What does my car do at midday? Jaguar XE charge rate.

ericmark · 9 Jan 2021

Since not in use due to lock down, I have put battery on charge, the charger is supplied from an energy monitor, so I can see charge rate, on a graph, and all day charge rate is 0.1 amp, until midday when it jumps to 0.8 amp for around 5 minutes, the charger switches between rates so can only be 0.1, 0.8, 3, or 3.8 amp so if the battery slowly discharges at 0.1 it will jump to 0.8 but it happens at the same time every day.

Which points to some thing switching on and off again.

sxturbo · 14 Jan 2021

is the charger a smart charge?

ericmark · 14 Jan 2021

Yes the charger is a smart charger the charge rate 3.8, 3, 0.8, 0.1 or zero. And supplied using an Energenie MiHome energy meter which connects to my PC so it shows like this.

At 11:42 to 11:48 it jumps to 0.8 amp, which is not unusual, but what is odd, happens at the same time every day. There is clearly some thing that switches on at around 11:40 which causes the battery voltage to drop below 12.8 volt so it returns to 0.8 amp charge rate for around 5 minutes before it hits 14.4 volt and returns to 0.1 amp charge rate.

No harm, but intrigued why same time every day. Will be moving charger to next car soon, it does the rounds keep the cars topped up, so I can when required travel the 0.8 mile return to doctors, if raining other wise I walk, not really worked out why we have three cars.

Old Salt · 14 Jan 2021

It could be the method that the charger checks the current state of the battery???

Harry Bloomfield · 14 Jan 2021

ericmark said:
Since not in use due to lock down, I have put battery on charge, the charger is supplied from an energy monitor, so I can see charge rate, on a graph, and all day charge rate is 0.1 amp, until midday when it jumps to 0.8 amp for around 5 minutes

That is simply odd - neither charger, battery, nor car will know what time it is. If it began at slightly variable times, then I would suggest it might be changes in temperature, changing the detected battery voltage.

ericmark · 14 Jan 2021

Harry Bloomfield said:
That is simply odd - neither charger, battery, nor car will know what time it is. If it began at slightly variable times, then I would suggest it might be changes in temperature, changing the detected battery voltage.

Yes whole reason for post, would expect at random times the charge rate to increase, but at same time every day, is big brother watching me? No longer 1984, but think the Jaguar does have a sim card and connects to internet, so maybe that's the time Jaguar looks at what we have been up to? May be big brother is watching us, must look out for thought police.

Harry Bloomfield · 14 Jan 2021

Put a poorly screened audio amp near the where the sim card is, and listen in at the appropriate time - you may hear the data batch being sent.

AdrianUK · 14 Jan 2021

Harry Bloomfield said:
........neither charger, battery, nor car will know what time it is.....

I'm not so sure about that!

I've....hmmmm, 'acquired' the software to talk to the management system of my Audi. Its quite frightened what its watching & storing, for example, one can read details about the last journey including time the engine ran for, max engine rpm, max road speed to name but a few. My car is certainly 'time aware' so its quite possible that cars are.

Harry Bloomfield · 14 Jan 2021

AdrianUK said:
I'm not so sure about that!

I've....hmmmm, 'acquired' the software to talk to the management system of my Audi. Its quite frightened what its watching & storing, for example, one can read details about the last journey including time the engine ran for, max engine rpm, max road speed to name but a few. My car is certainly 'time aware' so its quite possible that cars are.

If it has a mobile or internet connection, it will grab the time from a time server, but this sounds like it is 'phoning home'.

AdrianUK · 14 Jan 2021

No internet or mobile connection - I don't think its 'phoning home'. This is on a 2008 plate. It doesn't have a SIM or anything like that. I think its picking up the time from RDS. The time on the radio display & the time on the dash clock as always perfectly in-sync (including if you set the time manually) so they must be from the same source.

Also, events downloaded from the cars' system are time stamped

Keithmac · 15 Jan 2021

Our car knows what time it is, if you pull a fault code (DTC) you get a page of parameters including time of fault down to the millisecond.

All modules talk to each other and it's never truly shut down.

ericmark · 15 Jan 2021

I think George Orwell was slightly off with the date, it was not 1984, but big brother is watching us. With a RTA I suspect the police do integrate the car, but the way things are going, the car will be asked questions on a road side check.

At 9 am today the charger switched to zero charge rate, so voltage must have hit 14.4 volt, at moment still zero charge rate at 12.9 volt, it will auto restart when voltage drops to below 12.8 volt. But it does seem even 0.1 amp is more than losses from battery and car, and the battery is now fully charged. It is 12 days or more on charge, and the battery less than 2 years old, the dropping to 0.1 amp charge rate is normally considered as battery fully charged, but I have put into the battery another 25 Ah since that point was reached, either there is a drain of 25 Ah over two weeks, or battery not fully charged when charge rate dropped to 0.1 amp. I would guess a bit of both?

If it was 25 Ah drain at 95 Ah in battery, around 8 weeks and battery completely flat, and that is not the case. So seems battery was not fully charged when it dropped to 0.1 amp.

While writing this the charger switched back on

and yes same time yet again.

norseman · 15 Jan 2021

'Ah the wonders of modern techno.
Gives you something else to worry about, which is why I keep as far away from it as possible … life's too short

ericmark · 19 Jan 2021

I was looking at an old vehicle alternator control box

it was not much better in 1930's still rather complex. Love the lead fuses.

Harry Bloomfield · 19 Jan 2021

ericmark said:
I was looking at an old vehicle alternator control box

it was not much better in 1930's still rather complex. Love the lead fuses.

Generator you meant Eric..

What does my car do at midday? Jaguar XE charge rate.

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