Keeping battery topped up when parked up without mains

Andymharrison · Oct 31st, 2023, 14:35

Hi,

Looking for a bit of advice on how people keep their battery topped up when a car is parked up for the winter without access to mains electricity?

My XC90 is used only for towing and we are coming to the end of our working season so the car will soon be parked up until Easter.

The last few years I have just tried to remember to take it out for a run every week or so but inevitably I get busy or forget which results in a low battery, reluctance to start and then needing a charge or long run, usually long run as getting the battery out of the boot is a pain. This can't do the battery any good, although the car seems perfectly happy to sit for ages and always fires straight up if the battery is good.

It is parked on the street so running a cable and connecting a trickle charger is not an option.

I was considering a small solar panel as I have a spare charge controller from our caravan, does anyone know if it is safe to charge in this way via the rear 12v socket, or suggest anything else?

Andy

Oct 31st, 2023, 14:35	#1
Andymharrison Junior Member Last Online: Yesterday 21:47 Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Town	Keeping battery topped up when parked up without mains Hi, Looking for a bit of advice on how people keep their battery topped up when a car is parked up for the winter without access to mains electricity? My XC90 is used only for towing and we are coming to the end of our working season so the car will soon be parked up until Easter. The last few years I have just tried to remember to take it out for a run every week or so but inevitably I get busy or forget which results in a low battery, reluctance to start and then needing a charge or long run, usually long run as getting the battery out of the boot is a pain. This can't do the battery any good, although the car seems perfectly happy to sit for ages and always fires straight up if the battery is good. It is parked on the street so running a cable and connecting a trickle charger is not an option. I was considering a small solar panel as I have a spare charge controller from our caravan, does anyone know if it is safe to charge in this way via the rear 12v socket, or suggest anything else? Andy __________________ 2005 XC90 D5 2009 XC70 D5

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