Does setting a Departure Time use power

[jfc6468]

I have been told that setting a departure time helps with battery health especially in the extreme northern weather.

I set a departure time this morning and I noticed that my Autel charger had the charging light flashing. So it appeared to be using power. I have a separate meter that calculates time of day and charges vastly different rates for 8 am than it does10 pm for example.

Does anyone know if setting a departure time uses as much power as charging? Or will this feature work if the car isn’t connected to the Autel Charger?

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[jmcbrew]

Your Autel charger app can tell you how much power it uses. This would be easier to figure out if you unplug the car after charging is complete and the. Plug it back in. That was, you’ll see that session by itself.

Yes, it is using energy. It is heating the battery. How much energy it uses will depend mainly on how cold it (the battery) is.

Setting a departure time will also condition (heat or cool) the I terror of the car, which also uses energy.

 

[RickMachE]

I have been told that setting a departure time helps with battery health especially in the extreme northern weather.

I set a departure time this morning and I noticed that my Autel charger had the charging light flashing. So it appeared to be using power. I have a separate meter that calculates time of day and charges vastly different rates for 8 am than it does10 pm for example.

Does anyone know if setting a departure time uses as much power as charging? Or will this feature work if the car isn’t connected to the Autel Charger?

You are wasting money. There is zero reason to set a departure time if you're not going anywhere. Zero.

Yes, it uses power. It's running the heater off your wall current - has no relationship to charging your battery. Then it's warming your cabin - and you aren't using the vehicle.

No, it won't work if you don't plug in.

 

[OH2AZ2OH]

Setting a departure time allows you to squeeze a little more range out of the battery in extreme temperatures. For MN, that means winter. It uses wall current to preheat the battery and the cabin, instead of using the battery while driving. The colder the temperatures, the more effect it has.

I've tested it in the high single digit temps (°F), and it does improve efficiency for about the first half hour of driving. The battery isn't insulated all that well, and highway speeds will cool the battery off relatively quickly. Freezing temps or above, I wouldn't bother. Upper teens to freezing, it might help a little. Mid teens or lower, you will notice the improved efficiency, but you'll have to decide if paying the higher electric rate for morning preconditioning is worth saving a little on your off peak charging.

Note that my garage is pretty well sealed and doesn't really drop below 40F, which is also a factor.

 

[kevin1024]

I have been told that setting a departure time helps with battery health especially in the extreme northern weather.

I set a departure time this morning and I noticed that my Autel charger had the charging light flashing. So it appeared to be using power. I have a separate meter that calculates time of day and charges vastly different rates for 8 am than it does10 pm for example.

Does anyone know if setting a departure time uses as much power as charging? Or will this feature work if the car isn’t connected to the Autel Charger?

There's two things you can do:
1) If the car is plugged in and you set a time of departure, it will pre-condition the battery and get the interior to a comfortable point. BOTH of these use power, but the pre-condition uses a little more.
2) If the car is NOT plugged in there's a place you can tell it to condition the interior anyway on a departure schedule. It won't precondition, but it would get the interior comfy, which will use some battery.

 

[Mach-Lee]

I have been told that setting a departure time helps with battery health especially in the extreme northern weather.

I set a departure time this morning and I noticed that my Autel charger had the charging light flashing. So it appeared to be using power. I have a separate meter that calculates time of day and charges vastly different rates for 8 am than it does10 pm for example.

Does anyone know if setting a departure time uses as much power as charging? Or will this feature work if the car isn’t connected to the Autel Charger?

Yes, it needs to use power from the wall to heat the battery and cabin. That's what a departure time actually does. It typically uses 1-5 kWh to do a departure time (depends on how cold the battery is). I don't know how much energy you put in for a charge, but usually the energy for a departure time is much less than a typical charge. But you can do the math on your expenses if you figure an average of 3 kWh per departure time. I drive enough that it's only about a 15% increase in electricity used, so not a big deal to me ($10/mo to be warm).

When it's very cold outside, you should set departure times for days and times you will drive the vehicle. If you do not drive the car afterwards (like within 3-6 hours), then it's sort of a waste of energy.

 

[Iceslicer39]

It uses energy. The interesting lesson I learned, our on peak/off peak split is at 7 am. Mine was set for 7 and usually cycled from a little before 7 to start the warm up, then held on 15 minutes (like a remote start command?) until 715, and incurred on peak charges. Set for 645, much better, no on peak and still warm after the “past start time” run.

 

[Misterrobot]

@Mach-Lee I believe that you once suggested to me to try and end the charging session as close to the departure time as possible thereby using the charge event to help warm the battery.

 

[Maui]

If you set a departure time for 7 am, how long do you have before you have wasted the effort. if I don’t get in until 7:30, is that a wasted effort?

 

[jmcbrew]

If you set a departure time for 7 am, how long do you have before you have wasted the effort. if I don’t get in until 7:30, is that a wasted effort?

The battery has a lot of mass. It’ll hold onto that heat for a while. The cabin will cool down faster.

 

[ChrisO]

Does anyone know if it will "keep trying" as in if you set it for 7 am and you don't get in till 7:30 am and the temperature drops in the cabin. Will it keep trying to maintain the temperature or just let it drop (given that it is colder outside).

 

[jmcbrew]

Does anyone know if it will "keep trying" as in if you set it for 7 am and you don't get in till 7:30 am and the temperature drops in the cabin. Will it keep trying to maintain the temperature or just let it drop (given that it is colder outside).

No, it does not continue.

 

[Mach-Lee]

@Mach-Lee I believe that you once suggested to me to try and end the charging session as close to the departure time as possible thereby using the charge event to help warm the battery.

Scheduling the charge so it ends near the departure time will save some energy since the battery will already be warm after charging. Less battery heating needed that way.

Does anyone know if it will "keep trying" as in if you set it for 7 am and you don't get in till 7:30 am and the temperature drops in the cabin. Will it keep trying to maintain the temperature or just let it drop (given that it is colder outside).

A departure time ends 15 minutes after the scheduled time, similar to remote start. The car will shut off at that point. In your example the car would shut off at 7:15 AM.

 

[Spicey]

I only use precondition when leaving for a road trip where it is more convenient to have added range for my charging plans. e.g. if it allows me to charge once instead of twice on the road. It's well worth it even if it costs me a couple of bucks. My experience in cold weather is that I get 10 to 15% added range with a precondition which can be 30 - 40 miles which might do the trick. It all depends on the trip distance and charger locations. Also, if I'm traveling to a charger sparse region, that extra range gives me more options for plan B when unpredictable charger malfunctions or wait times occur.

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