Does Pre-Conditioning draw more electricity than charging?

[jddrews]

I've had my MME for a month and I guess I was a little surprised at my first electric bill. I usually only need to charge 15-20% each night to reach 90% but I've been pre-conditioning the car daily due to the colder temps. How long does the pre-conditioning cycle take before departure time and does it continue after departure time has passed (say, it's the weekend and I don't have to leave the house at any specific time)? I'm using a Grizzl-e classic at 32 amps.

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[Mach-Lee]

Tip: Set your charge window to start later in the morning so the car is done charging about an hour before your departure time. This way the battery only needs to be heated up once instead of twice and will save some electricity. Only negative is if you're on a TOU rate plan that ends earlier.

 

[Gullwingdmc]

Preconditioning while charging does not draw more, it just slows charging.

Preconditioning when charging is done does uses power, but not as much as charging. The amount depends the exterior temp of the car and what you have the climate set to.

How long does the pre-conditioning cycle take before departure time

Typically 15 minutes, but if exterior temps are very high or low that could change.

does it continue after departure time has passed

Yes, 15 minutes.

 

[Accord07]

The temperature in my garage is usually in the 40s in the morning in winter. Looking at charging history in ChargePoint app which is not that granular, HomeFlex delivered a peak of ~2.6kW when it was pre-conditioning (after charging had stopped earlier). It may be different for you depending on ambient temperature as well as the desired cabin temperature, but I doubt the car would use much more than that for pre-conditioning.

 

[Peugfan]

I've had my MME for a month and I guess I was a little surprised at my first electric bill. I usually only need to charge 15-20% each night to reach 90% but I've been pre-conditioning the car daily due to the colder temps. How long does the pre-conditioning cycle take before departure time and does it continue after departure time has passed (say, it's the weekend and I don't have to leave the house at any specific time)? I'm using a Grizzl-e classic at 32 amps.

I just precondition for 10 min ( temp in garage about 5 - 20 F) before a drive. My JB 40 charger shows 30 amps, 7kw initially, then settles in at 20 amps or 5kw later in the cycle. When charging It pulls 40 amps. When it sits plugged for a few days without driving it conditions 1 or 2 times daily using about 1.5 kw each time to keep battery from getting too cold or to top off battery. Tonight will be -20 F outside so maybe -5 to 0 F in garage so it will be interesting to see how much it will draw to keep battery conditioned. So at most it is costing me about $0.50 per day to keep my Mach E happy in frigid temperatures.

 

[Nklem]

Here is night battery conditioning below 10f (automatic) and a morning precondition power curve just below I left for work.

 

[jddrews]

Here is night battery conditioning below 10f (automatic) and a morning precondition power curve just below I left for work.

Now I’m wishing I had a smart charger.

 

[generaltso]

Now I’m wishing I had a smart charger.

We should keep this post handy to reference when people in many threads ask why anyone would pay more for a smart charger when a dumb charger works just fine.

 

[jddrews]

We should keep this post handy to reference when people in many threads ask why anyone would pay more for a smart charger when a dumb charger works just fine.

I know, right? Today I actually downloaded an app called Optiwatt that can control the charge scheduling (basically takes the place of Ford Pass) and I believe it has a detailed breakdown of energy consumption through a charge/pre-conditioning cycle. I'll check it out and see if it gives me the info I'm looking for.

 

[devmach-e]

Now I’m wishing I had a smart charger.

You can add a separate monitor to the circuit that your charger is on. Can be expanded to include other loads in the house.

 

[Jiji]

You can add a separate monitor to the circuit that your charger is on. Can be expanded to include other loads in the house.

I left my MME in the On state since I wanted the car running so I could run some tests. At the start of my session I was drawing 11.3kW but once it hit 80% SOC it dropped to 1.5kW (climate control calling for heat) and 700W (no heat called for). Garage temps were likely in the 40s, outside was in the 20s today, seat and steering wheel heat were off but I left the radio on so the car would not be lonely.

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