Trickle charging: top tips

[Johnson]

My Emira will likely be garaged at long stints between drives, so may require battery trickle charging.

• Are there particular types of chargers required (so as not to damage the car)?
• How do you connect the charger, then close the boot (I assume you have to do this to set the alarm)?
• If in a closed boot, does the charger generate heat?

Other tips are appreciated.

 

[JohnHoward]

My Emira will likely be garaged at long stints between drives, so may require battery trickle charging.

• Are there particular types of chargers required (so as not to damage the car)?
• How do you connect the charger, then close the boot (I assume you have to do this to set the alarm)?
• If in a closed boot, does the charger generate heat?

Other tips are appreciated.

I used a Trickle charger on my Evora 410 Sport last winter. That had a lithium battery, so I had a lithium charger, but the Emira will have a standard battery, so a good quality branded trickle charger/conditioner will keep the battery optimised. CTEK make good chargers/battery conditioners, I think they are worldwide.
My car is kept outside and I ran the cable from the charger in the boot to an outdoor electrical socket. I found that you could shut the boot if you ran the cable through the joint of the boot seal. The seal is such that you can pull it apart to get the cable through and then shut the boot (carefully!). I never noticed any heat from the charger.
If you car is garaged you can close the boot catch with a small screwdriver and fool the car into thinking the boot is locked without actually fulling closing the boot. This allows the car to shut down correctly and if necessary you can set the alarm. If you adopt this approach, don't forget to disable the alarm before you open the boot and more importantly, remember to release the boot catch. If I was doing this I would make a reminder note to leave on the back of the car.

 

[Pugwash]

On all my cars I have fitted a CTEK fly lead direct to the battery. On my Evora, I then connected the CTEK charger so that the charger is outside the boot and just closed the boot. The CTEK lead is sufficiently thin that the boot can close without having to do anything special and it all works fine. That always lived in the garage. For another car which lives outside, CTEK do an extension lead; one end is inside the boot and the cable is sufficiently long that it runs under the garage door and then connects to the charger. So it can be left in all weathers.
Do find a way to remind yourself that the car is on a charger so you don’t drive off with it still connected!

 

[Toomanyloti]

On all my cars I have fitted a CTEK fly lead direct to the battery. On my Evora, I then connected the CTEK charger so that the charger is outside the boot and just closed the boot. The CTEK lead is sufficiently thin that the boot can close without having to do anything special and it all works fine. That always lived in the garage. For another car which lives outside, CTEK do an extension lead; one end is inside the boot and the cable is sufficiently long that it runs under the garage door and then connects to the charger. So it can be left in all weathers.
Do find a way to remind yourself that the car is on a charger so you don’t drive off with it still connected!

I have CTEK chargers on 'everything' bikes etc.

One of them has a repaired wire Do find a way to remind yourself that the car is on a charger so you don’t drive off with it still connected!

 

[TomE]

I’ve also got a CTEK conditioner for my Evora, with battery tails out from the battery compartment into the boot and a CTEK quick connector, then run the cable across the rubber seal to the charger unit sitting externally.

I put the storage bag for the CTEK over the drivers door mirror to remind me it’s connected.

 

[ADC]

I recall somebody mentioning MagCode connectors as a good way to avoid accidentally dragging your charger down the street... I like the idea of hiding a port for that somewhere under the rear skirt.

 

[forest]

My Emira will likely be garaged at long stints between drives, so may require battery trickle charging.

• Are there particular types of chargers required (so as not to damage the car)?
• How do you connect the charger, then close the boot (I assume you have to do this to set the alarm)?
• If in a closed boot, does the charger generate heat?

Other tips are appreciated.

I am considering the following methods.

[ポルシェ 911]CTEK用マグネットソケット取り付け

みんカラ（みんなのカーライフ）とは、あなたと同じ車・自動車に乗っている仲間が集まる、ソーシャルネットワーキングサービス(SNS)です。

minkara.carview.co.jp

 

[DaaS]

Evora’s came with a Lotus branded charger, but that is likely not the case with Emira.

I also vote for CTEK . I believe Emira has AGM battery. It’s what most modern cars use.

 

[robrmon]

I recall somebody mentioning MagCode connectors as a good way to avoid accidentally dragging your charger down the street... I like the idea of hiding a port for that somewhere under the rear skirt.

I’ve had a CTEK charger on my Evora and it’s perfect. Highly recommend.

I’ve also had magcode connector setup on and I’ve had a ton of issues with it, specifically some kind of corrosion or “metal process” inside the connector that caused a proper charge not to occur. I’ve had two connectors and have now given up on that method. These cars are hyper sensitive to the proper voltage.

Yesterday, I fabricated a charger cable out the boot that’s basically a CTEK extension cable that can easily come lose in the event I forget to remove it… I once drove half a mile down the road with a 15ft extension cable trailing me.

But for me the question remains, do we think the Emira will have the same level of battery drain as the Evora - I sure hope not.

 

[695 to Emira]

Any reason why we can’t use one of these?

Porsche Charge o mat Pro Battery Maintainer and Charger – Electro Swags

www.electroswags.com

 

[Pugwash]

That looks pretty much exactly the same as an older generation CTEK with Porsche branding. Can it support AGM? I think you would find a current CTEK would be cheaper.

 

[ADC]

I’ve had a CTEK charger on my Evora and it’s perfect. Highly recommend.

I’ve also had magcode connector setup on and I’ve had a ton of issues with it, specifically some kind of corrosion or “metal process” inside the connector that caused a proper charge not to occur. I’ve had two connectors and have now given up on that method. These cars are hyper sensitive to the proper voltage.

Yesterday, I fabricated a charger cable out the boot that’s basically a CTEK extension cable that can easily come lose in the event I forget to remove it… I once drove half a mile down the road with a 15ft extension cable trailing me.

But for me the question remains, do we think the Emira will have the same level of battery drain as the Evora - I sure hope not.

Hmmm... bummer. Thanks for the tip.

I just looked up the fancy new CTEK CS One, and that might fit the bill nicely.

 

[KJD]

My Evora lived outside 10m away from the power point (too far for the cTek extension cable).

My method was:

Fly leads to the battery.
Connect charger but put it on top of the supercharger so you can see the state of charge through the glass without having to unlock the car. (Hope you didn’t spec privacy glass!) This area is vented so no heat worries.
The boot seal has easily enough give for the cable.
My mains extension cable was too fat to fit through any gap in the tailgate so:
Run the charger’s mains cable out at the point where the glass meets the plastic (biggest gap).
Put the extension lead socket on top of the rear tyre (out of the wind and rain) and plug the charger in there.
I ran the extension lead where I’d literally trip over it getting to the car to remind me.

 

[JimH]

Not sure if they all do, but my 2014 Evora S has an "always live" 12v socket in the boot so no need for battery flyleads even - just the CTEK cigarette lighter adapter and a CTEK extension lead over the boot seal and under the garage door when parked outside..... No such luck with the Emira as far as I can tell....

 

[Pugwash]

Not sure if they all do, but my 2014 Evora S has an "always live" 12v socket in the boot so no need for battery flyleads even - just the CTEK cigarette lighter adapter and a CTEK extension lead over the boot seal and under the garage door when parked outside..... No such luck with the Emira as far as I can tell....

Mine didn’t have one of those. Perhaps fitted by a previous owner?

 

[Rudolph]

* * * * *
My '21 Evora GT 410 Sport has the Ion battery and the Lotus supplied tricklecharger.........
My simple failsafe solution working now already for 1,5 year..........very easy connecting.........no kneel down.
No heat problems for the female connector located in the mesh plate above the exhaust tip.....
Actually the "chrome" muffler end does not become so hot as the inner circular pipe and therefore does not harm the female connector/wiring at all.........
Furthermore the location is almost invisible and can be accessed very easily.

 

[TomE]

Not sure if they all do, but my 2014 Evora S has an "always live" 12v socket in the boot so no need for battery flyleads even - just the CTEK cigarette lighter adapter and a CTEK extension lead over the boot seal and under the garage door when parked outside..... No such luck with the Emira as far as I can tell....

Yes, my Evora S has that and I plug in there. Later Evoras don’t have it. Emira doesn’t have a 12V socket in the boot.

A shame, as I could also use for the champagne cooler

 

[ksegg]

I highly appreciate this thread! I'm actually going overseas for 2.5 months and was wondering what Trickle Charger would be best for the M2C while I'm gone.

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

Yes, my Evora S has that and I plug in there. Later Evoras don’t have it. Emira doesn’t have a 12V socket in the boot.

A shame, as I could also use for the champagne cooler

don´t open my champagne fridge issue

 

[Andrea]

I used a Trickle charger on my Evora 410 Sport last winter. That had a lithium battery, so I had a lithium charger, but the Emira will have a standard battery, so a good quality branded trickle charger/conditioner will keep the battery optimised. CTEK make good chargers/battery conditioners, I think they are worldwide.
My car is kept outside and I ran the cable from the charger in the boot to an outdoor electrical socket. I found that you could shut the boot if you ran the cable through the joint of the boot seal. The seal is such that you can pull it apart to get the cable through and then shut the boot (carefully!). I never noticed any heat from the charger.
If you car is garaged you can close the boot catch with a small screwdriver and fool the car into thinking the boot is locked without actually fulling closing the boot. This allows the car to shut down correctly and if necessary you can set the alarm. If you adopt this approach, don't forget to disable the alarm before you open the boot and more importantly, remember to release the boot catch. If I was doing this I would make a reminder note to leave on the back of the car.

Simce, as many of you, when it will arrive my Emire won’t be my daily I’m down for a charger as well and, up to now, I’ve pointed the CTEK MXS 5.0 TEST&CHARGE; I’m new to this would you say I’m making the right choice or there is a better model (I’d stay with CTEK as, as a brand, it gives me a certain level of trust)? Are you sure Emira doesn’t have a lithium battery?