iProcess LLC’s Post

Transcript

Hi folks, I'm Florian from iProcess. Welcome to two-minute Automotive Tech Insights. Today we are talking about vampire drain in cars. It might sound like something spooky is happening under your hood, but it's actually a common issue in modern cars and one you should be aware of, especially if you leave your car parked for an extended period. So what exactly is Vampire Drain? It refers to the slow but steady loss of your cars battery power even when your vehicle is turned off. Why does this happen? It's because today's cars are packed with electronics that might stay powered on in the background even while you are not driving. Systems like your alarm, keyless entry, the data modem, and various onboard computers remain on standby waiting to activate a moment you're required a services. This power draw is small, but over time it adds up. If your car sits idle for a few days or weeks, these systems can drain enough battery to prevent your car from starting when you finally return to it. That's where the term vampire drain comes in. It's like your cars electronics are quietly sucking energy, usually overnight, even when you think everything is off. Vampire drain an EV only problem? Absolutely not. Both EVs and ICE cars experience vampire drain and in both cases it depletes the 12 Volt battery. Just the difference is that ICE cars will simply not start and you have to jump them while EVs have a smart world maintenance system and use a DCDC converter to replenish the losses in a 12 Volt battery out of the high voltage battery. So you're EV will start but it will have a lower driving range after an extended stand-by period. Why does the term pop up recently much more often with the emergence of electric vehicles? Well, on one hand, simply by coincidence, the number of EVs on the road is ramping up and so is the number of electronic features and functions and cars, yet that is not directly coupled. On the other hand, there's the fact that EVs provide an easy, human readable and understandable number about its driving range that folks immediately notice when it is lower than before parking the car. ICE cars are also losing range because the 12 Volt battery needs more recharging during the drive after a long standby. But that information is not readily available and therefore it is not very obvious to most drivers. That's it for today. Keep your batteries healthy, stay curious and I'll see you next time.