Running Hotter Than Normal

[SLTX]

It's no secret we're getting pretty hot especially here in Houston area. I noticed my battery temperature going above the mid marker yesterday which I suppose is expected however the other week, at 99 degrees, it was holding in the middle. The day before that, it was 89 degrees but it was above the mid marker. Anyone else experiencing this kind of backwards readings based on ambient temps? Some days, it makes sense, some days it does not.
I think there's a "radiator" for the battery to keep cool. Is it accessible just by going under the truck? I want to check if there's a plastic bag or something blocking the air flow.

Thank you!

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[K6CCC]

Step one - check your coolant level.
Open Frunk, stand just forward of the charge port and look into the gap between the fender and the frunk tub and you can see the reservoir.

 

[SLTX]

I did. At night and cool, it's just above the cool min line.
A new oddity, today, 118 degrees, it's normal. Went through the car wash, it went up.
W.
T.
H.
?

 

[TaxmanHog]

Look through the louvers in the front of your truck, you'll see the AC condenser, any build up of grass or dirt on it, a thorough flushing with a hose / compressed air might help.

Barring that, there might be issues with the balance & diverter valves in the chiller system.

 

[Grumpy2]

I think there's a "radiator" for the battery to keep cool. Is it accessible just by going under the truck? I want to check if there's a plastic bag or something blocking the air flow.

The heat exchanger is behind the front bumper and can be seen looking thru the openings.

It lays back at an angle to provide all the space in the frunk.

I have no suggestion regarding the readings indicated on the gauge.

 

[DavidS]

This week I got to do 1000 miles over three days in 85-95 degree weather so I had time to get to know all of the changes made since last summer. In normal mode in temps in the mid 80’s or above, the Lightning doesn’t appear to make an effort to lower temps below about halfway between the middle and upper limit. In sport mode, the battery will cool down to the middle mark in 20-30 miles.
I am now seeing 180 kw peak charging hot and up to 192 kw peak charging cold with occasional derating happening coming off of peak boost charge. I’m also getting an unsubstantiated feeling that old V3 (short cord) tend to heat the battery more than V3/4 long cord or Ionna chargers.

 

[kf59]

If you just charged, then your battery is likely to heat up more during hot weather. Especially, DC charging when it’s hot.

 

[dorbi]

I really appreciate that the Lightning exposes battery and motor temps. I like to see the information, even if it's a bit vague. Most EVs just hide all of it, probably because automakers assume drivers are too dumb to be given the information

 

[Flash2025]

Drive in Sport mode, I drive back and forth from Houston to Cameron, LA and I was experiencing the same, then I saw the post here about driving in sport mode, and that solved the problem.

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