I have a 2012 SL, I've read that it has a built in battery warmer that draws 300 watts to keep the battery from freezing. Wish it would keep the battery warm enough to keep range and regen up. Why wasn't that done? Anyone hack it yet? Seems like it'd be a good thing for the battery to be kept above 50 f whilst plugged in, if not 70. Doesn't seem like that'd be likely to make an appreciable difference on the power bill, but it'd help with the range / climate control.
Battery warmer
- Thread starter clayton72
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RegGuheert
Well-known member
My best guess is that it wasn't done because too many people would end up dead batteries because of the 300W heaters coming on at temperatures which are normal in the wintertime but not harmful to the battery.clayton72 said:
The Tesla Model S originally had the battery heater come on at 20F, which caused more than a bit of angst for some. I don't know if they have changed that, yet.
TomT
Well-known member
The battery heater is designed, primarily, to keep the battery from freezing and being damaged. It was not intended to improve range or battery capacity except as a secondary result at those very low temps where it will come on.
RegGuheert said:
dgpcolorado
Well-known member
Add to that the fact that just charging and driving the car warms the battery so that it is normally well above ambient temperature in cold weather when charged and driven regularly.RegGuheert said:
However, like the OP, I've long thought that it would be nice if the battery warmers could be user controlled to get the battery up to 0ºC or so in very cold weather. That ought not to be so warm that it affects degradation much even for cells next to the heater elements.
But the plain fact is that range decreases in winter conditions and that should be factored into any purchase decision. As with other limitations of the LEAF, this problem would be less important with increased battery size and range. For a version 1.0 EV, the LEAF works pretty well in winter conditions; it just has reduced range, as expected, from chemistry (battery) and physics (increased drag and reduced traction efficiency due to snow).
TonyWilliams
Well-known member
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=335675#p335675" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Good work. 300 watts might keep a well insulated pack warm. Be sure and get the "LEAF Spy" app for Android and the $20 ELM327 Bluetooth plug so that you can see that ACTUAL temperature in the battery.
Be careful with any insulation that can hold water and cause corrosion. I would probably only recommend styrofoam that was glued/bonded directly to the metal battery case and over the heating pads.
That thermal switch is NOT satisfactory, as it can't measure the temperature of the metal battery case. You need a thermostat that can bond directly to the battery case, is NC (normally closed) and can handle at least the 2.5 amps at 120 volts. I recommend not letting the metal case get hotter than about 30C. Here's a good place to look:
http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?pv130=14&pv735=3&FV=fff4001e%2Cfff8011b&k=thermal+switch&mnonly=0&newproducts=0&ColumnSort=0&page=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=25" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/r53-series/6417?mpart=CS703025Y&vendor=317&WT.z_ref_page_type=PS&WT.z_ref_page_sub_type=PD&WT.z_ref_page_id=PD&WT.z_ref_page_event=DC_Link_Table" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Cantherm R53-CS-7S can handle 10 amps, is set at 30C degrees, is Normally Closed (NC), and has automatic function with 100,000 switch lifespan.
If you have questions about this, or other choices, I'd write or call Digikey:
techs@digikey daught com
Yvesm said:
Good work. 300 watts might keep a well insulated pack warm. Be sure and get the "LEAF Spy" app for Android and the $20 ELM327 Bluetooth plug so that you can see that ACTUAL temperature in the battery.
Be careful with any insulation that can hold water and cause corrosion. I would probably only recommend styrofoam that was glued/bonded directly to the metal battery case and over the heating pads.
That thermal switch is NOT satisfactory, as it can't measure the temperature of the metal battery case. You need a thermostat that can bond directly to the battery case, is NC (normally closed) and can handle at least the 2.5 amps at 120 volts. I recommend not letting the metal case get hotter than about 30C. Here's a good place to look:
http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?pv130=14&pv735=3&FV=fff4001e%2Cfff8011b&k=thermal+switch&mnonly=0&newproducts=0&ColumnSort=0&page=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=25" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/r53-series/6417?mpart=CS703025Y&vendor=317&WT.z_ref_page_type=PS&WT.z_ref_page_sub_type=PD&WT.z_ref_page_id=PD&WT.z_ref_page_event=DC_Link_Table" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Cantherm R53-CS-7S can handle 10 amps, is set at 30C degrees, is Normally Closed (NC), and has automatic function with 100,000 switch lifespan.
If you have questions about this, or other choices, I'd write or call Digikey:
techs@digikey daught com
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