Keeping a charge on i2 batteries

[falerna]

I know I'm supposed to keep my i2 plugged in at all times, but my monthly electric bill tripled by doing that. I store my i2 in my apartment. I recently tried unplugging it for several days, and it only took 15 minutes to get back to the fully charged state. I know I can save some money on my electric bill this way. Am I doing harm or shortening the battery life by doing this? If not, what would be the recommended cycle for plugging/unplugging? Given its winter here on Austin, I am only riding on weekends.

[team222badbrad]

I find that very hard to believe that your bill tripled due to the Segway unless you don't use much to begin with.

Pulled straight from the website

"A full day’s charge (approx. 8-10 hrs.) costs less than a newspaper in electricity."

http://www.segway.com/support/faqs.php

If you really want to know the actual cost pickup a kill-a-watt or other similar monitoring device.

[PeteInLongBeach]

Originally Posted by team222badbrad

I find that very hard to believe that your bill tripled due to the Segway unless you don't use much to begin with.

Pulled straight from the website

"A full day’s charge (approx. 8-10 hrs.) costs less than a newspaper in electricity."

http://www.segway.com/support/faqs.php

If you really want to know the actual cost pickup a kill-a-watt or other similar monitoring device.

And, once it is fully charged and in maintenance mode, it costs virtually nothing in electricity.

I don't understand where the OP is getting the idea that leaving it on-charge in maintenance mode is tripling the electric consumption, but it's not the Segway. Something else is going on there...

I'm also curious to know how you can spend several thousand $$ on the machine, and take issue with the relatively negligible cost to charge it...

[falerna]

Thank you for your replies. I was very surprised also. I live alone, and everything is off everyday while I'm at work (including electric heat). I've been running a $30 monthly electric bill, but with the Segway plugged in the bill was over $90. I will continue to monitor. Does anyone have an answer to minimizing the charging time? Will charging only 15 minutes a day (everyday) damage the batteries? After 15 minutes the fully charged status returns.

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by falerna

Thank you for your replies. I was very surprised also. I live alone, and everything is off everyday while I'm at work (including electric heat). I've been running a $30 monthly electric bill, but with the Segway plugged in the bill was over $90. I will continue to monitor. Does anyone have an answer to minimizing the charging time? Will charging only 15 minutes a day (everyday) damage the batteries? After 15 minutes the fully charged status returns.

I think you would do well to use a monitor. If things are working properly, I cannot imagine any way that there is a chance that a charged segway, sitting plugged in, can account for $60 a month in charges. (Especially if $30 will supply you with enough electricity to live there for the same month)

I live in a 3000 foot house, in the north east as well, and while I do not know your electric rates, mine are on the high side of the national norms, and I frequently pay about $100 to $120 a month or frequently less. I have had a segway or two plugged in since 2003. I saw no difference at all when 2 were plugged in, and see no difference at all when I am traveling, and the segway is away (but wife and kids are home) for weeks. In my home, the impact of a segway plugged in has no appreciable difference to the bill. Leaving the plasma television on when you fall asleep for the night will have a larger impact.

Several people use a timer so the segway is not on charge the whole time. Since your segway is fully charged after 15 minutes, as you say, it is only on a minimal consumption mode anyway. It will not continue to draw power once charged, other than a very small maintenance charge. I wonder if that draw is more than the timer itself will draw, but there are several threads on this forum that speak of using a timer. I know that when I use a 12 volt converter, it needs about 400 watts at peak, although it uses far less most of the time. I would get a timer that can handle that much wattage. (Again, you may want to run a usage meter however, because I do not know if the clock in the time will draw more or less wattage than a segway on maintenance charge, after the segway batteries are fully charged)

[MagiMike]

Opinions on charging differ greatly. While segway recommends keeping your segway on constant charge at least one knowledgeable segway battery expert suggests getting a small timer similar to the one you might use for a Christmas tree and setting it to charge no more than 6-8 hours a day.

[Civicsman]

The Segway charging system is comprised of switching power supplies. When in standby, they should consume no more power than a robust "brick" power supply, such as used with laptops, etc. That's not to say it will not draw any power once the Segway is fully charged. A typical switching power supply for a laptop draws about 9 watts, even when the laptop is off. That's about $0.75 per month at typical electricity costs. That kind of power usage is a whole lot more likely than $60 per month.

If your Seg is really dissipating that much power, it would get pretty hot. I think the $60 increase originated somewhere else.

Here is some data about the "vampires" in one's home.
http://standby.lbl.gov/faq.html