Battery Preconditioning

[TaxmanHog]

Another twist to this relates to super cold conditions and charging, the battery will be conditioned prior to starting to take on a charge to prevent cell damage.

This was why I shifted my winter charging strategy from end of the drive day (afternoon/early evening) to very early mornings, leveraging the energy usage.

Last year it was a daily top off charging event, IIRC several KWH of energy overhead to make the conditions right for the battery to take a charge.

This year, as long as my daily drive cycles are short trips, then I won't do a daily charging session, maybe once or twice a week to minimize that wasted heating energy for the pack.

If I'm expecting to make a long distance drive, then I'll time the charging with related conditioning to complete about 30-60 minutes prior to departure, to overcome the heated steering wheel flaw, hopefully that issue is fixed by the end of this year.

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[lightspeed]

I know preconditioning saves some range by using shore power to acclimate the battery instead of using battery power to do it during a drive. But I am wondering if there are benefits to just warming the battery once a day in general (like for the health of the battery). On a daily basis I'm not concerned about range, but I still have a daily precondition schedule because I figure its doing my battery a favor. But am I just wasting energy doing this if I don't need to conserve power for a long drive?

Depends.

Cold batteries deliver less power, but they also experience less calendar aging. So in a cold climate it's better to leave the battery cold until you need it. Having said that, you're probably not harming it much by preconditioning daily.

Heat is the enemy of the battery, so IF preconditioning cools the battery in a hot climate, then it might be a good idea. But my understanding is the battery will cool itself when it needs it in hot weather. We just don't know if preconditioning does more cooling, or what the target temp is when not plugged into shore power, etc.. so hard to say.

 

[Peddyr]

I'm fighting the urge to charge to 100% when it gets in the teens, which it was this morning. I did precondition and noticed the GOM was a bit kinder the first 10 miles or so compared to remote starting it as I did last week. My round trip commute is over 100 miles, and charging to 90% leaves me with 120 or so miles on the GOM when I get to work. I have to go home and take my daughter to dance which is about 18 miles round trip. I'll be cutting it close, but I know what charging to 100% will do to the battery long term. Might be time to give into the wife and move south

 

[RickLightning]

I'm fighting the urge to charge to 100% when it gets in the teens, which it was this morning. I did precondition and noticed the GOM was a bit kinder the first 10 miles or so compared to remote starting it as I did last week. My round trip commute is over 100 miles, and charging to 90% leaves me with 120 or so miles on the GOM when I get to work. I have to go home and take my daughter to dance which is about 18 miles round trip. I'll be cutting it close, but I know what charging to 100% will do to the battery long term. Might be time to give into the wife and move south

The biggest issue with charging to 100% is leaving it at 100%. If you're using it that morning, you should charge to it.

 

[Lightning Rod]

It's a waste of time & energy on short hauls, I have a similar drive routine and it's generally not worth the $$ to performance & endurance.

Long trips are another story, then it's well worth optimizing for the start of the long trip, but when you get to the far point, park and make the return journey those benefits are partly lost when the battery cools down

What is considered a short haul? My commute to work is 5 miles of stop and go, 40 mph stoplight traffic. Should I not bother with battery preconditioning?

 

[Calvin H-C]

On my Focus Electric, the same coolant fluid goes through the battery, the motor, and the cabin heater, using a pair of diverter valves to adjust the flow as needed. So when remote starting the vehicle, if conditions warrant it, fluid that is being warmed will go for the battery as needed to give it a better operating temperature.

In my experience, the battery won't be "preconditioned" sufficiently for fast charging from just a remote start. That requires a good 15-20 minutes of driving in order for the fast charge to ramp up quickly.

I have no idea how much of the design of the cooling/heating system from the FFE has influenced that of the MME or Lightning.

 

[Maquis]

What is considered a short haul? My commute to work is 5 miles of stop and go, 40 mph stoplight traffic. Should I not bother with battery preconditioning?

Overall, you will use more electricity by preconditioning. I wouldn’t do it.

 

[TaxmanHog]

What is considered a short haul? My commute to work is 5 miles of stop and go, 40 mph stoplight traffic. Should I not bother with battery preconditioning?

That fit's my definition of short haul, YMMV.
But the key is energy consumed for the benefit of extending the range on a long trip.
I stick to remote start just to get me comfortable, not worried about the truck battery on these short low MPH trips.

 

[Peddyr]

The biggest issue with charging to 100% is leaving it at 100%. If you're using it that morning, you should charge to it.

So if I charge it to 100% and then drain it to 30% that same day, it doesn’t damage the battery long term?

 

[RickLightning]

So if I charge it to 100% and then drain it to 30% that same day, it doesn’t damage the battery long term?

No.

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