Turtle Mode (Cold Weather Warning)

[GarageWarrior2023]

software can always be tweaked, its a matter of telling it to do the right thing.

and I can imagine a 'cold weather battery warmer' tray (optional) could be bolted up underneath, with a little insulation and small amount of heat pulled from batteries to simple 'warmers'.

I could fabricate something in a day with a sheet of 1/8" abs, mylar space blanket, and a 12v blanket if I lived in an area, or was planning a roadtrip thru an area where temps were -xx degrees. Bolt that sucker up right to the battery rails, and keep battery temp up.

I like your thinking, and I had a similar thought. If the heater truly is underpowered in the Mach-E and Heat loss at highway from the battery plate is hard to overcome.....option an insulation plate for extremely cold climates that gets bolted on for winter. it doesn't have to be an active heater just a passive insulator to stop/reduce heat loss. I think this should be provided free of charge to customers who are having issues provided the issue can't be programmed out.

There is a similar aftermarket "cold weather kit" for the model 3 that has a pano roof insulation chunk and an under battery rigid foam insulation component.

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[Ajax]

This is really strange. I spent NYE 2021-22 in northern MN in -10ºF-0ºF temps with very few L2 options, mostly L1 to have enough to get by. Goal on the drive home was to make it to the DCFC about 50 miles away. I had no problems maintaining speed and acceleration well below 10% (I think we arrived with 4 or 5% SOC), so this seems like a recent and unwelcome change. As others have said, I get limiting acceleration, but slowing highway speeds at 30% seems excessive. I no longer live in Minnesota so I don't expect to see this issue, but glad it wasn't an issue for the last few years when we were there.

 

[ArthurDOB]

do you have any idea if the yellow/red turtle modes were introduced with 6.x update?

I am still running on 4.3.4 which indicated in release notes that it had enhanced battery pre-heat functionality; but n real details on what that meant. I recently took a trip, and my car was outside multiple nights.... and the last night on my trip home I was below 30% multiple times at highway speed in temps around 25-35F; no turtles showed up thank god because I did not have a charger within miles.

I think this is only a concern for people who are driving in single-digit temps above 0F or sub-zero temps F. 25-35F is not an issue. I don't think you gave cause for concern at those temps.

 

[Mach-Lee]

I like your thinking, and I had a similar thought. If the heater truly is underpowered in the Mach-E and Heat loss at highway from the battery plate is hard to overcome.....option an insulation plate for extremely cold climates that gets bolted on for winter. it doesn't have to be an active heater just a passive insulator to stop/reduce heat loss. I think this should be provided free of charge to customers who are having issues provided the issue can't be programmed out.

There is a similar aftermarket "cold weather kit" for the model 3 that has a pano roof insulation chunk and an under battery rigid foam insulation component.

I was already thinking about this, 1/2” rigid foam on the underside of the pack since it’s not insulated. Attachment will be difficult due to uneven surfaces. Can’t trap water. Ideally removable.

This is really strange. I spent NYE 2021-22 in northern MN with very few L2 options, mostly L1 to have enough to get by. Goal on the drive home was to make it to the DCFC about 50 miles away. I had no problems maintaining speed and acceleration well below 10% (I think we arrived with 4 or 5% SOC), so this seems like a recent and unwelcome change. As others have said, I get limiting acceleration, but slowing highway speeds at 30% seems excessive. I no longer live in Minnesota so I don't expect to see this issue, but glad it wasn't an issue for the last few years when we were there.

Those were the good ol’ days…

 

[ArthurDOB]

Yes I agree, it can become a bit of a potential safety issue. luckily the reduction happens after warnings and the reduction is very gradual...but a very unsettling feeling for sure.

We live in the mid-continent and I think this is a concern for us, but the person you replied to lives in Texas and is not going to experience the weather you and I do.

 

[dtbaker61]

I think this is only a concern for people who are driving in single-digit temps above 0F or sub-zero temps F. 25-35F is not an issue. I don't think you gave cause for concern at those temps.

I'd like official numbers from @Ford Motor Company on what the temps are, and what the internal heating algorithm is on how the turtle mode kicks in so I can adjust on my next cold weather trip.

 

[GarageWarrior2023]

This is really strange. I spent NYE 2021-22 in northern MN with very few L2 options, mostly L1 to have enough to get by. Goal on the drive home was to make it to the DCFC about 50 miles away. I had no problems maintaining speed and acceleration well below 10% (I think we arrived with 4 or 5% SOC), so this seems like a recent and unwelcome change. As others have said, I get limiting acceleration, but slowing highway speeds at 30% seems excessive. I no longer live in Minnesota so I don't expect to see this issue, but glad it wasn't an issue for the last few years when we were there.

Thanks for confirming this, it's sounding more and more like there were changes made......What you describe your experience being was exactly what I would have expected and I would have been happy with that experience.......but what I got was such a terrible user experience past 30%SOC.....it was so unsafe and unsettling......

 

[TheSteelRider]

Kyle Conner to answer the hard questions !!!

 

[Timelessblur]

Is this a new battery protection strategy enabled by a recent update? I don't recall it being this severe previously, although I don't take my SoC that low in winter temps, typically.

It would be a stack of things going on here.
Like what was the state of charge when the car was first turned on, how long had it been on and so on or was this a full charge battery with a long haul running time as just wondering how hard the car's heater is working to warm the battery up and given time to heat it up.
Remember these are pretty big battery packs that take a lot of engery to heat up and it depends how cold soak they are.

Still good to know how it is all set up and behaves I do want to know the state of things so we have a good idea where this all kicks in.

 

[GarageWarrior2023]

I was already thinking about this, 1/2” rigid foam on the underside of the pack since it’s not insulated. Attachment will be difficult due to uneven surfaces. Can’t trap water. Ideally removable.



Those were the good ol’ days…

Ya, for the 1/2" foam, this is where an official Ford part would be ideal, it could be contour molded foam to make a full contact fit. Again ideally bolt on. The after market kit for the model 3 makes me nervous haha...if I recall, it was just like adhesive or double sided tape or something.

I would LOVE to see the difference in cold weather performance. this would solve the insufficient heater issue because it wouldn't be losing heat to the battery plate on the highway, and it s the cabin would heat easier. and then with reduced heat requirement you should see significant range improvement in extreme cold. It sounds like a strong win to me.

 

[Mach-Lee]

So driving to work - parking the car outside for 8 hours at -5F. Should I be preconditioning the car for departure at 5 pm even though it’s not on a charger? Or just remote start the car and drive away?

I have 70% battery. Trying to understand the best approach. My drive will be 25 min.

Preconditioning won’t heat the battery unplugged. Remote start for 15-30 mins is all you can really do in that situation. You’ll be fine since you’re not draining down the battery below 30%.

 

[ArthurDOB]

I'd like official numbers from @Ford Motor Company on what the temps are, and what the internal heating algorithm is on how the turtle mode kicks in so I can adjust on my next cold weather trip.

Hey, I live in Minnesota and have been driving around in temperatures from the low 40sF down to the mid-teens for weeks now with no problems. The turtle and I have yet to make acquaintance.

Each person's sense of cold is relative. I don't even think about temperatures from about 28F to 40F as even being "cold" in the sense that I might need to worry about my HV battery temperature or even to precondition in the mornings. I only started plugging in daily and preconditioning this weekend when the temps got down to the single digits here in the Twin Cities area.

The amount of apparent panic on this thread is a mystery to me, and most of it seems to be coming from people who live in places where it gets nowhere near as cold as it does where I live. Yes, we are experiencing an unusual cold snap, but I don't think anyone is going to get stranded if they are keeping their car plugged in and/or are preconditioning before taking longer trips.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Hey, I live in Minnesota and have been driving around in temperatures from the low 40sF down to the mid-teens for weeks now with no problems. The turtle and I have yet to make acquaintance.

Each person's sense of cold is relative. I don't even think about temperatures from about 28F to 40F as even being "cold" in the sense that I might need to worry about my HV battery temperature or even to precondition in the mornings. I only started plugging in daily and preconditioning this weekend when the temps got down to the single digits here in the Twin Cities area.

The amount of apparent panic on this thread is a mystery to me, and most of it seems to be coming from people who live in places where it gets nowhere near as cold as it does where I live. Yes, we are experiencing an unusual cold snap, but I don't think anyone is going to get stranded if they are keeping their car plugged in and/or are preconditioning before taking longer trips.

I added clarification to the OP that Turtle mode is really only a concern in below 0F temps and with battery less than 30%. Everyone else needn’t worry.

 

[ArthurDOB]

I added clarification to the OP that Turtle mode is really only a concern in below 0F temps and with battery less than 30%. Everyone else needn’t worry.

Exactly! Thanks for all the cold-weather tips, by the way. I swear by them!

 

[music_cities]

If the heater truly is underpowered in the Mach-E and Heat loss at highway from the battery plate is hard to overcome.....option an insulation plate for extremely cold climates that gets bolted on for winter.

A lot cheaper and easier is to buy a 12V heated blanked at Canadian Tire and drape it over the laps of the driver and passenger. Buy another one for the back seat if you have passengers back there. They are $Cad49 each at Canadian Tire. Plus, you can use them as a regular blanket outside of the car.

If you put the insulation over the battery, instead of over the passengers, you can't take that insulation into the ski cabin, or take it with you when your friend is driving a different car and you're a passenger. Plus the Can Tire one is a really nice red plaid that looks pretty sweet with the GT interior trim. I doubt they make a battery insulation plate in red plaid.

On a side note, I've seen a lot of ICE cars this last week with cardboard in front of the rad! That takes me back.

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