How to Pre Heat or Cool Your Electric Vehicle While It s Charging

What is pre-conditioning?

In the dark days before electric cars, drivers climbing into their vehicles were usually forced to put up with whatever cabin temperature the elements had deigned to create.

In sub-zero conditions it was a case of running the engine and cranking up the heaters, then breaking-out the ice scraper or sitting tight to wait for the thaw. If youd parked in the summer sun, you were effectively climbing into a mobile oven with scolding metal surfaces and an uncomfortable wait until the air-con found its feet. But all this was before the electric car and the marvel of preconditioning.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Quite simply, pre-conditioning is the simple process through which the vehicle can heat or cool itself in advance, either to prepare for a comfortable and prompt departure, or to optimise the battery temperature for charging.

Unlike petrol or diesel cars where the engine needs to be running to generate heat or run the climate control system for cooling, electric cars can be programmed to create the desired cabin or battery temperature, without any of the harmful tailpipe emissions. Whats more, if your car is plugged in at the time, you wont have to sacrifice any range.

There is nothing like emerging from your house into a freezing winter morning to the sound of neighbours hacking away at their frozen windscreens with their credit cards, only to climb into your balmy preconditioned electric car and drive away.

How does preconditioning a car work?

The fact that electric cars have heating and cooling systems that run on power from the battery rather than from an engine opens up a range of possibilities. Owners of electric or plug-in hybrid cars will know that they can set a charging schedule so that the car will draw power to charge its battery at times when the electricity is cheapest. The preconditioning functionality is an extension of this and is available on the majority of modern electric cars.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Using the cars infotainment system or the accompanying smartphone app, its possible to schedule preconditioning ahead of your predicted departure time. The preconditioning system will turn the car on in advance, and begin to heat or cool it as desired.

Alternatively, you can simply turn on the cars climate control remotely when you know youre nearly ready to leave, so that the cabin is at the optimum temperature when you climb into the drivers seat. Youll be amazed at how quickly it functions, too as theres no need to wait for the engine to warm through, your cabin will be toasty warm in a matter of minutes.

Be aware though that there is a distinction between adjusting the climate control in your cars cabin remotely and using a full preconditioning function that also works on the battery. The way in which the system works varies from model to model.

What are the advantages of preconditioning your car?

The obvious advantage to preconditioning is comfort and time saved on winter de-icing, but there are other reasons to precondition your EV that are arguably more beneficial.

It is a fact that electric cars suffer from reduced range in cold weather caused by the extra energy diverted to heating the vehicle for comfort but also by efficiency losses caused by slower chemical reactions in the battery. By preconditioning your cars battery so that its up to temperature before you leave, you can reduce these losses and get the maximum range from your EV.

Preconditioning your car before charging is also good for the long term health of your battery. It means that the battery is at the optimum temperature to accept a charge and this will help preserve the cells as well as delivering more efficient charging. If your battery isnt at the optimum temperature when you plug the car in, you may find it charges slower than expected.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Some electric cars, including the Porsche Taycan will automatically heat or cool their batteries constantly while on the to keep it within the optimum temperature range for the best possible efficiency also allowing it to maintain higher charging speeds, for longer.

To get the best performance when preconditioning a car its important to have a model with a heat pump that can generate the heat needed to warm that cabin and battery more efficiently. Heat pumps are becoming more and more common as standard equipment, but they are still optional on some models and can be a wise investment especially in cooler climates.

Does preconditioning improve an EVs range?

Preconditioning can help your electric car go further on a charge but its really about making the most of the range you have rather than helping your EV go further. Remember that preconditioning as an aid to efficiency depends to a large extent on whether or not the car is plugged in when the system activates.

If the car is plugged in, the preconditioning is done using power from the mains supply and will not draw electricity from the cars battery. If the car is parked on the street, the opposite is true. Youll get a lovely warm cabin to climb into but it will be at the expense of the battery charge used to generate that heat and your range will be reduced. Most cars will not precondition their batteries if the car is not plugged in to a charger ready to charge.

How To Precondition Your EV Battery (For fast charging)

How To Precondition Your EV Battery (For fast charging)

Have your fingers ever been so cold that they can barely move? Most things struggle to work properly in cold temperatures. Your EV battery is no exception. Thats where preconditioning your electric car battery comes in.

In the winter, car windows get icy, and some door handles freeze shut. Preconditioning EV batteries allows for better battery charging and warms your cars cabin. That sounds like a win-win to us.

But what is EV battery preconditioning, and how does it affect your car?

Climatebiz experts design, research, fact-check & edit all work meticulously.

Affiliate Disclaimer

Climatebiz is reader-supported. We may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through links on our site.

What Is EV Battery Preconditioning?

Preconditioning your electric car battery involves warming the batteries up to an optimal temperature before charging them. Pre-heating your batteries preserves energy, increases charging speed, and keeps them healthy.

A study by the Idaho National Laboratoryproved that charging speed decreases by 36% when your battery is cold.

Preconditioning your electric car battery will not increase your mile range. Instead, itll save the power you would have used for climate control. Doing so increases your electrical range.

Why Do EV Batteries Charge Slower In Cold Weather?

Did you know that EV car batteries regulate how much power they can take in? So while a charging station may provide a steady power supply, the car regulates how much power it accepts.

As the temperature drops, the electrochemical process in the batteries slows down causing them to accept less current.

Using a graph called the charging curve, we can see how colder batteries charge slower than batteries at a preconditioned temperature. An electric cars charging curve shows how charging speed changes throughout a charging session.

The ideal temperature of your batteries should be 50F. While anything above 32F is fine, the optimal range is between 46F and 50F.

Its also interesting to note that the temperature of your EV battery doesnt increase its charging performance. In other words, theres no correlation between warmer batteries and an increase in charging time.

For example, a battery at 46F wont charge faster than one at 50F. This is because both the batteries are preconditioned and ready for fast charging.

How Do You Precondition An EV Battery For Fast Charging?

Luckily, setting your electric car up for preconditioning is simple and quick. There are a couple of ways to approach it, mainly through the onboard computer or an app.

You can find the preconditioning settings under settings > vehicle or settings > vehicle > climate control. However, this is a general idea, and it would be best to look up where the controls are for your model.

Alternatively, if your electric vehicle comes with an app, you can find the settings in-app. For example, you can connect theOhme appto your car, allowing it to precondition the battery and cabin.

Or you can always use the EV manufacturers app like the Tesla app orMy Z.Efor Renault models.

Fast Charging

When youre fast charging your car at a DC charging station, your vehicle will automatically precondition. Well, thats if youve turned this setting on. Then, once your batteries are at optimal temperatures, they will begin to charge.

Failing to precondition your batteries while fast charging may damage the cells and decrease the batterys lifespan

Restrictions When Auto-Preconditioning

Youll find that most models will have requirements to adhere to before preconditioning. For example, the Renault Leaf wont precondition if its unplugged and has less than 45% charge left in its battery.

Additionally, many EVs require that you automatically set a departure time to precondition. The cars onboard computer will then calculate how long it needs to precondition. This nifty feature will warm the batteries and charge your car so that youre ready to go.

Will Preconditioning Drain Your Battery?

Preconditioning your electric car battery will not drain it because the process uses power from the grid. Preconditioning allows you to jump in your now-toasty car with a fully charged battery.

Charging your car overnight is perfect for preconditioning. The batteries will use the power from the wall when preconditioning kicks in. Once the batteries are warmed up, the systems will automatically swap the input to the batteries.

But What Happens When Your Car Is Unplugged?

When your EV is unplugged, preconditioning will use power from your battery. But, if you consider that a preconditioned battery will save you charging time and money, its still worth it.

Later, well detail how much preconditioning your electric car battery will save you. But, for now, lets see how many electrical miles youll lose if you precondition your car.

Lets look at the average EV that takes 7.2 kWh per hour to charge. According toTesla, it may take 45 minutes or more for their batteries to reach optimal charging temperatures. So, preconditioning your car will use between 2.3 and 5.4 kWh.

On average,one kWh allows you to travel for 3 miles. This means that preconditioning your car will cost you 6 to 16 miles.

According to consumer reports, in a Nissan Leaf, preconditioning your EV battery will cost you $0.56.

When Should You Precondition Your Electric Car?

If you live in a climate where the temperature drops below 32F, we recommend EV preconditioning.

Leaving your car outside during a cold night or in an unheated garage will cause the battery temperature to drop. In this case, its essential to pre-heat the battery.

When your battery is cold, it uses some of the power from the charging station to warm itself. Because of this, it doesnt charge efficiently, taking longer and using more electricity.

Its also important to note that your battery wont heat up just by driving your car. So at the end of the day, the best way to ensure its heated sufficiently is to precondition your EV.

Can Preconditioning Your EV Battery Save Money?

If youre looking to fast charge your EV, youll most likely use a level 2 charging outlet. You can install these in your home and use them to precondition your EVs battery.

Most money-saving features like regenerative braking dont work if you dont precondition your EV battery. In addition, the maximum charge rate will be limited, and charge speeds will be slower.

When you precondition your cars battery, theres no need for your climate control to be on full blast. When you climb in, the cabin is already at a comfortable temperature. This feature will save electricity that you would have used for your climate control.

Now lets look at how preconditioning your EV battery can save you money while charging your car.

How Much Does It Cost To Charge A Cold Battery?

Please note that these calculations are based on ideal conditions. In the real world, many different factors come into play. Therefore, while these figures might not be 100% accurate, they will be in the same ballpark as the actual amount.

Lets take a look at the GM Chevrolet Bolt. It would take8.3 hoursto charge this EV fully. Additionally, the car uses a charger output of 7.2 kWh.

With the average price of electricity at $0.13 kWh, it would cost $7.76 to charge the GM Chevrolet Bolt fully.

However, cold batteries take 36% longer to charge.

Our new charging time is 11.2 hours. So now it costs you $10.48 to fully charge your car.

How Much Do You Save When You Precondition Your EV Battery?

As previously mentioned, it may take 45 minutes or more for their batteries to reach optimal charging temperatures. We also know that the car cant use more current than it uses for charging.

Using this information, we can carry out some calculations to know how much it costs. Keep in mind that the time for preconditioning will vary depending on the weather and conditions.

Using the same kWh charging rate of $7.2, the GM Chevrolet Bolt only uses 5.2 kWh in 40 minutes.

(45/60) x 7.2 kWh= 5.2 kWh.

Finally, we multiply the kWh by the cost of electricity.

5.2 x $0.13 = cost of preconditioning$0.67 = cost of preconditioning

Money Saved

Sure, preconditioning your car uses $0.67 more than you would have spent. But, it saves you $1.35 to do so. So, you end up with almost a dollar saved in your pocket per day.

Final Thoughts

After reviewing all the facts, its clear that preconditioning your EV batteries is the best option. In addition, manufacturers like Tesla have announced that its safe and enhances battery life. Theyve also gone as far as to automatically precondition your car battery when its plugged in.

There are multiple positive long-term effects of preconditioning your batteries. These include an extended electric range, better battery health, and prolonged lifespan.

If youre wondering if you should precondition your batteries or not, base your decision on the outdoor climate. If the temperature fell below 32F overnight, its probably best practice to precondition your EV.

When youre on the road, it may come down to deciding if you should precondition or not. Do you keep the extra miles or lose them and save money in the long run?

We hope that this article has brought some light on preconditioning EV batteries. If you have any other questions, join our online community of professionals.