Fan noise when charging - normal?

[thesoundsmith]

Yesterday I went to get my 2016 EV+ while it was charging from our Level 2 EVSE. There was a fairly loud fan-like, rushing sound coming from under the hood, like a blower or fan running. Outside temp around 65F, and I have never noticed this before. Normal, issue or who konws?

Thanks.

 

[notfred]

Totally normal. The coolant pump will be running and making some noise, and the fan may be running depending on the ambient temperature.

 

[thesoundsmith]

Thanks. Didn't see a reference in the manual.

 

[Tekguy26]

Just noticed the fan running when I went to check on the car in the hot garage. Didn't see a reference about this in the manual. Does it also turn on a heater during colder months? I think this was what the reserved temperature setting was for.

 

[notfred]

It does have a battery heater that kicks in somewhere below -20C to stop the electrolyte freezing.

The programmable temperature settings are to precondition the car so it is at a nice temperature before you set out. Helps save on the battery when it isn't warming up a freezing car or cooling down a hot one but instead just maintaining the constant temperature.

 

[GizmoEV]

It does have a battery heater that kicks in somewhere below -20C to stop the electrolyte freezing.

Lithium ions will plate out to lithium metal when charging at low temperatures, especially as low as -20C. Plating occurs at warmers temperatures too but not as easily. Fast charging a cold battery is not a good idea. Discharging doesn't have this problem but a -20C Lithium battery doesn't put out energy very quickly. Fortunately, charging/discharging a battery typically does create a little heat.

I certainly hope Kia doesn't wait until the temperature is at or below -20C before the battery heater kicks in.

 

[jstack6]

we live in the HOT Phoenix-Chandler area. The fans runs a lot too keep the battery and controller cool. I never charge in the closed garage or it makes a heat cycle with no outside fresh air. Off Peak after 9 PM is cooler and good for the GRID.

 

[GregBear]

Mine had NEVER done this until today. Plugged in at home, 110, 79% charged. No noise at first but when I checked an hour later, LOUD buzzing, which is the water pump. I unplugged the car, everything stopped. Plugged it back in, the fan slowly ramped up to high speed and after a minute, the HUGE radiator fan came on.. It's not even 70F in my garage and it really shouldn't be getting THAT hot.. Any ideas, and why has it never done this before, even when plugged in and the garage was 85F...

 

[JejuSoul]

The Electric Water Pump (EWP) coming on after one hour charging is totally normal. It will go off again after a few minutes. It comes on when the motor heatsink goes above 47C. Turns off at 35C.

There is a thread with some info about the EWP and previous problems people have had here. - Electric Water Pump

 

[SoulEV2016]

my water pump (liquid waves in the expansion tank) always ON when i plug (even at 1kW).
the water pump is variable in speed, too.

With 5°C, it's littles waves ... i don't have hear the main cooling fan on the front radiator.

ONLY when i schedule a planned temperature WITH Defrost windscreen (it use the A/C, that's why), i hear the cooling fan on the front radiator.

My car is outside.

 

[notfred]

Water pump running when charging (even at 120V) is expected, it needs to circulate coolant through the charger.

When you unplugged it in the middle of it circulating the coolant, it likely heated that bit of coolant in the charger hotter than it would if you had left it running. Now when you plugged it back in then the pump ran again and pumped that hot coolant past a coolant temperature sensor which detected hot coolant that needed the radiator fan to run to cool it down.

I suspect that if you had just left it running then you wouldn't have had the fan run.

 

[garba]

I just leased a 2018 Soul and I am seeing this issue when the car charges in the morning. The temperature outside is around 50F and I don't see any reason for the fan to come on. My Nissan leaf doesn't do this.