W when equalising, and sometimes kilowatts (MG logo lights not "breathing", on solid). I suppose that 20W is possible, but it seems very low to me.

 

[siteguru]

That's the LFP battery pack for you. @Rolfe can confirm the same.

 

[tsedge]

Yes, NMC battery can draw anything from a few hundred watts to a few kilowatts when balancing.

Some alternative acronyms:

LFP = Likes Full Please! (100%)
NMC = Normally Moderate Charging (80%)

 

[Kevin Smith]

Yep just leave the car to do its thing. When I got my SE the balancing sessions were quite lengthy (my charger displays a graph and there would be several spikes so 7kW charging down to near nothing then a few spikes up to a kW or so). Not sure if it’s colder weather weather, more use or changing to keeping charging to 5hr window but it seems to do one spike now and complete.

I’ve recently learned every few months you are meant to go below 10% apparently on SE anyway and slow charge I wonder if that’s for calibration. Below about 20% got some weird issues of limited power 28% then fine again - maybe the cold. Wonder how important that process is ?

Where did you learn about every few months going down below 10% then slow charging, Gazza? You would think they would have to flag such stuff up to us on purchase or in the manual!

 

[fnegroni]

Where did you learn about every few months going down below 10% then slow charging, Gazza? You would think they would have to flag such stuff up to us on purchase or in the manual!

It is in the manual ??‍

 

[fnegroni]

Not very, I would guess, if it's beneficial at all. It may help if you regularly go down to low SoC, but then you're already doing it.

Below 10% SoC is where the voltage curve takes a deep dive and the BMS calibrates against it.

 

[Kevin Smith]

It is in the manual ??‍

thanks, I'll have to reread it!

 

[Rolfe]

Yep just leave the car to do its thing. When I got my SE the balancing sessions were quite lengthy (my charger displays a graph and there would be several spikes so 7kW charging down to near nothing then a few spikes up to a kW or so). Not sure if it’s colder weather weather, more use or changing to keeping charging to 5hr window but it seems to do one spike now and complete.

I’ve recently learned every few months you are meant to go below 10% apparently on SE anyway and slow charge I wonder if that’s for calibration. Below about 20% got some weird issues of limited power 28% then fine again - maybe the cold. Wonder how important that process is ?

I did this in September or October. I'll probably do it again next week if I get back low from Glasgow. I'm tending to run the thing in the top 50% of the battery, mainly because it takes so long to charge on the granny lead if I go lower, so it's probably good to do it.

 

[Rolfe]

It is in the manual ??‍

Yup, that's how I found out about it.

 

[Rolfe]

Yes, NMC battery can draw anything from a few hundred watts to a few kilowatts when balancing.

Some alternative acronyms:

LFP = Likes Full Please! (100%)
NMC = Normally Moderate Charging (80%)

That's good! I am SO stealing that.

 

[gazza487]

That's good! I am SO stealing that.

My SE … with its boot leak is more akin to …. Like a naughty word Pool

 

[MG4ORR]

I'm beginning to doubt that when charging MG4 Trophy with Zappi to 100% if the battery does actually equaliize at all. Today I charged to 100% by 5.30 am and then later I connected the granny charger which took charge starting at 3kw reducing to 0.4 kw for a further 45 minutes.

 

[Surfdog]

I've got an Ohme charger and I used it for four months prior to going onto Intelligent Octopus Go tariff. During these months battery would equalise once charge reached 100%. Basically it would carry on trickle charging for a couple of hours at about 0.1kw or so. Since going onto IOG in July, once charging rate gets down to about 1kw it shuts off and stops charging, and so effectively is not balance charging. I believe this may be to prevent off peak rates being given for more than is necessary if smart charging outwith guaranteed off peak hours (another story). I've researched this and accordingly a thread on the IOG facebook group you have to invoke Max Charging to allow a balance charge, effectively cancelling off peak smart charging. However if done during guaranteed off peak hours still charges at off peak rates. I shall be trying this out tonight to see if I get my first full balance charge in 6 months.

 

[fnegroni]

I'm beginning to doubt that when charging MG4 Trophy with Zappi to 100% if the battery does actually equaliize at all. Today I charged to 100% by 5.30 am and then later I connected the granny charger which took charge starting at 3kw reducing to 0.4 kw for a further 45 minutes.

3kW from a granny? Highly unlikely. More like 2kW at most

Quite possible that the zappi is misconfigured.