Idle before driving in heat?

[gamester5]

I notice when I hit the start button the battery cooler kicks in. Should I wait for a bit before departing to cool the battery slightly? Also, when I get to my destination I can hear the cooler still running for like 10 seconds and then it ramps down. Should I wait for the ramp down or shut down right as I arrive?

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[hturnerfamily]

the truck will already handle it's own needs regardless of it being 'ON' or not... these computers with wheels are pretty smart. No worries - there's nothing you can do to somehow 'damage' or otherwise create negativity with your habits.
The other option is to just simply leave it 'ON'. I almost NEVER turn my truck off when simply traveling, charging, stopping for a break, or even while shopping - it doesn't mind either way - the truck might even LIKE to be left on : )

in over 56,000 miles, I've never once worried about pre-conditioning, or those types of subjects - I just get in and go. I've never seen or experienced any positives or negatives, either way. Nerds will get into the 'depths' of what conditioning 'might' mean, but I think it's generally not any normal everyday issue to be concerned with - it's not something that's going to render 'more miles', and it's not necessarily going to guarantee any faster DC Fast Charging, either... your driving, itself, is already pre-conditioning the battery, if that's any concern.

 

[chl]

I notice when I hit the start button the battery cooler kicks in. Should I wait for a bit before departing to cool the battery slightly? Also, when I get to my destination I can hear the cooler still running for like 10 seconds and then it ramps down. Should I wait for the ramp down or shut down right as I arrive?

It won't hurt to wait a bit to allow the truck to get things to an optimum state for your trip. You could have the truck do that automatically by setting a departure time and having the truck plugged in to you charger while parked so it uses house power for the task.

Anything that mitigates heat will help extend battery life span.

The cooling system of the truck cools the battery AND cools the truck interior, it is all one big cooling system. So the fan may be on because it is cooling the cabin?

Heat is probably the biggest factor in reducing battery life span. So the recommendations are to keep your truck plugged in when parked if temperatures are "extremely" high (or low) so that house electricity is used to maintain the battery temperature most effectively.

Another source of battery heat besides the ambient temperature, is the heat generated when charging or discharging the battery during driving.

So it is recommended that you wait a couple hours after driving before charging your battery to allow it to cool down for better HV battery health.

"Pre-conditioning" (by setting a departure time for example) while plugged into to your home charger will use house electricity and thus less of the HV battery so you have more for your trip.

You won't know what help or harm you have done to your HV battery by following or not following the recommendations for optimum health until the effects are felt when battery health declines resulting in less range for example. EDIT: which will be years in the future.

The HV battery will on average loose between 1% and 2% of capacity per year, just from normal aging.

The battery warranty language does not mention pre-conditioning specifically as I recall, but it does talk about following the guidelines in the manual for HV battery health:

"NOTE: The battery capacity degradation rate will vary based on
various factors, including environmental conditions, and will also
be affected by the way in which the vehicle is used. Following the
recommendations in the Preserving Your High Voltage Battery
section of the Owner’s Manual may help lower the rate of capacity
degradation and optimize battery life."

Probably the most important factor is related to heat: minimize charging to 100% and DC Fast charging.

Leaving the HV battery in a near fully discharged state is also a no-no.

If not using the truck for an extended period of time (weeks), the recommendation is to have the HV battery at or near 50% charged.

Enjoy the truck!

 

[TaxmanHog]

William you need to update your signature...............

To the OP, short and simple, no pre or post drive cooling is needed

 

[chl]

The truck handles "pre or post drive cooling" on its own as needed. That is what the fan coming on when you start the truck is doing, assuming the AC isn't on.

If it's "warm" outside that is normal. I notice the cooling fan coming on high when first starting the truck on "warm" days, like it did today, over 90F here, and/or when using the AC.

My coolant levels are normal and I haven't been driving or charging the truck since yesterday.
So I assume the truck internal battery temperatures are somewhat elevated due to the outside temperature.

In hot weather, pre-cooling the cabin when plugged in vs. pre-cooling when NOT plugged in saves some HV battery energy.

Using house energy instead of HV battery energy for pre-cooling (or pre-heating) the cabin, could indirectly extend battery life.

Why?

Less unnecessary HV battery use could mean fewer charge cycles, and perhaps less deep charging, which equal longer battery life, based on present knowledge. (It could be a small amount depending on how frequently pre-cooling or pre-heating is done.)

"Post drive cooling" of the battery BEFORE recharging (2 to 3 hours) is advisable for battery health, based on present knowledge. Again the truck handles this.

The cooling fan runs for a while after a drive to restore the battery to an optimal temperature, i.e., the truck is doing "post drive cooling" as it should.

 

[gamester5]

Thank you all for some great insight. Learning all i can to preserve battery life over the long run.

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