EV over three years old? Check the 12-volt battery

I was out the back of Coromandel.

Twisting gravel roads and potholes the size of a hot tub.

I’d just had my 6-year-old EV serviced… but felt a nagging uncertainty.

At 7am I marched out to my car – parked up outside my remote accommodation – nonchalantly pressing my keyfob.

Nothing happened.

The car was completely dead.

With anxiety spiking, I paced around in a panic.

First thought: I’m gonna be stuck here. Second thought: there could be worse places to be stranded…

I had a hunch the 12-volt battery was finished, and I was a long way from any substantial town.

Incredibly, earlier in the year I’d finally signed up to a breakdown service (yes, it was actually the AA).

After a phone call (thank goodness I still had cell coverage) – I made sure to impress on the operator that a new 12v battery was required.

According to UK figures, the cause of roadside callouts on EVs is not running out of charge on the main battery (only 1.4% of EV callouts).

As the NZ EV fleet grows (and matures), we’re going to see more of this.

Key points:

• EVs have 12-volt batteries just like combustion cars.
• It’s hard to know when they are on the way out: you don’t get the noises you hear in a combustion car (like a slow cranking engine).
• It seems not all dealer servicing includes checking the 12-volt 😔
• EVs charge the 12-volt from the main big battery. But different EVs do it differently.
• You can jumpstart the 12-volt in an EV (from another vehicle).
• How long does the 12-volt last in an EV? Everything you read will tell you something different. All I can say is I’ve had the 12v fail in two different EVs now. Both were six years old. Both times I was away from home 😬