Charging below 0c

There is a lot more to charging a battery then just plug it into the wall.

When it comes to recharging lithium-ion batteries, however, there’s one hard and fast rule: to prevent irreversible damage to the battery, don’t charge them when the temperature falls below freezing (0°C or 32°F) without reducing the charge current. Unless your battery management system (BMS) communicates with your charger, and the charger has the ability to react to the data provided, this can be difficult to do.

Well.....that's a fine kettle of fish!!! Something the greenies do not want to hear...

The electric vehicle the way it operates currently will not work for me. 250 to 350 miles between a charge is fine for traveling around the city. Driving from Ohio to Mn Nope not for me. Now. When I can drive 500 miles in between charges. And a charge takes 15 minutes. Or no charging time. Then you got something going. IMO

The new all-electric F-150 claims it can run your home in an emergency. I can't see that working without flipping all the breakers except the livingroom lights maybe.

Might not be long until you pull into and truck stop and they change out the battery with a fresh one. Im not big on the idea but its coming along and the interstate system never happened over night.

doesn't seem very efficient, does it?

If they can make it that easy to swap out the batteries that may well be workable for more. With the prices on the battery now and how long it takes not so much now.

Why a truck stop? Shouldn't it be done at every service station? At the cost of the batteries it would be easy to swap a good battery for one that is towards the end of it's life. Doesn't the Chinese control the biggest source of lithium? There's another red flag.

You can carry extra gas! Not electricity.

Still don’t get it. Wear gloves. Remember to put on pants before you go outside.

To bring this back to everyone’s favorite topic: We can complain about the younger generation and how they are being coddled but we can’t handle a cold car for 5 minutes?

How are you going to keep the windshield clear with no heat source? Cold car for 5 minutes? Where are you going to get the heat from after 5 minutes?

Still not addressed the cold weather charging either. Cold weather charging.

Split vinyl seats and cracked dashboards are pretty good reasons for warming vehicles before driving.

Clark, cold car for 5 minutes? I don't know what kind of car or truck you drive, but all the vehicles I have owned since I got my driver's license in 1973 take considerably longer (at below freezing temps) to warm up than 5 minutes. At some temps we get in the winter it can be a good 20 minutes driving before the vehicle begins to reach a warm temp.
One of the most popular auto ad ones here in Alaska, maybe where you live too, is an auto start. You can start the car from inside your home, office, etc. Some of the things are pretty fancy. Spendy too.
Most people can "handle" a cold car I suspect. The reality is people don't WANT to handle it. I fully understand that. Living in Duluth, I'm surprised you don't!
So,how does the electric car work? An electric car doesn't "start" I assume. Can you go out on a cold Duluth morning and start the heater in the electric car? Do you have to just tough it out and drive off while the heater warms the car while you drive, lowering your total driving time on your fully charged battery?
Clark, you speak like you own an EV.

RV battery charging

Quite biased in the article as they are selling the lithium batteries but does address the charging challenges you will encounter.

Back to the heating of the cabin.Where is the heat to make it more comfortable inside coming from? There is no by product heat available from it running that I have seen mentioned. You are going to have to use your batteries to power the creature comfort. You will also have to use power to keep the windshield clear as well. Some estimates I have read will cut your driving time by as much as 41%.

Charging is going to be a real challenge as after 32f and lower you will have to heat the batter before charging unless you have a heated garage to park in while you charge. Some batteries are now coming with a built in heater but that will demand more power as well.

If you start your car (gas or diesel) and just drive off when it's 20 below you are going to significantly shorten the life of your motor.

Stupid discussion. I warm up my truck because I want to. If you don't, who the (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) cares?

First off, I don’t own an EV. There are just far too many wrong assumptions about them here to keep quiet.

My definition of a cold vs warm vehicle, for the purposes of this conversation, is simply when the temp gauge has moved to the (usually) middle of the temp range and the vehicle is producing warm air through the HVAC system in the cab. I have never owned a vehicle that, when driven at highway speeds, takes more than 5 minutes to warm up. In fact, at work there is a Ford Focus that takes about 1 mile to heat up, it’s quite incredible. This is down to roughly -30F. Beyond that it could well take more.



This is based on your opinion or something the SAE has published?

Kansas Cat - How old of a vehicle are you driving? I haven’t had vinyl seats in a vehicle for decades.

Drifter - Obviously an EV uses battery power to heat the cab and that is why it can do it instantaneously. I think some have settings where the car can defrost windows for a set period of time before you start driving. Almost like a “normal” vehicle!

I see nothing to back YOUR assumptions. I gave you links to what I have said. I am now retired and worked several years in a mine as a maintenance mechanic among other maintenance jobs. It was always accepted you warm up your equipment to operating temperatures before you put it to work. Even in a mine where the temperatures were 65 degrees year round.

When starting equipment in the rock quarry it took much longer then 5 minutes to warm that up especially below 0. Saw several times drivers/operators fired on the spot for revving equipment up that was too cold. The oil doesn't flow right until it is warmed up. There is good reason why in Alaska they have heaters in their trucks that run off LP and they plug them in other then just to get them to start.

You haven't addressed and completely ignored the information about the difficulties of charging the E V batteries below 32 degrees and the decreased range. All I see is a run around the Mulberry bush saying I am right and you are wrong with NOTHING to back it up. Give us facts to back your opinion and change our minds.

Importance of warming an engine

Here is why you should warm an engine.

Just as an example.......not any definitive data..........I have a 2000 Nissan Frontier, 4 cylinder, gas engine. If I need to drive it at 20 below, I have to plug in the block heater for at least two hours. It will start at that point but the temperature gauge will never move off the bottom peg regardless of how long it runs. I suspect a hotter thermostat would change that. But I always let it idle 5-15 minutes prior to driving. I just want to be sure that my oil is warm and circulating.

At 30 below, it won't start... period.

On the other hand I had a 1983 Mazda B200 that would start at 50 below with no pre-heat at all.


Question: when a battery is discharging.....as in an EV in use..........does that battery produce heat at all ?