Winter Battery Warmup Question

[T3SLA 3]

Have read many of the winter driving tips including warming up the car prior to going out. My question, since I am not an electrical engineer is: On very cold days, say below freezing, would it be helpful to turn on a ceramic heater (or two) 750W or 1500W and place them so heat is directed to the underside of the car? Would this be economical or a waste of time and energy? Thanks

 

[Matsayz]

Waste of energy and a fire hazard I’d say. Park in a a garage if you can or turn the climate on to HI 10-15mins before you leave. It’s not a normal gas engine so it’ll heat up faster. Don’t worry too much about range or limited regen. It’s still a car, don’t over think it

 

[PLau]

I phrased the question differently in my head and concluded that it would be a waste of energy:
"Would it be better to warm the battery internally or externally?"

If I ever feel the need to "warm up" the battery/car, I just change my charge limit from my usual (85%) to 90% about 20 mins prior to departure on the app.

With the proposed new potential feature of setting a departure time vs scheduled start time for charging, that would be a thing of the past for me.

That being said, are you able to charge your car at home?

 

[5_+JqckQttqck]

Use the cabin heater while tied into your charger at home/work. The BMS will manage the heat accordingly. Introducing two hotspots will likely damage the battery pack at those two locations as batteries actually dislike being heated beyond a sweet spot.

 

[vickh]

related question not going to do space heaters, but would it help to leave the car in the sun? trade off would be UV light damage.

Have covered parking @ work but lots of spots that aren't.

 

[BZM3]

Have read many of the winter driving tips including warming up the car prior to going out. My question, since I am not an electrical engineer is: On very cold days, say below freezing, would it be helpful to turn on a ceramic heater (or two) 750W or 1500W and place them so heat is directed to the underside of the car? Would this be economical or a waste of time and energy? Thanks

noooo dont do that

 

[ZOMGVTEK]

The colder temperatures are easier on the battery, it just won't perform as well. So its a trade-off between acceptable degradation and performance. Heating the underside of the pack with a space heater isnt a great method. The car can heat the battery very effectively itself, it just won't let you have much control over it. Charge the battery closer to before you expect to depart and do a few launches to warm it up. Although I would prefer if we had the option to raise the minimum temp the car allows before heating occurs, its mostly OK.

 

[PLau]

related question not going to do space heaters, but would it help to leave the car in the sun? trade off would be UV light damage.

Have covered parking @ work but lots of spots that aren't.

Since it looks like you live in AZ, you'd likely benefit from parking in the shade vs sun in regards to battery.

Your Overheat protection will likely kick on to keep your car cool if it is parked in the sun.
Or... You can always turn that off..

 

[T3SLA 3]

Thank you all for answering. I actually live in Iowa. Charge it in the garage. I thought it might be a waste of time and energy but wanted to ask. Internal warm up sounds best thanks again.

 

[voip-ninja]

Thank you all for answering. I actually live in Iowa. Charge it in the garage. I thought it might be a waste of time and energy but wanted to ask. Internal warm up sounds best thanks again.

The car will actively heat the battery as needed even if it's not plugged in. You will observe more battery drain when the car is just parked when the temperatures are lower.

The car is guaranteed to be more efficient at managing the health of the battery than you would be by doing something wasteful like burning 100's of Kw h heating the car indirectly.

Just plug it in and if you turn the cabin heat on before you leave it will pre-heat the car and the battery (as much as is possible) before you leave.

 

[vickh]

Since it looks like you live in AZ, you'd likely benefit from parking in the shade vs sun in regards to battery.

Your Overheat protection will likely kick on to keep your car cool if it is parked in the sun.
Or... You can always turn that off..

yeah in the summer it's a no brainer, but in the winter (50-70) I wonder if it's better for the car to be in the sun with Overheat protection protection off.