Video summary

BATTERY 12V MORTA | 2 BUONE notizie dopo 2 settimane di TEST [Episodio 7]

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product reviewed

  • A 12V battery system in a Cupra PHEV/plug-in car (Formentor mentioned).
  • The video is part of a “12V battery series” focused on diagnosing a problem where the 12V battery can go dead, especially tied to home charging behavior (e.g., smart plug vs. home charger, what happens when power is cut off).
  • No single “hardware product” is formally rated.
  • A new home EV charger is introduced specifically for testing.

Main features / setup discussed

  • The reviewer monitors the car’s 12V battery state continuously using a Schumacher trickle charger (for near real-time snapshots).

  • Charging is tested/managed via:

    • A Smart Plug that cuts power at a set time (in this case, 7:00 AM).
    • The car’s standard/home charging behavior.
    • A new home charger (positioned as different from the included charger and a wallbox):
      • Shows live amperes, voltage, and kW / energy flow.
      • Includes a built-in on/off timer (potentially replacing or changing the role of the smart plug).

  • A key variable is the charging threshold—testing involves scenarios where the smart plug cut-off happens after the charge has effectively completed earlier.

Two “good news” findings after ~2 weeks

  1. The dead-12V symptom appears under very specific conditions

    • Previously observed cases where the 12V battery goes low/dead seemed somewhat random across scenarios (e.g., car locked/unlocked; different home charger setups).
    • In the last two nights, with the same charging approach, the battery did not show the anomaly.

  2. Battery doesn’t run down during normal driving/use

    • Over two weeks, the reviewer drove using multiple modes:
      • Electric
      • Internal combustion (more)
      • Hybrid
    • Stationary testing/disruptions included:
      • Car turned on/off multiple times
      • Short waits (~5 minutes) and longer idle (~5 hours)
    • A 300 km round trip:
      • Syracuse → Ragusa area → return
      • Mix of motorway + village/state roads
    • Charging included a 90 kW NLX station.
    • Important detail: they did not leave the connector attached after the 90 kW session ended.
    • After the trip, the reviewer reports the 12V battery was “perfect.”

Key test detail: charging ends before smart plug cut-off

  • Conditions during the test:

    • Car is locked with alarm
    • Smart plug set to cut power at 7:00 AM
    • Charging target set to 80%
      • From roughly 50–55%, so it should reach target within a few hours

  • Timeline:

    • Plug in around 11:00 PM
    • Charge likely completes around 2:00–3:00 AM (before 7:00 AM cutoff)
    • Smart plug remains attached for at least ~12 hours after charging finished

  • Result:

    • Before continuing the video, the Schumacher reading shows the 12V battery at 92% (no anomaly)

  • Interpretation (reviewer’s hypothesis):

    • If external power is cut after charging is already complete, the reviewer believes the system doesn’t “crash,” because the car disconnects / stops requesting power.
    • When charging ends improperly (connector/charging socket issues), the reviewer reports:
      • Red LED / anomaly behavior
      • Sometimes interior lights turning on (suggesting the 12V battery is already struggling)
      • But sometimes the red LED may be off even if the battery still ends up low later

Pros (as implied by the tested approach)

  • Improved reliability when charging is configured so it finishes before the smart plug turns off.
  • No “goes haywire” behavior when the car completes charging before power cutoff.
  • In real-world driving scenarios tested, no recurrence of battery-down symptoms.
  • The new charger provides better visibility (A/V/kW monitoring) compared to the basic supplied charger.

Cons / ongoing problem

  • The failure behavior is still inconsistent (“a bit random”) in general.
  • When the charging cycle ends and the connector/system fails:
    • The charger socket shows red LED/anomaly
    • This correlates with 12V battery discharge and potentially interior lights.
  • Even if timing is controlled, the reviewer warns the situation may not always be safe long-term and plans continued testing under similar conditions.

Comparisons made

Smart plug vs. car charging schedule vs. built-in charger timer

  • Smart Plug
    • Used for precise cut-off timing (example: 7:00 AM).
    • Helps manage “night slot” cheaper electricity windows (roughly 11 PM–7 AM).
  • Car’s built-in charging programming
    • Reviewer argues it’s not suitable for precisely controlling start/stop within the cheap-night window for this specific case.
    • Reason: the car may finish charging later than expected, leaving the cable connected with power flow continuing (or starting earlier/later depending on initial battery state).
  • New home charger with built-in timer
    • No smart plug needed for start/stop.
    • Main question: whether its timer behavior can reproduce the same “safe” end-of-charge outcome when power is cut before charging is fully complete.

Ratings / numerical scores

  • No formal product score is given (no stars or numeric rating).
  • Numerical observations cited:
    • Smart plug cutoff: 7:00 AM
    • Battery target: 80%
    • Plug-in time: about 11:00 PM
    • Estimated charge completion: 2:00–3:00 AM
    • 12V state at checkpoint: 92%
    • Monitoring duration after completion: connector plugged in ~12 hours
    • Fast charge example: 90 kW NLX
    • Formentor max power mentioned: 50 kW

Overall verdict / recommendation

The reviewer suggests the 12V battery issue (symptom) is likely avoidable by ensuring charging completes before the external power source is cut off (e.g., smart plug shuts off after charging finishes). In the tested real-world driving, the battery appears healthy.

The reviewer plans further testing using a new home charger timer, aiming to achieve the same “safe” behavior without relying on a smart plug.

Unique points mentioned (consolidated)

  • Continuous ~2-week testing of 12V behavior.
  • Use of a Schumacher trickle charger for near-real-time monitoring.
  • Earlier dead/low episodes were observed previously; now the pattern appears more consistent.
  • A “safe” scenario tested:
    • Car locked with alarm
    • Target 80%
    • Smart plug cuts at 7:00 AM
    • Charge likely ends 2–3 AM
    • Connector remains attached ~12 hours
    • Result: battery around 92%, no anomaly
  • Hypothesis: the issue is related to end-of-charge failure when power is cut at the wrong time or when the connector/socket behaves anomalously.
  • Red LED/anomaly at end-of-charge may align with 12V discharge and sometimes interior lights.
  • If the connector is removed promptly after charging (example: after a 90 kW session), the battery remains fine.
  • Driving/travel test shows no problems:
    • Electric/ICE/Hybrid mix
    • Multiple start/stop events
    • 300 km round trip; battery “perfect” on arrival
  • Plans:
    • Continue testing with the same overall approach.
    • Test the new home charger:
      • Live display (A/V/kW)
      • Built-in on/off timer
      • Determine if its timer alone (without smart plug) triggers the same end-of-charge cutoff anomaly.
  • Commentary on software updates:
    • Reviewer doubts infotainment/charging scheduling software updates fix it, because changing charging start/finish behavior could conflict with the cheap-night electricity window.
  • Electric cost management constraint:
    • Desired charging window is about 11 PM–7 AM, and car scheduling alone may not enforce it cleanly.

Speaker breakdown

  • Single main speaker (the reviewer).
  • The narrative covers testing results, hypotheses about charging behavior, and comparisons between the smart plug, car scheduling, and the new charger.
  • No other speakers are clearly identified.

Original video