Sound from the frunk area

[AC123]

With climate control off, music off, I would think the car should be absolutely quiet.
But I hear this strange sound from the bottom part of the front of the car that sounds like a jet engine in a very far away distance. The sound is not loud, you wouldn't hear it if you were outside in a noisy environment. But I can hear if faintly inside the car when I drive, and I can hear it when I'm outside the car. I hear this sound soon as I turn the car on (depress brake pedal) or when I plug it in to charge, I hear this sound for about 5 minutes and then this sound goes away. But the sound remains consistent when I'm driving.

The sound is so quiet, the first time I heard it, I thought someone outside my closed garage door, maybe 100 meters distance was using a leaf blower. But when I heard the same sound at say 1 AM, and I set my ear to the front portion of the car, I realized it's actually coming from the car.

Anyone know what this sound is?

 

[Max*]

Is it the battery cooling fans?

 

[AC123]

Is it the battery cooling fans?

I have no idea. How do I know? Can I see the fans running anywhere?

 

[llavalle]

It's the coolant pump.

You can hear it "revving down" after a stop.

 

[AC123]

It's the coolant pump.

You can hear it "revving down" after a stop.

Okay thanks. I don't remember hearing it in any of my previous cars, but then it might have gotten drowned under the din of the engine. I'm assuming this coolant pump sound is normal, and not a cause for concern?

 

[llavalle]

Okay thanks. I don't remember hearing it in any of my previous cars, but then it might have gotten drowned under the din of the engine. I'm assuming this coolant pump sound is normal, and not a cause for concern?

On ICE vehicules, the coolant pump is almost 100% of the time driven by the engine... so it follows the speed of the engine.

On the Model S, it's electric and changes speed according to the programming of the thermal management algorithm of the battery. It seems to be more active after a couple of hard accelerations... Then it will "die down"... When it's hotter outside / you use more power, first the fans will come up.. then the AC compressor will kick in.

My guess is that they run the coolant pump "preemtively" so the cell are kept at almost the same temperature.

100% normal. Do you have a Dual motor model?

 

[AC123]

Yes I have a dual motor model. Thanks for your explanations.