Cold Weather and Battery Warming System

[FrostyCanada]

Hello guys, we're heading into a cold snap and was wondering how our imiev uses the a/c system to keep the batteries warm?

Has anyone witnessed this in action ... does it run the a/c just to get current flowing through the battery pack which in turn warms the batteries?

I also searched the forum and someone mentioned that it only works when plugged in, but why would we need 4 bars or more for the system to work?

I imagine that the battery warmer works when not plugged-in?

Any feedback would be appreciated,
Brian

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"You cannot charge the main drive lithium-ion battery when the main drive lithium battery temperature is -13F(-25C) or lower.
The air conditioning will automatically operate and the main drive lithium-ion battery will be heated when all the following conditions are met

the main drive lithium-ion battery temperature is between -22F(-30C) and -13F(-25C)
The energy level gauge shows 4 bars or more of full charge.
The electric motor switch is in the lock position.
The regular charge connector is connected to the regular charge port.

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[cdysthe]

We got our iMiEV on Dec 23 heading straight into sub zero temperatures here in Massachusetts. I'm really interested in knowing how to best deal with cold snaps like this. I've come appreciate the remote which lets me pre heat the car but wonder how that affects range and if there's other concerns when the temperature stays this low for days like it looks like it will now.

 

[ChrisEV]

We got our iMiEV on Dec 23 heading straight into sub zero temperatures here in Massachusetts. I'm really interested in knowing how to best deal with cold snaps like this. I've come appreciate the remote which lets me pre heat the car but wonder how that affects range and if there's other concerns when the temperature stays this low for days like it looks like it will now.

Going through my first winter with th car and my wife is beginning to hate it as it’s so cold inside.

Besides charging, plugging in warms the battery which improves your range and charging time. I was in for a shock in my first long trip in the winter how much the range is reduced and how much slower(and more expensive) charging is with a cold battery.

Preheating on L1 in Canada sucks. It barely warms the car up.

My plan for January is to drive to my utility companies offices on the way to work as it’s on the way and they have free L2 chargers and just heat the car up until it’s a furnace and have that last me on the drive to work.

They already take too much of a money as is.

 

[FrostyCanada]

Hello ChrisEV, this will be our third winter with the imiev and it will never get hot like a traditional gas car (never).

We knew the imiev would be cold right from the start of ownership.

Strange as it might seem, but we practiced with our gas car keeping the heating low to simulate how it would be in an imiev. :shock:

Best tips: preheat when possible, get a quality winter coat, and gloves. Plus I use boot warmers which makes driving a lot more comfortable.

The imiev works great if used as intended (short-run city car).

My daily commute is about 70km, and the imiev work great, even at -25c.

Brian

 

[Don]

If I lived where it gets cold, *and* I was thinking of using an iMiEV for my daily driver in all weather conditions, my very first mod would be to install a fuel heater - No question the best 6 or $700 you could spend, hands down! Since the car's heating system uses electricity to heat water, a fuel heater which is many times more efficient is a perfect match for these cars - You use the dash mounted controls to put that heat where you need it and the fan to move it around

http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1248

If you're missing the remote, it's probably gonna cost you nearly that much to get one and all it can do is warm the car before you leave . . . . and if it's freezing or below outside, that preheating is only going to last you 3 or 4 miles

I would have bought one (actually, two) years ago, but with our climate plus the fact that most of our trips are 10 miles or less, we can afford to run the car's heater as much as we need with no danger of not getting back home. I honestly don't understand how you guys in the snow belt get by with these cars in the winter months without auxiliary heat!!

Read Sandage's comments here on the forum about the fuel heater - http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=3916

Don

 

[FrostyCanada]

We got our iMiEV on Dec 23 heading straight into sub zero temperatures here in Massachusetts. I'm really interested in knowing how to best deal with cold snaps like this. I've come appreciate the remote which lets me pre heat the car but wonder how that affects range and if there's other concerns when the temperature stays this low for days like it looks like it will now.

Hello cdysthe, there's a lot of great people on this forum with a ton of winter driving experience.

A quick search might answer some of your question.

I would worry much during the cold except for reduce range.

The imiev ( in my opinion) needs to used regularly even during extreme cold snaps.
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This is how we charge our imiev battery.

* Very cold to extreme colds -10c or colder : during the week, we keep our imiev at 100% (no delay charging) and we charge at work to 100%.

* Regular winter weather -5c (+ / -) : delay charge to 100% to as close to the time we will be leaving in the morning and we charge at work to 100%.

* Warmer winter weather 0c to -5c: delay charge to 100% to as close to the time we will be leaving and no charging at work (except if snow / freezing rain is in the forecast).

* Summer time: only charge to 80%, no charging at work.

* Weekends ( summer / winter): only keep car at 50% and we charge up only as needed.

Brian

 

[FrostyCanada]

Hello Don, I think the diesel heater is unnecessary if the car is used as intended.

This is my humble opinion and I mean no disrespect.

Brian

 

[ChrisEV]

Hello ChrisEV, this will be our third winter with the imiev and it will never get hot like a traditional gas car (never).

We knew the imiev would be cold right from the start of ownership.

Strange as it might seem, but we practiced with our gas car keeping the heating low to simulate how it would be in an imiev. :shock:

Best tips: preheat when possible, get a quality winter coat, and gloves. Plus I use boot warmers which makes driving a lot more comfortable.

The imiev works great if used as intended (short-run city car).

My daily commute is about 70km, and the imiev work great, even at -25c.

Brian

Hi Brian,

I personally have no problem with it. It’s a car mostly to get me to work and back.

But it’s become an errand car on weekends pretty quickly so I’m looking out for the comfort of my passengers.

My wife is from California, she will never tolerate the cold as well as me lol.

 

[cdysthe]

I've now been through a really cold snap with out iMiev. The temperature went down to -11F. We did not have problems keeping the iMiev warm while driving. Well, warm enough at least But the heater seems to be designed for temperatures above 0F. But otherwise the iMiev seemed to like the cold and ice and took us where we needed to go without any problems. Love the remote and pre-heat option.!

 

[Orleans]

This is so old maybe no one will reply, but curious about the comments when the temp goes into negative F. The car worked fine and would have been fine by myself with the heated driver seat, but with guests it got really cold in there, with the air coming out the vents feeling cold. Is that normal when the outside temp is that low? Or do I possibly have an issue with my heater I should get checked out? First winter with it. Thanks!

 

[JoeS]

Orleans, never having seen negative °F with my i-MiEV, I'm not qualified to answer; however, the first thing I would do is plug the car in and activate the heater or defroster for about 15 minutes using the Remote to see if the heater itself is working.

 

[PV1]

I only drove mine once in below 0 F temperatures, and it wasn't pleasant. Heater on Max and just barely staying warm. The car otherwise drove fine, though.

I think the battery heater only ever kicked on once, but I don't know/remember for sure.

To know if the heater is working, the CaniOn Android app will tell you heater temperatures, but you can also turn the fan on low, temperature knob all the way up, and see if the air starts getting warm after about a minute or two. Car will need to be on and READY for the climate controls to actually provide heat or A/C, or you could activate the heater using the remote when plugged in.

With the remote, HEAT runs the fan on low and puts air to the floor. The Defrost setting runs the fan higher with air to the windshield and rear defroster/heated mirrors active.

 

[Orleans]

Oh, that worked! Still hard to keep it warm with the outside temperature so low, but definitely heat coming out of the vents. Thanks!

Now I'm confused about the fan/temp controls, though. Does it not heat if you have the temp on hot and the fan on high at the same time? Is that another weird i-MIEV quirk? And would it not also preheat if you turned the car on and it's still plugged in? Because it doesn't say READY in that case.

 

[PV1]

It's a combination of quirky and underpowered components. The I-MiEV is a bit unique in that the heat and A/C won't work unless READY is lit on the dash or you activate them with the remote.

High heat and high fan speed does produce heat, but at low outside temperatures, the 5 kW heater can't keep up. You can get better performance in really cold temperatures by using the recirculator, but you'll likely need to crack a window open to keep the humidity down. When you can't pre-condition the car, high heat and low fan speed work to get the coolant loop hot at the start, and then increase the fan speed once it's warm to heat up the cabin.

Another option is to press Max. This kicks the heater into a higher power level and should help maintain higher vent temperatures.