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Peter P

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Saw this great writeup and discussion at sister site macheforum.com

All credit goes to @mach-lee
______________________

As most of the US will be baked with a heat wave of 100ºF+ temps in the next few days, it's important to remember a few tips for battery health:
  • Set a charge schedule so your car only charges at night (10 PM - 8 AM recommended), do not charge during the heat of the day.
  • Keep battery charged between 15-85%, do not charge to 100% unless absolutely necessary. Very high or low charge levels put more stress on the pack in extreme heat.
  • Park in the shade as much as possible. I recommend window shades or ceramic tint.
  • Consider leaving the vehicle on while you go into a store (take all keys with you and be sure the doors lock). Vehicle will not shift from park without a key present, and will shut off after 30 minutes.
  • Plug in as soon as you arrive at your destination so the battery pack can cool itself with shore power if necessary.
  • Ventilate your garage in hot weather so the heat can escape rather than building up inside, especially while charging. Charge outside if temps are cooler.
  • If you leave at a regular time, set a departure time (different than remote start) so your battery pack can cool before driving.
  • Departure time cools the battery pack, unlike remote start which is focused on cabin cooling.
  • Drive conservatively, using less regen is advised in hot weather to reduce pack heating (Whisper mode uses less regen).
  • Avoid DC fast charging if possible.
  • Consider reducing your EVSE charge rate setting to 32A or less to reduce charger heat load if you desire less fan noise or have charging errors.
  • Do not set climate temp below 70ºF and use recirculation mode in extreme heat/humidity to reduce cabin cooling demand (leaves more capacity for pack cooling).
  • Expect that your Ford Mobile Charger may start to have charging issues (amber light) in the heat due to a poor thermal design, using an aftermarket wall-mounted EVSE is recommended.
  • Some features may be unavailable (BlueCruise) and performance may be limited in extreme temps.
High temperatures of greater than 40ºC/104ºF can degrade the lithium battery pack, especially if it is accepting charge (charging or regen). The Mach-E pack is liquid cooled, with an integrated chiller that uses the A/C compressor. Both the cabin and the pack are cooled by the A/C compressor. Plugging in allows the pack to be cooled with shore power when parked, it will not cool itself while the car is parked unplugged (to avoid draining the battery).

If you have poor connections or faulty charging equipment, it will show up in the heat. Charging errors should be investigated. Feel all cords and plugs for hotness after the car has been charging a while. Anything hot enough to burn you is a red flag. Bad connections may be solved by replacing faulty receptacles, plugs, the charging port, J1772 handle, or the EVSE itself depending on the problem.

The Mach-E was designed to handle the Arizona heat (≤122ºF) provided some pack cooling precautions are taken such as plugging in. You will see a warning about plugging in during extreme temps. Keeping the pack cooler will prolong its life. The battery cells prefer a temperature range similar to humans, around 75ºF is optimal.

Avoid charging during peak demand/heat during the day (unless you have solar), 4-7 PM is the worst possible time to charge during a heat wave because that's when the electrical grid is already at its limits with A/C loads. Charging during peak demand puts more stress on the grid and costs the most money. It's important to understand that electricity used during a peak time may cost your utility 100x more than the normal rate. Therefore it's important that everyone with an EV tries to charge at night when power is cheap and abundant, otherwise the costs will be passed on to us in the form of rate hikes. This applies even if you have a fixed kWh rate all day long, your fixed rate will increase if too many people in your city charge their EVs at the wrong times regardless of rate structure. Overloading and overheating your neighborhood transformer may also be a concern charging at a peak time. Allowing the pack to rest for several hours after driving and charging when the temps are cooler outside is better for the pack as well.

Other tips/tricks are welcome.
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jefro

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Battery care is like any sort of concern for this expensive part. Like a gas motor you'd have articles on how to maintain.

I keep my car plugged in but not set to charge during the day. My electric company provides super pricing at night so I try to only charge in sweet spot. The rest of the time the car will heat or cool battery as needed. Yes, on a hot day the meter will spin up when car wants power to cool battery.
 

F150ROD

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I won't really disagree with what you are saying, but there really is no problem with charging during the heat of the day IF your pack is being cooled properly.

As you are driving, and the pack is cooled properly, regen is really not a problem.

Why are there suddenly so many threads on battery pack care?
Agreed 100%
 

TheRealDlo

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I live in CA and it often is above 100. Luckily during the days I do park in a parking garage.
 

metroshot

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Sorry, I am not sold on any of the points listed.

It's not practical to follow any of the points listed for me living in the hot desert southwest.

Plus Ford has already tested these items in an actual hot environment or lab.

Having had a PHEV and never having an issue in high temps - those points are meaningless to me.

For me it's sort of a way to baby your EV unnecessarily.

Ford trucks are built tough and EV is no different IMO.
 

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shutterbug

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It's not practical to follow any of the points listed for me living in the hot desert southwest.
Really?! Not any of them? Not even the 1st one about charging at night, rather than middle of the day?
Having had a PHEV and never having an issue in high temps - those points are meaningless to me.
You are not the only person on the planet that owned a PHEV. When I had my CMAX while living in "hot desert southwest" that is actually hot, I remember many days when the EV part would simply give up and just rely on the ICE engine. Full EVs don't have that to fall back on. During a heat wave last year, a coworker's Tesla turned off A/C and went into turtle mode. Not a lot of fun driving without A/C when the pavement radiates 150 degree heat. Several MME owners experienced similar problems and documented them on the MME forum. Last week I had to do airport pick-up and the ambient temperature there was 126 (official temp was 106). Every time I shifted into park, the car told me that it really would like to be plugged in. And that wasn't even the hottest time that day.
 

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Sounds like ordering the max tow package may be worthwhile if living in the desert, even if you're not towing.
 

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Goose2

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Keep an eye on your gauges. They should tell you all you need
 

metroshot

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Really?! Not any of them? Not even the 1st one about charging at night, rather than middle of the day?

You are not the only person on the planet that owned a PHEV. When I had my CMAX while living in "hot desert southwest" that is actually hot, I remember many days when the EV part would simply give up and just rely on the ICE engine. Full EVs don't have that to fall back on. During a heat wave last year, a coworker's Tesla turned off A/C and went into turtle mode. Not a lot of fun driving without A/C when the pavement radiates 150 degree heat. Several MME owners experienced similar problems and documented them on the MME forum. Last week I had to do airport pick-up and the ambient temperature there was 126 (official temp was 106). Every time I shifted into park, the car told me that it really would like to be plugged in. And that wasn't even the hottest time that day.
Yes, really.
I can't charge at night due to HOA rules.
Can only charge between 6am - 9pm.

As for my PHEV it never gave up under any circumstances.
It's not a Tesla - just a plain Honda Clarity PHEV.
Always running EV.
Rarely run ICE.
 

Whammy Bar

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Yes, really.
I can't charge at night due to HOA rules.
Can only charge between 6am - 9pm.

As for my PHEV it never gave up under any circumstances.
It's not a Tesla - just a plain Honda Clarity PHEV.
Always running EV.
Rarely run ICE.
I'd love to read those CC&Rs from your HOA. They sound hilarious.
 

shutterbug

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I can't charge at night due to HOA rules.
Can only charge between 6am - 9pm.
So, some of the obvious questions are:
  • How does HOA know what happens in your garage?
  • Do they control when you run your washer/drier? TV? Toaster?
  • Why would they insist that you use more electricity during peak usage time?
  • What kinds of perks do you get, that you would put up living with condo Nazis like that?
  • Does your utility or utility regulator know about this bizarro rule?
As for my PHEV it never gave up under any circumstances.
That's because you don't live in a place that's very hot. If I lived in a place with a mild climate, the heat wouldn't bother me either.
 

metroshot

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I'd love to read those CC&Rs from your HOA. They sound hilarious.
Truck won't fit in the garage (lengthwise).
Charging in front - sideways blocking both single garage doors.
Can't charge overnight per HOA rules outside garage after 10pm.
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