Noise and Heat While Charging

[SaniDel]

Our intent is to downsize to a cottage with a one-car garage and then to purchase and to charge a Tesla Model X in the garage. What noise and heat should be expected while charging? Do we need to make a provision to dissipate the heat from the garage, e.g., a ductless air conditioner?

I would like to 'work' in the garage while the Tesla would be charging ... can I do that or will noise or heat drive me inside the cottage?

 

[BZM3]

Depending on the ambient temperature, the cars compressor may occasionally run. It's not that loud, just a fan. But otherwise, no its completely silent and wont heat up your garage uncomfortably.

 

[OregonX Guy]

Both are negligible, in my opinion.

 

[wamochi]

i don't think there is any noise. sometimes the fans come on if the battery is very hot from driving that day, but usually by the time you start charging at midnight, it has been a few hours since the car has been driven.

there is some residual heat that comes from charging, but it seems to affect the cabin interior temp more than the garage. we don't have AC in the garage but we also have a 3 car garage so it's fairly large. i will say with 100% certainty that there is FAR more heat coming off the engine of our gas powered SUV if it has been driven that day

 

[SaniDel]

I'm impressed although a bit skeptical. All the energy the vehicle uses is stored in the battery and no battery is 100% efficient during charging and discharging. Discharging isn't a problem as the vehicle is presumably out of the garage and in most cases moving so ambient air flow dissipates the heat.

BZM3 said that the "compressor may occasionally run" ... would that be the air conditioning compressor? If so, it would be transferring heat from the battery through the compressor to the environment, i.e., to the garage. I'm trying to determine if it would be prudent to air condition the garage ... more for me than for the car!

OregonX Guy said "both or negligible" but what about the charger on the wall ... does it hum, blow air or get hot? If so I may want to mount it on an exterior wall rather than have the noise and heat against an interior wall.

 

[SaniDel]

i don't think there is any noise. sometimes the fans come on if the battery is very hot from driving that day, but usually by the time you start charging at midnight, it has been a few hours since the car has been driven.

there is some residual heat that comes from charging, but it seems to affect the cabin interior temp more than the garage. we don't have AC in the garage but we also have a 3 car garage so it's fairly large. i will say with 100% certainty that there is FAR more heat coming off the engine of our gas powered SUV if it has been driven that day

Amen to that wamochi!

We currently have a two-car garage with an extra-high ceiling AND a ceiling fan to circulate the air yet our M-B GL550 'cooks' the entire garage volume. All that heat soaks through the garage wall, which is an insulated and fire-rated 6" wall and the house air conditioner works all night long to keep the house cool. I sometimes wonder who lives here ... us or our M-B as the house sometimes seems too small for all of us!

 

[FoxSTL2HOU]

Ambient weather will trump any effect of the Model X, so if its summer and hot, you'd need an AC anyway, or if its winter and cold, don't expect the car to warm you up.

 

[SaniDel]

Ambient weather will trump any effect of the Model X, so if its summer and hot, you'd need an AC anyway, or if its winter and cold, don't expect the car to warm you up.

Thanks, FoxSTL2HOU ... I plan to insulate and condition the garage anyway for my comfort, but will up-size it slightly to offset any waste heat from the battery or the charger.

 

[Tam]

...I would like to 'work' in the garage while the Tesla would be charging ... can I do that or will noise or heat drive me inside the cottage?

You surely can work in a same garage with the charging heat and noise.

The added heat is negligible to the garage during charging.

That means if my garage is 110F without the car and then I pull in the car and charge it up, the garage would still be 110F with no perceptible increase in garage temperature.

The car's HVAC can be really loud momentarily during a Supercharger session but it's much less loud while charging in a very hot home garage. If you stand beside your home central air conditioner, that's loud and Tesla HVAC noise during a home charging session is not that loud.

The HVAC wouldn't turn on continuously as it would turn on intermittently during a home charging session in a very hot garage.

 

[SaniDel]

You surely can work in a same garage with the charging heat and noise.

The added heat is negligible to the garage during charging.

That means if my garage is 110F without the car and then I pull in the car and charge it up, the garage would still be 110F with no perceptible increase in garage temperature.

The car's HVAC can be really loud momentarily during a Supercharger session but it's much less loud while charging in a very hot home garage. If you stand beside your home central air conditioner, that's loud and Tesla HVAC noise during a home charging session is not that loud.

The HVAC wouldn't turn on continuously as it would turn on intermittently during a home charging session in a very hot garage.

Thanks, Tam ... but 110 degrees? It must be dry in Visalia California ... in Greenville Delaware my tolerance limit is 90 degrees due to higher humidity.

Regardless ... your point remains that the heat and noise due to home charging is minimal, but there may be occasional noise due to the HVAC operating. I’ll still plan to insulate and condition the garage, but more for my comfort than for the Tesla’s.

 

[jboy210]

Amen to that wamochi!

We currently have a two-car garage with an extra-high ceiling AND a ceiling fan to circulate the air yet our M-B GL550 'cooks' the entire garage volume. All that heat soaks through the garage wall, which is an insulated and fire-rated 6" wall and the house air conditioner works all night long to keep the house cool. I sometimes wonder who lives here ... us or our M-B as the house sometimes seems too small for all of us!

I have a BMW and a Model X. When we drive the BMW we have the same issue. The BMW turbocharger run at temps near 1600F and it takes a while to dissipate the heat. The garage and floor of the room above the garage are really warm. I sometimes leave the garage door open for awhile to exhaust some of the heat.

When we drive the X and park it in the garage we have very little of this heat build up. And even when charging (240V/50A HPWC) it just runs the fans slowly and it is barely audible.

However, it is a completely different story when you are at a Supercharger and fast DC charging. Fans sounds like a plane taking off.

 

[Tam]

...plan...

Some prospective customers do ask for an overnight or several nights drive test so they can test a Tesla at home.

You can practice charging at home with existing 120V or better yet any 240V outlets like an electric dryer outlet.

 

[animorph]

I looked at a 3 hours 51 minutes charge at 72A starting at 10:30 PM. Data was from TeslaFi. According to the car (Model X) the outside temperature started and ended at 90F. The car interior temp went from 69F (just got home, still cool) to 94F. I'd be surprised if the A/C came on at all during the charge, but I was asleep through most of it. No need to do anything drastic.

The HPWC is passively cooled, no fan.

 

[ewoodrick]

Compared to the engine of a ICE cooling down? I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[SaniDel]

Compared to the engine of a ICE cooling down? I wouldn't worry about it.

Amen, ewoodrick!