Cool down high battery temperature faster using Tow/Haul mode 🌡️

[Grumpy2]

If my battery temp is over the mid-line, driving in normal or sport will take hours, if ever, to cool it down. Switching into tow/haul will get it back to mid-line in about 15 minutes.

Great News, thanks for sharing.

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[TomB985]

Based on how this appears to work, our problem of not having a "button" to pre-condition the battery (at least for hot weather) before DCFC on long trips without using the Ford nav system would be resolved... Love hacks like this

I’ve spent lots of time towing with mine, and I’ve been really disappointed with the inability to precondition. The truck doesn’t seem to care if I navigate to a DCFC unless the battery is over 93º, at which point it’ll engage the A/C compressor to chill down to about 90º and stop. Charge starts to throttle down to 100 kW around 97º, which doesn’t take long when you’re starting that high.

Most of my trips have been in tow/haul mode because I’ve got my camper behind me, and I’ve never noticed a difference in battery cooling. I’ve given up using the truck’s navigation because it doesn’t make much difference. I’ve pulled to the west coast twice, San Antonio once, and am leaving for Texas and New England next week.

I’m obsessive about monitoring my temperatures, and I’ve concluded that none of it makes a bit of difference. The truck does what the truck does, which really sucks for fast charging on a trip.

 

[Shawnson]

Only if you have selected a trailer profile in my testing, you can be in tow/haul w/o a trailer, ie. hauling a heavy load in the bed of the truck.

Sounds like my transporting my 4 ratchet straps around!

 

[3rdgenfan]

Checking in from Canada... Does it do the inverse for a cold battery, I wonder?

I'm assuming there is a temperature range the system calls for, as when I tested this a month ago it only seemed to bring the battery down to 95*F from the higher 120-130 after a DCFC session, but when I tried it when the battery was sitting at 72* to see if it would raise it to the 95* mark, it didn't make a difference and the gauge cluster showed it in the middle mark the entire time; but that might not have been low enough to trigger the system to heat the pack.

 

[invertedspear]

Do you have Max trailer tow package?
I have it, but was wondering if it would work for all vehicles?

Yes, this is with the max tow, Hopefully someone without the extra cooling can weigh in. I bet it would cool the battery but would also steal the "chill" from the cabin AC somewhat.

Wonder why Ford wouldn't just have the truck engage the additional cooling automatically.

Balancing range for the EPA would be my guess. It does take a noticeable hit to my efficiency, maybe about 0.2 m/kWh less when in tow/haul and it's hot as hell out.

So then it must be ok to run above the mid temp, but a hot battery is less range also right?

Yes a hotter battery over the top of ideal temp (about 75F) starts to hold less potential energy, but the effect isn't as great as a cold battery. The bigger problem with heat is that it accelerates the battery degradation. Living in Phoenix, and intending to own this truck for a long time, I am trying to figure out all the tricks to help the battery live as long as possible.

The question is - will the vehicle automatically kick in this extra cooling capacity on its own when I am not towing, or do I have to do it by pushing Tow/Haul?

It will, but it seems like in the other modes it's more OK with letting the temp go well above the midline, but in tow/haul it's far more aggressive on keeping it cool. Probably designed for better climate than what I live in where it thinks it will eventually be able to cool it down with less aggressive cooling. But even running around at night in normal mode, when the temp if still 95f+ the temp will raise above midline a bit.

 

[hturnerfamily]

I've noticed lately, with my PRO, that when I attach my camper, it no longer asks me to 'choose' anything: it just defaults to TOW/HAUL mode, automatically and the GOM adjusts, but that's it.

 

[Iroc34a]

Strange, been hotter than the hubs of hell this summer in STL. My gauge never went above middle temps? Ideas? ER Platinum.

 

[Maxx]

Strange, been hotter than the hubs of hell this summer in STL. My gauge never went above middle temps? Ideas? ER Platinum.

Same here in MD (Not like AZ). We have had a bunch of upper 90 days and a few over 100 and I have never seen the battery temp gauge go above middle line even when car scanner was saying battery temp is high. I was worried if the gauge is using a different sensor that may be off or dysfunctional. It seemed like cooling system never came on. I am glad I saw this thread. Next summer I have some testing to do.

 

[Iroc34a]

Same here in MD (Not like AZ). We have had a bunch of upper 90 days and a few over 100 and I have never seen the battery temp gauge go above middle line even when car scanner was saying battery temp is high. I was worried if the gauge is using a different sensor that may be off or dysfunctional. It seemed like cooling system never came on. I am glad I saw this thread. Next summer I have some testing to do.

No kidding? Huh, guess I'll keep an eye on that too. Waiting on a laptop to run Forscan!

 

[invertedspear]

Strange, been hotter than the hubs of hell this summer in STL. My gauge never went above middle temps? Ideas? ER Platinum.

Same here in MD (Not like AZ). We have had a bunch of upper 90 days and a few over 100 and I have never seen the battery temp gauge go above middle line even when car scanner was saying battery temp is high. I was worried if the gauge is using a different sensor that may be off or dysfunctional. It seemed like cooling system never came on. I am glad I saw this thread. Next summer I have some testing to do.

I don't see it over midline till 97-98F, I also don't have a garage, so it's in full sun all day. When I get in, I've seen the onboard thermometer read over 140F in the dead of summer. I think there's also something to be said that even at night it's still in the mid to high 90s in PHX, so the battery is just saturated with heat and can't even start off under the high end temps. It's "Heat soaked" like those "cold soaked" batteries in the winter, the vehicle has a near impossible time getting it back to ideal temps.

 

[Zprime29]

I think sport mode is doing the same thing for me. I haven't searched the prior thread where I learned this trick but my memory has me thinking it was sport mode that did the trick (in addition to tow it seems). I ran a small test yesterday, was about 1/4 in to the right when I left for church. I switched to sport and it was middle by the time I arrived 15 min later.

I can run a better test today, it'll be heat soaked sitting in the full sun for 9 hours and its supposed to be over 100F all week. If I remember, I'll record the temps with sport today and tow/haul tomorrow.

 

[jthiesse13]

It was mentioned in another thread, but I wanted to share my test. If you didn't know, Summer decided it wanted round two in Phoenix, so despite some cool days a few weeks ago, the last few days have been in the 110s, so I was able to test it out.

If my battery temp is over the mid-line, driving in normal or sport will take hours, if ever, to cool it down. Switching into tow/haul will get it back to mid-line in about 15 minutes.

I wish I knew this all summer since we know heat is slowly killing our batteries and I intend to make this last as long as possible. Oh well, for next year I guess. When I got in the truck to run some errands, my battery temp was as high as you would expect when your car registers 133F on the thermometer when you first get in, but it was back to the middle in 12 minutes.

I live in Peoria, so I'll try this today even though it's only going to be 104°, lol. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Maxx]

I don't see it over midline till 97-98F, I also don't have a garage, so it's in full sun all day. When I get in, I've seen the onboard thermometer read over 140F in the dead of summer. I think there's also something to be said that even at night it's still in the mid to high 90s in PHX, so the battery is just saturated with heat and can't even start off under the high end temps. It's "Heat soaked" like those "cold soaked" batteries in the winter, the vehicle has a near impossible time getting it back to ideal temps.

It sounds like nothing is broken in mine and it is suppose to work this way. I wish I did have a button to run additional cooling if I wanted to spend the energy. You could run it after sunset so at night, it would be less extreme (not keeping a daytime heat for another 3-4 hours)

I think sport mode is doing the same thing for me. I haven't searched the prior thread where I learned this trick but my memory has me thinking it was sport mode that did the trick (in addition to tow it seems). I ran a small test yesterday, was about 1/4 in to the right when I left for church. I switched to sport and it was middle by the time I arrived 15 min later.

That makes sense. In both cases, the truck expect energy coming out of and going into (regen) HV battery at higher rate which means more heat.

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