Charging during heat wave - keep Mach-E plugged in?

[Norcolboulder]

The country is experiencing a very hot summer. And the Mach-E may need to be plugged in to cool the batteries in this heat.

If we are home charging - just leave it plugged in when hot ? And will destination charging times ( not during the heat of the day)negate that ability ?

Thank you and yes a seasonal question I never thought I would need to ask …..

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[Deleted member 19354]

The country is experiencing a very hot summer. And the Mach-E may need to be plugged in to cool the batteries in this heat.

If we are home charging - just leave it plugged in when hot ? And will destination charging times ( not during the heat of the day)negate that ability ?

Thank you and yes a seasonal question I never thought I would need to ask …..

I’m far from an expert but I do not see why not

 

[azerik]

Depends on your EVSE and your home.

If the car is in your garage it doesn't need to be plugged in all the time. It might complain when you get home after it's been outside but it's really not needed. (My MME is in the garage. its 115+ in my driveway or ~100 in the garage.)

If your car is sitting outside in the sun then yes I'd keep it plugged in. (My FFE is in my driveway in the sun, windows up, no sunshade. It's been treated like this for ~12 years and is still ticking along just fine)

If you're outside the battery can heat up over 90 pretty quickly, if you're in a less than 100 degree garage it takes many an hour to warm the pack over 90 if the car has cooled it or charging session has cooled it.

Don't forget if you have a Time of Use set up on your EVSE you'd need to over ride it to get the car to cool. I do this now with my Emporia so I can come home and if either car really needs to be cooled I can flip the EVSE on in the app and set the charge speed to something like 5kW and let it run for 30 minutes.

 

[dtbaker61]

The country is experiencing a very hot summer. And the Mach-E may need to be plugged in to cool the batteries in this heat.

If we are home charging - just leave it plugged in when hot ? And will destination charging times ( not during the heat of the day)negate that ability ?

Thank you and yes a seasonal question I never thought I would need to ask …..

I really don't think you have to worry about batteries sitting in the heat unless your garage is over 120F. You might want to limit charging to 90%, unless you are planning on a trip the next day.

 

[sukhoi_584th]

I understand the chemistry arguments about keeping the battery cool, but I refuse to do it. One of the major selling points of EVs is the low operating cost, and I'm not paying peak TOU costs to cool my freaking car while it sits parked in the driveway. EVs are marketed as direct ICE replacements, and should be able to be parked in the summer without causing permanent damage to the vehicle.

 

[azerik]

I understand the chemistry arguments about keeping the battery cool, but I refuse to do it. One of the major selling points of EVs is the low operating cost, and I'm not paying peak TOU costs to cool my freaking car while it sits parked in the driveway. EVs are marketed as direct ICE replacements, and should be able to be parked in the summer without causing permanent damage to the vehicle.

I would just like to point out, others, like Tesla cool the battery weather you like it or not. One wouldn't pay TOU prices but it's an added cost at the end of the day.

I totally agree with not paying TOU prices during the day. I go from 8 cents an hour off peak to 28 cents an hour.

My Focus has been parked in Phoenix for all of it's life, abused if you will, but no damage to the pack, the car however is falling apart like a Ford in the sun.

 

[sukhoi_584th]

lol true the UV does get stuff, but not the powertrain. Interesting to know that Tesla uses the battery to cool the battery. My Li-ion experience is in consumer electronics, but it does surprise me any of this is necessary. All the batteries I worked with were rated up to 60 °C (140 °F) in storage, though certainly designed for a very different use case.

 

[RickMachE]

The country is experiencing a very hot summer. And the Mach-E may need to be plugged in to cool the batteries in this heat.

If we are home charging - just leave it plugged in when hot ? And will destination charging times ( not during the heat of the day)negate that ability ?

Thank you and yes a seasonal question I never thought I would need to ask …..

Just leave it plugged in. PERIOD. Hot, cold, warm, tepid. Temperature is irrelevant, the car should be plugged in when you are not using it.

 

[Gloff]

lol true the UV does get stuff, but not the powertrain. Interesting to know that Tesla uses the battery to cool the battery. My Li-ion experience is in consumer electronics, but it does surprise me any of this is necessary. All the batteries I worked with were rated up to 60 °C (140 °F) in storage, though certainly designed for a very different use case.

It's really not. The battery is encased in steel under the vehicle, so temperatures are probably ambient or slightly more. If you're in 113° heat or greater, maybe, but even then I think it's probably fine for a few days.

Ford calls it out in the manual:

Storage Temperature
Storing your vehicle in temperatures
between 32°F (0°C) and 113°F (45°C) is
the most beneficial for the high voltage
battery.
At temperatures just above the freezing
point or lower, you should plug your vehicle
in to maintain battery performance and
maximize driving range.

 

[GatorGrowl]

I don’t have TOU pricing, so I generally start the car/set a departure time to let the car heat or cool the pack to its ideal operating temperature to max the range I get.
My only accommodation for weather is I charge starting at 10am in the winter and 10pm in the summer.

 

[ShaggySS]

If the car is plugged in and doesn’t need a charge will it maintain battery temp if needed? Part two if it’s hot out and not plugged in will the car cool the batteries and use battery power?

 

[macchiaz-o]

I go to work every week day and park my Mach-E in an enormous paved parking lot. There's no shade whatsoever. There's no place to plug in. The car is more than 3 years old, always having been in these conditions. The battery and powertrain are just fine.

Just pointing this out for some additional perspective. Our highs here in Phoenix have been over 110°F for awhile now and this happens every summer.

 

[azerik]

Just pointing this out for some additional perspective. Our highs here in Phoenix have been over 110°F for awhile now and this happens every summer.

Bah my garage!

The spike from 110+ is me charging.
My FFE has sat outside in this for 12+ years. My wife calls and says the AC don't work (because the car cools that battery first then you. I tell her that's a reminder to crack a window and put a sun shade in the windshield for a change. )

 

[RickMachE]

If the car is plugged in and doesn’t need a charge will it maintain battery temp if needed? Part two if it’s hot out and not plugged in will the car cool the batteries and use battery power?

Yes.
No.

 

[joebruin77]

I live in an area with very high summer temperatures and I personally leave the MME plugged in so the car will cool the HV battery.

One other suggestion - be mindful of the amperage setting your EVSE is set at. Your EVSE can overheat in very hot temperatures, especially if it is delivering the max amperage and is in direct sunlight. For example, I charge our MME with a Juicebox EVSE that delivers a max of 40 amps. It if is very hot outside, I will reduce the amp setting to 20 amps.

Not only does the lower amperage setting prevent the EVSE from overheating, but the low voltage 12v battery will be charged longer and higher.

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