Do "solar reflective" car covers help?

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leafdriving

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2017
Messages
12
This last summer (in the SF Bay Area) beat my battery up. It was unusually hot. I have to park outdoors and this year I'll be looking for shade. For the times that I'm unable to find shade, I was wondering if those "solar reflective" car covers on Amazon would help keep the battery temps lower. I know most are cheap and eventually tear but I don't mind as long as they last the summer and actually keep the battery somewhat cooler.

Anyone have a experience with them? Am I better off just hunting shade? Thanks!
 
Shade.
The battery is most affected by the hot pavement, not the hot roof or a hot cabin.

Black asphalt is the worst.
IIRC my measurements last summer, the road outside my home was 20F higher than my dirt driveway.
 
What color is the car? If a light color don't bother with the cover. If it's black or dark red the cover might help a little, but the hot pavement remains a big problem.
 
park on the north side of buildings, under trees or on the grass. Shade is the best. but like a previous poster said.. if your car is black a cover might help.

Heat is also collected in the battery by rapid use and charging. so don't blister your starts and try to charge the car in the WEE hours of the morning, if you can. don't let it sit with 100% charge in hot weather.
 
My leaf is white with black leather. I charge to 80%. I'll charge to 100% about once a month and drive it immediately after it's done. In the summer I only charged at night.
I don't care for the cabin temperature as long as it doesn't affect the battery. Last summer my Leaf spent most of the time on my driveway (concrete but with direct sunlight in the afternoon). It wasn't parked on asphalt but the battery temp bars were usually at 6, a few times it hit 7. I know the bars aren't really helpful but I can't think of anything else than heat that beat it up.

Would placing a large piece of cardboard under the car while parked on the driveway keep the battery cooler? Or should I invest in a tent of some sort to provide shade to the car and driveway? I'm open to any idea.
 
Try to park on one edge of the parking lot. A piece of foam insulation meant for use under house siding might help if placed under the car with the reflective side down...
 
leafdriving said:
My leaf is white with black leather. I charge to 80%. I'll charge to 100% about once a month and drive it immediately after it's done. In the summer I only charged at night.
I don't care for the cabin temperature as long as it doesn't affect the battery. Last summer my Leaf spent most of the time on my driveway (concrete but with direct sunlight in the afternoon). It wasn't parked on asphalt but the battery temp bars were usually at 6, a few times it hit 7. I know the bars aren't really helpful but I can't think of anything else than heat that beat it up.

Would placing a large piece of cardboard under the car while parked on the driveway keep the battery cooler? Or should I invest in a tent of some sort to provide shade to the car and driveway? I'm open to any idea.
Definitely park in the shade whenever possible, but if you have to park in the sun get one or more reflective window screens. I normally aim a car's windshield directly towards the sun (or where it will be late afternoon when the angle is lower and more direct) so that I only need a windshield screen. If you have to park sideways on, then getting some for one side of the car will be helpful. It will definitely keep the inside of the car cooler, and whether or not that high cabin temp significantly affects battery longevity, it will definitely affect the amount of energy expended to cool the interior down to a comfortable level. It may also improve the life of the vehicle interior (dash, seat fabrics etc.), and may also lessen outgassing of any nasty chemicals that might be included in said interior. It's a lot less hassle than a full car cover, although that would be the most effective. A white car already has a high albedo (see https://phys.org/news/2011-10-silver-white-cars-cooler.html ), so it's the windows (and the pavement, as others have noted) that are going to be the main cause of solar heating.
 
DarthPuppy said:
GRA said:
A white car already has a high albedo (see https://phys.org/news/2011-10-silver-white-cars-cooler.html ), so it's the windows (and the pavement, as others have noted) that are going to be the main cause of solar heating.
Cool article. Thanks for posting that. I'm now even happier with my color choices. :cool:
The last three of the four cars I've owned have been silver metallic ;) I like the color, but I really like not coming back to a car parked in open sun and opening the door to an oven (a friend has a black 4Runner, and we tend to alternate which car we take on trips). Even in desert summer the temp difference is noticeable, as is the case if I neglect to use the windshield shade, or park the car without pointing the windshield at the sun.
 
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