Stupid questions from EV newbie

NotSoJon

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I have a few dumb questions that I haven't seen elsewhere (mostly because other threads are for intelligent questions). I swear in real life I'm an intelligent adult, but need to hear others confirm what I'm thinking for me to gain the confidence:

1. Do EV's need to "warm up" like an ICE? I'm in Chicago, so it's frequently 20-30 degrees F in the winter, but maybe 40 degrees in my garage. If I'm plugged in for the night, can I have the car preset to begin warming up at a certain time so it's ready, even though I'm still plugged in charging? My guess is the car can be on but, only being an ICE owner, you obviously shouldn't start your car while fueling.

2. Similarly, if you're out shopping (think, gone for an hour or two), should you plan to have the car begin warming back up so you don't have to sit in the parking lot for a few minutes?

3. I told my wife we can start the EV even while our garage doors are closed because there are no emissions. She said it isn't worth the risk of dying. Is there a good way of explaining this concept to her? Maybe a YouTube link or some other method? It sounds so dumb, but when you've been trained to do something your whole life, it's difficult to change. However i don't want to have to run to the garage if my car is preset to warm up at a certain time.

4. I'm getting a dedicated line from my circuit breaker and my electrician has told me I need to decide where in the garage i want this to be. Does anyone have suggestions for where I should put this? I back into my garage and I think I'll park on the left of a two car port, since I believe the plug is on the front left of the car. Just put it on the wall right there? Should I put it high up so people can walk under it or low so it's easy to step over? Should I put it on the 10 foot feeling and just have it dangle down?

5. Is there any logic to NOT plugging your car in every time you are home? I'm thinking of articles about phone batteries where you are better off letting a phone run to low vs topping off 1-2% after a short trip.

Thanks to anybody who invests time in answering my questions and feel free to post your own questions. Just make sure they are dumb! No intelligent questions please.
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4. I'm getting a dedicated line from my circuit breaker and my electrician has told me I need to decide where in the garage i want this to be. Does anyone have suggestions for where I should put this? I back into my garage and I think I'll park on the left of a two car port, since I believe the plug is on the front left of the car. Just put it on the wall right there? Should I put it high up so people can walk under it or low so it's easy to step over? Should I put it on the 10 foot feeling and just have it dangle down?
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Ford Mustang Mach-E Stupid questions from EV newbie Tesla-Roof-Mounted-UMC-Charger-Extended-1024x593
 

JamieGeek

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Those aren't dumb questions.

1. Yes/No: EVs do operate better when the batteries are warm (and there are heaters to warm the battery) but you can start it and drive away without causing any harm.

2. Nope (note that you can "start" it using the phone app while you're in the store cashing out)

3. You are correct: I frequently started and start my EVs in the garage. In fact the Mach-E can automatically start itself based on times (it is best to do this anyway because it will be plugged in). Ask her: "Do you feel safe using the vacuum cleaner inside the house?" (Yes this is sexist a little: replace vacuum cleaner with any electrical appliance: washer, dish washer, refridge, etc.)

4. I just have my EVSE(s) about waist height right next to where the car plug is. Its simple; the car is right there so there is no tripping because you don't walk that way much anyway.

5. You can charge whenever you like. The car's charging software is a bit more intelligent than your phone's. You can set it to only charge to 80%, 90%, whatever % you like then you can plug it in every day (you'll want it plugged in if it autostarts--see #3). In the summer I'll likely only plug it in once a week to "fill up" but in the winter (I'm in Michigan) I'll likely plug it in every night and let it "start" (precondition) on a schedule every morning (will likely reduce the % it charges to in the winter as well since it will be plugged in every night).

Keep in mind you'll want to "start" the car just to warm the cabin up so that its comfortable for you (if its comfortable for you it will be comfortable for the battery).
 

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I have a few dumb questions that I haven't seen elsewhere (mostly because other threads are for intelligent questions). I swear in real life I'm an intelligent adult, but need to hear others confirm what I'm thinking for me to gain the confidence:

1. Do EV's need to "warm up" like an ICE? I'm in Chicago, so it's frequently 20-30 degrees F in the winter, but maybe 40 degrees in my garage. If I'm plugged in for the night, can I have the car preset to begin warming up at a certain time so it's ready, even though I'm still plugged in charging? My guess is the car can be on but, only being an ICE owner, you obviously shouldn't start your car while fueling.

2. Similarly, if you're out shopping (think, gone for an hour or two), should you plan to have the car begin warming back up so you don't have to sit in the parking lot for a few minutes?

3. I told my wife we can start the EV even while our garage doors are closed because there are no emissions. She said it isn't worth the risk of dying. Is there a good way of explaining this concept to her? Maybe a YouTube link or some other method? It sounds so dumb, but when you've been trained to do something your whole life, it's difficult to change. However i don't want to have to run to the garage if my car is preset to warm up at a certain time.

4. I'm getting a dedicated line from my circuit breaker and my electrician has told me I need to decide where in the garage i want this to be. Does anyone have suggestions for where I should put this? I back into my garage and I think I'll park on the left of a two car port, since I believe the plug is on the front left of the car. Just put it on the wall right there? Should I put it high up so people can walk under it or low so it's easy to step over? Should I put it on the 10 foot feeling and just have it dangle down?

5. Is there any logic to NOT plugging your car in every time you are home? I'm thinking of articles about phone batteries where you are better off letting a phone run to low vs topping off 1-2% after a short trip.

Thanks to anybody who invests time in answering my questions and feel free to post your own questions. Just make sure they are dumb! No intelligent questions please.
Im ready to take a shot:

Question 1 - You can “warm up” the interior of the car. Here in Northwest Montana I will leave the car plugged in overnight and start it and get the inside warn when my wife complained that it’s too cold to go anywhere.

Question 2 No

Question 3 Good luck with this one. I think a new wife might be in order. Your call.

Question 4 I park mine the same way you are planning. At the end of the day your plug position looks good. Midway up the wall and just keep people out of your carport.

Question 5 Thats a good question. I see the similar article on the subject. You might not have to all of the time. I don’t plug the bolt in all the time. I think this is more subjective than a need to do thing.
 

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1) Yes, you should definitely "warm up" (or cool down in the summer) at home while still plugged in. Doing the warm up while connected will increase your range - the warm up uses line power instead of battery.
 


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I have a few dumb questions that I haven't seen elsewhere (mostly because other threads are for intelligent questions). I swear in real life I'm an intelligent adult, but need to hear others confirm what I'm thinking for me to gain the confidence:

1. Do EV's need to "warm up" like an ICE? I'm in Chicago, so it's frequently 20-30 degrees F in the winter, but maybe 40 degrees in my garage. If I'm plugged in for the night, can I have the car preset to begin warming up at a certain time so it's ready, even though I'm still plugged in charging? My guess is the car can be on but, only being an ICE owner, you obviously shouldn't start your car while fueling.

2. Similarly, if you're out shopping (think, gone for an hour or two), should you plan to have the car begin warming back up so you don't have to sit in the parking lot for a few minutes?

3. I told my wife we can start the EV even while our garage doors are closed because there are no emissions. She said it isn't worth the risk of dying. Is there a good way of explaining this concept to her? Maybe a YouTube link or some other method? It sounds so dumb, but when you've been trained to do something your whole life, it's difficult to change. However i don't want to have to run to the garage if my car is preset to warm up at a certain time.

4. I'm getting a dedicated line from my circuit breaker and my electrician has told me I need to decide where in the garage i want this to be. Does anyone have suggestions for where I should put this? I back into my garage and I think I'll park on the left of a two car port, since I believe the plug is on the front left of the car. Just put it on the wall right there? Should I put it high up so people can walk under it or low so it's easy to step over? Should I put it on the 10 foot feeling and just have it dangle down?

5. Is there any logic to NOT plugging your car in every time you are home? I'm thinking of articles about phone batteries where you are better off letting a phone run to low vs topping off 1-2% after a short trip.

Thanks to anybody who invests time in answering my questions and feel free to post your own questions. Just make sure they are dumb! No intelligent questions please.
1. No, you don't "need" to - it won't damage the vehicle to just hop in and drive away. You might want to warm it up though, as you can use the power from the wall to heat the cabin and still depart with a full charge and a toasty warm car.

2. No need, but again, why not be comfortable?

3. In the same way that you turn on a TV in the house without dying, you can turn on the Mach-E in your living room (if it would fit) without dying. No combustion occurs, so there's no exhaust.
 

Davedough

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There are already good answers in here. to further extrapolate on the starting the car in the garage, there really is no risk here. You will die with an ICE car because the power created within the internal combustion engine requires that power to go somewhere, the exhaust. Those are obvious noxious so that's where the risk is. On an EV, you're quite literally driving a giant battery. It's the same as flipping a light switch on, or having your phone lay on the counter connected to the charger. It's "On" but there's nothing running, no power is being generated, only consumed. The power is being generated by your home, in the same way that it does for your refrigerator or, as someone else pointed out, a vacuum.
 

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3. I told my wife we can start the EV even while our garage doors are closed because there are no emissions. She said it isn't worth the risk of dying. Is there a good way of explaining this concept to her? Maybe a YouTube link or some other method? It sounds so dumb, but when you've been trained to do something your whole life, it's difficult to change. However i don't want to have to run to the garage if my car is preset to warm up at a certain time.
LOL... tell her to find the exhaust pipe and just put a plug in it. When she can't find the exhaust pipe... problem solved.
 

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1) Yes, you should definitely "warm up" (or cool down in the summer) at home while still plugged in. Doing the warm up while connected will increase your range - the warm up uses line power instead of battery.
Let me clarify this one. To extend your range you should definitely run the climate control to heat/cool the car while it is plugged in. That will use house electricity rather than battery. However, this is not necessary to operate the vehicle as the electric motor(s) and battery require no "warm up" to function properly.
 

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All great questions, a newbie myself, so here is mine, is there a warm up/ pre condition tab or button in the car settings menu? As it seems consensus is to do that even though parked in a garage.
 

JamieGeek

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All great questions, a newbie myself, so here is mine, is there a warm up/ pre condition tab or button in the car settings menu? As it seems consensus is to do that even though parked in a garage.
You can either remote start it with the keyfob, phone app, or program it on the display:
Note at 2:05 in this video:


Ford Mustang Mach-E Stupid questions from EV newbie 1610475124891
 

JamieGeek

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5. Is there any logic to NOT plugging your car in every time you are home? I'm thinking of articles about phone batteries where you are better off letting a phone run to low vs topping off 1-2% after a short trip.
If it's very cold or very hot where you live and work then you might want to get into the habit of plugging in every time you park if you have the ability to do so. This way your car will be able to use shore power to warm or cool the battery if the temps get out of range. This will be possible when plugged in even if you have your car set to a charge schedule for off peak hours.

Another benefit (as already mentioned by others) is that your car can pre-condition the cabin to make you and your passengers more comfortable. That pre-conditioning can happen with a schedule you set or just by remote starting your vehicle (provided you have your climate control set to automatic). If you turn off your climate control as a habit when parking then remote starting your vehicle might not do any good.

Those were all very good questions by the way......
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