Do Electric vehicles have deep cycle starter batteries or "house" batteries?

[SvenH]

Most of us have two kinds of batteries on our boats, one (set) to start the engine, and one (set) to run nav lights, fridges and stuff.

As I cannot find an answer in the electric car world, I thought i'd ask here:

Do electric vehicles have a plain starter battery (to supply high current in short bursts) or do they indeed have deep cycle batteries to run the 12 volt system?

I'm asking because my Hyundai Ioniq ev went berserk when starting after the first cold night but started just fine after a little wait plus having the 12 volt battery being connected to a booster pack.

Since Hyundai seem unable or unwilling to answer this, I thought I'd ask around where people are actually accustomed to the two kinds of batteries ; )

 

[Gixer]

I thought the leisure/starter classification was only applicable for lead acid batteries and not for other battery tech.

Watching with interest.

 

[davidej]

I think you are far more likely to get an informed reply if you put this on the Lounge. Several EV experts there.

 

[lustyd]

If it's a pure EV they will be lithium, so the answer is neither. The distinction on lead doesn't apply to lithium batteries since they can deliver high current until they are empty.
If it's a hybrid, it's likely to have either lithium or AGM depending on how hybrid it is.

The issues with starting can be down to battery temp. The better manufacturers like Tesla have solutions to this to prevent the batteries getting cold while the more traditional car makers orften just bodged in a motor and battery and called it good. Lots of YouTube videos on the additional tech Tesla have that makes them better, some of which is really impressive.

 

[Supertramp]

On a Mitsubishi PHEV, I believe the main lithium battery does the petrol engine starting via the generator (and at higher voltage). There is a small 12v 45Ah lead acid battery that keeps the system "alive" but doesn't do starting.

Do you mean an EV or a Hybrid?

 

[roaringgirl]

Tesla has a small 12v battery for running the 'house' (lights, computers, electronics, heating, aircon etc...) and a large (~80kWh) Li-ion 350-400V battery for propulsion.

The 12v is charged via a DC-DC charger from the Li-ion. As the 12v runs everything except the motor(s), if it is dead (or low), virtually nothing will work and you need special knowledge to even open the doors!

 

[billyfish]

How do you keep warm in a electric car ?

 

[fredrussell]

How do you keep warm in a electric car ?

Over-charge the lithium battery.

 

[dac31]

Over-charge the lithium battery.

Interestingly I believe they are also composed of hundreds of 18650 type individual batteries joined together, so some could go bad and not others. I believe these are also what you find in typical power tool batteries etc.

 

[Supertramp]

How do you keep warm in a electric car ?

Use the heating (and reduce your range accordingly). Significant impact this time of year.

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

Most of us have two kinds of batteries on our boats, one (set) to start the engine, and one (set) to run nav lights, fridges and stuff.

As I cannot find an answer in the electric car world, I thought i'd ask here:

Do electric vehicles have a plain starter battery (to supply high current in short bursts) or do they indeed have deep cycle batteries to run the 12 volt system?

I'm asking because my Hyundai Ioniq ev went berserk when starting after the first cold night but started just fine after a little wait plus having the 12 volt battery being connected to a booster pack.

Since Hyundai seem unable or unwilling to answer this, I thought I'd ask around where people are actually accustomed to the two kinds of batteries ; )

They certainly have a "Service" battery. My neighbours Yaris did all sorts of weird things, like not selecting gear etc. when their aux. 12 volt went down.

 

[SvenH]

Did some research via another route, this brought up a battery for the Ioniq that was also suitable for a host of petrol cars.
So for now I'm going along the lines that it is indeed a starter battery.

I also was informed that a recall is going on for VW ev's, where the starter battery is indeed being swapped for a deep cycle battery.

The starter battery is indeed used to start an EV, but to me it seems not to be the right kind, it should be a "boot-up & service battery" ; )

As for heating, some have a heatpump, some have electric heating. The Ionic EV has both.

 

[simonfraser]

as previous, if the small 12V battery is wearing out you'll get odd errors
nothing to do with the may traction battery used to drive the car

 

[NormanS]

Why would an EV require a starter battery?

 

[simonfraser]

to engage the main battery
the dash runs of 12V
propulsion off the main traction battery

 

[Bilgediver]

[ Quote]

Do electric vehicles have a plain starter battery (to supply high current in short bursts) or do they indeed have deep cycle batteries to run the 12 volt system?

[Quote}

I was looking at a Prius Plug in recently and discovered that the flat wee 12V battery just powered the dashboard and controls. The engine was started from the main battery. Still had to boost it to get started Not a good sign at Arnold Clarks.

Some electric cars have a facility to boost the small battery from the main battery as my niece found out when stuck up on the 500 route. Google was her friend. I think it was an Ionic.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Use the heating (and reduce your range accordingly). Significant impact this time of year.

Pre heat whilst still charging, use low cabin temperature with seat heaters and heated steering wheel. My wife has a colour co-ordinated fur throw to put over her legs? All that is really only for the very low temperatures we have just now. Unless you live in Scotland obviously. You guys north of the border are in for some trouble. Need for heat, low battery efficiency, and large distances between destination, a BEV nightmare. It’s all perfectly manageable in the south. And yes, we have a separate 12v battery for lights, comms, etc.

 

[Bouba]

All EVs (that I know of) have a starter battery, just like an ice car. This powers up the door unlocking and a host of other ‘house’ functions...this battery is either a lead acid (I think it’s a starting battery but its possibly a leisure battery) or for newer cars a small lithium battery...on a Tesla it sits exactly where it would in an ice car. This starter battery is charged by the bigger battery pack that moves the car. If the starter battery dies then the car will not start (and you can’t even get in the hood or doors)...nowadays Teslas have a little hatch with a hot lead so that in the event of a dead starter battery it can be connected to a charger. Dead starter battery is one of the leading causes of ev failures, which is why they switched to lithium. Also , charging the starter battery is one reason why if you leave your ev for an extended period the big battery pack will drain...especially if the starter battery is tired and won’t hold a charge and has to be constantly topped up...also the act of charging ‘wakes’ the car up...this turns on various other things which will add to the big battery drain

 

[trevbouy]

I watched a video of a teardown of a Tesla 80kW battery. It was indeed 18650 single cells in banks. It had a liquid cooling system. Wonder if that's used for heating in cold weather?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I watched a video of a teardown of a Tesla 80kW battery. It was indeed 18650 single cells in banks. It had a liquid cooling system. Wonder if that's used for heating in cold weather?

In a Tesla that heat is wasted, as far as I could see. I have seen a real life battery deconstruct, and held the bits. The new Subaru EV has a heat pump that can use battery heat.