Interesting charging cycle observation

[rjfougnier]

I just happened to look at my online EVSE monitor and noticed that the car started charging at 0.7A (240V) at 7:20AM after sitting all night charged to 80%, my charge limit. This lasted until 7:46 when it went back to zero. During the process it was saw toothing between 0.7A and 0.9A, but not for the whole time. Carnet reported an update at 7:20, all on its own, so that may have triggered this to happen, but based on what?

Questions:
Is it charging the 12V battery? Maybe Carnet saw that the 12V battery was low.
Is it doing an equalization routine on the main battery? It was only at 80%, so maybe not.

No reason for alarm,I guess this indicates that it is good to leave it plugged in since something is making use of the juice. I just thought it was interesting.

BTW, this is a 2015 LE with the 7.2kW charger.

 

[Verkehr]

Mine just runs the coolant pumps and grill shutters. Maybe a failsafe to keep the charger from overheating when the car wakes up. Doesn't do it while unplugged.

 

[forbin404]

Do you have a Climate setting at that time?

 

[rjfougnier]

Do you have a Climate setting at that time?

Nope. Nothing was scheduled for that time.

 

[rjfougnier]

Mine just runs the coolant pumps and grill shutters. Maybe a failsafe to keep the charger from overheating when the car wakes up. Doesn't do it while unplugged.

Now that you mention it I have heard motors at random times when I am around the car. If this is it, I am glad it is pulling from the house rather than the 12v battery. After sitting for a weekend, that can get discharged quite a bit I have noticed.

 

[JoulesThief]

Mine just runs the coolant pumps and grill shutters. Maybe a failsafe to keep the charger from overheating when the car wakes up. Doesn't do it while unplugged.

Now that you mention it I have heard motors at random times when I am around the car. If this is it, I am glad it is pulling from the house rather than the 12v battery. After sitting for a weekend, that can get discharged quite a bit I have noticed.

Do you leave your doors locked or unlocked in the garage? Try leaving them locked and see what happens.

 

[rjfougnier]

Mine just runs the coolant pumps and grill shutters. Maybe a failsafe to keep the charger from overheating when the car wakes up. Doesn't do it while unplugged.

Now that you mention it I have heard motors at random times when I am around the car. If this is it, I am glad it is pulling from the house rather than the 12v battery. After sitting for a weekend, that can get discharged quite a bit I have noticed.

Do you leave your doors locked or unlocked in the garage? Try leaving them locked and see what happens.

I would have thought this was crazy, but just yesterday I saw a mention of this in the manual. Let me try that. Let's dub this paranoid mode since the car is nervous about being unlocked.

 

[JoulesThief]

No, locking the car puts it properly "to sleep" and turns off all the ancillary electrical draw items. VW has been doing this for years.