Extreme Outdoor Temperature

DanCoon

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Hello everyone, I'm currently traveling through Death Valley today on my 1800 Mile Road Trip... thought I would solicit some thoughts regarding some extreme temperatures I experienced on my drive today.

Outside temperature got up to 147 degrees. This was while I was driving up the mountain in 123 degree weather according to the weather Channel app and the official thermometer at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center.

I have heard that the temperature sensor is located near the battery which can sometimes pick up the pavement heat. I thought that the temperature would decrease as I drove around but it kept increasing.

It was a little bit scary because I thought that the battery might be overheating, so I had the idea to switch into neutral and Coast down the mountain the rest of the way. I immediately noticed that the temperature started to drop and over the course of four or five miles I was able to get the temperature down to 127 degrees.

My thought is that if you disengage the battery and the electric motor by shifting into neutral it would allow the system to cool down. I did notice that in neutral only the brake pads engage since you are not using regenerative braking to recharge the battery.

Full trip experience to come in the next few days.

IMG_20210708_190927843.jpg
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macchiaz-o

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I'm not sure you helped anything by switching to neutral, because the Mach-E is *always* in gear. There is no clutch.

You were still spinning the wheels which were spinning the motor(s) rotor(s) (rwd vs awd) which were producing electricity, and that has to go *somewhere*. That work of converting the motor/generator power back to DC and back into the battery pack will still have a cost in terms of temperatures.
 

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can sometimes pick up the pavement heat.
Coast down the mountain the rest of the way
did notice that in neutral only the brake pads engage

could it have been regen braking heat... from the pavement? looking forward to the full story, but I don't think it was the battery in this case.

This car has a good (slightly loud) battery cooling system, my neighbors can attest to it.
 

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I believe the temp sensor producing the reading on your SYNC screen is located behind the front bumper. I have observed the temp reading on the screen matches the under hood temperature.

The upper limit of the battery is 134 degrees F. If the battery reaches that temp, the vehicle will shut down. I presume there would be several warnings prior to that event though.

Since you didn't report any derate messages, I presume that your cooling system was able to adequately chill the battery down to 104 degrees or lower.

Interesting post though. Thanks for sharing.
 


Mach-E VLOG

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Hello everyone, I'm currently traveling through Death Valley today on my 1800 Mile Road Trip... thought I would solicit some thoughts regarding some extreme temperatures I experienced on my drive today.

Outside temperature got up to 147 degrees. This was while I was driving up the mountain in 123 degree weather according to the weather Channel app and the official thermometer at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center.

I have heard that the temperature sensor is located near the battery which can sometimes pick up the pavement heat. I thought that the temperature would decrease as I drove around but it kept increasing.

It was a little bit scary because I thought that the battery might be overheating, so I had the idea to switch into neutral and Coast down the mountain the rest of the way. I immediately noticed that the temperature started to drop and over the course of four or five miles I was able to get the temperature down to 127 degrees.

My thought is that if you disengage the battery and the electric motor by shifting into neutral it would allow the system to cool down. I did notice that in neutral only the brake pads engage since you are not using regenerative braking to recharge the battery.

Full trip experience to come in the next few days.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Extreme Outdoor Temperature IMG_20210708_190927843
Great timing. I was just looking into the weather reports for Saturday when I'll be driving from San Diego to Vegas and then on into Utah. The temps are supposed to be near 120.

I will have to DCFC, so that is a concern. I figure the car will like want to throttle down the charging speed quite a bit. I'll be interested to see your results of you DCFC in the heat.
 
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DanCoon

DanCoon

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Great timing. I was just looking into the weather reports for Saturday when I'll be driving from San Diego to Vegas and then on into Utah. The temps are supposed to be near 120.

I will have to DCFC, so that is a concern. I figure the car will like want to throttle down the charging speed quite a bit. I'll be interested to see your results of you DCFC in the heat.
Bit of a spoiler here... But it looks like the heat doesn't affect DC charging. The only time I was throttled was at 1st generation EA charging stations made by ABB. If you can find a Signet EA Charger you'll be just fine. You can find the manufacturer on a metal plate mounted on the charger.

IMG_20210706_103004214.jpg
 

macchiaz-o

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Bit of a spoiler here... But it looks like the heat doesn't affect DC charging. The only time I was throttled was at 1st generation EA charging stations made by ABB. If you can find a Signet EA Charger you'll be just fine. You can find the manufacturer on a metal plate mounted on the charger.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Extreme Outdoor Temperature 1625804772347
 

Mach-E VLOG

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Bit of a spoiler here... But it looks like the heat doesn't affect DC charging. The only time I was throttled was at 1st generation EA charging stations made by ABB. If you can find a Signet EA Charger you'll be just fine. You can find the manufacturer on a metal plate mounted on the charger.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Extreme Outdoor Temperature 1625804772347
I've been looking at the labels on the charger every time I DCFC. Signets have been way better than the ABB chargers. Less errors and the screen is easier to read in the sun. Some of the ABB units seem to have issues with the cable cooling system and then limit charging to 31kW.
 
 




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