Is preconditioning better for the battery?

[volarium]

Scenario:

• Hot (HOT) weather (Phoenix)
• L2 charger at home in the garage
• Daily commute to work 20 miles each way
• Vehicle always covered when parked, both at home and at work

Assumptions:

• I don’t care about cabin comfort, it only takes a minute or two to cool down anyway, so don’t need to precondition for cabin comfort
• I am not headed toward a public charger, so don’t need to precondition to prepare battery for efficient charging
• I am not driving more than 40 miles, and will charge at home overnight, so don’t need to precondition to maximize battery range

Questions:

• Is there any reason for me to precondition?
• Is it better for the battery in terms of longevity?
• Does it add to the efficiency during the drive, even if I have no fear of range anxiety?
• If I precondition at home, I have to pay for that energy anyway, so am I saving any money by preconditioning?

Just trying to level up to that next tier of battery expertise. ?

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[woody]

install solar and charge directly from solar production
some advantage in conditioning in winter- comfort or for longer trip
no such thing as PREconditioning

 

[RickMachE]

There is a belief that the battery doesn't precondition in warm temps unless they are excessive, meaning a battery temp of maybe 115 or higher. The only way to know this is to have an OBD-2 adapter, Car Scanner, and monitor the battery temp with a set departure time.

But to answer your question, if you leave it plugged in so it could cool the battery if it wanted, you have no reason to precondition anyway. No, it is not better for the battery to precondition.

 

[Mach-Lee]

The most important thing is to plug it in as much as possible in hot weather. Plug in as soon as you get home, and at work if possible.

Set the charge schedule in the car to occur at night when it's cooler temps.

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