Winter is Coming!

[mysoulev]

The next test is cold days at -20C

i wonder how well the heatpump works at -20c?
or does the SoulEV have a separate heating element for super cold condition?

 

[notfred]

It has heating elements as well as the heat pump. I think I've heard the heat pump running at -20C, but that was last winter so not entirely sure.

When it is working as a heat pump then the system is taking the heat from the coolant that goes through the high power electronics so the air temperature doesn't matter really, it's all about the coolant temperature and that depends on how hard you drive it.

 

[SoulEV2016]

the pump system have a ramping power ... you have surely notice this.
when your car is cold, the heat not operate immediatly but after 30 seconds for example.

But, for the -20°C ... not problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nvcx2OxpeI

 

[JejuSoul]

We also had a discussion about the battery heater last winter. There is still a lot of uncertainty about when the battery heater will come on. At what temperature, -20C ? And does the car need to be plugged in? All quotes from the thread Re: Battery degradation

High Voltage Battery Warmer System
The high voltage battery warmer system prevents reduction of battery output when battery temperature is low. If the charging connector is connected, the warmer system automatically operate according to the battery temperature. Charging time may shorten compare to vehicles without the high voltage battery warmer system. But, electricity charge may increase because of high voltage battery warmer system operation. The high voltage battery warmer system operates when the charging connector is connected to the vehicle. However, the high voltage warmer system may not operate when battery temperature drops below -31°F (-35°C)

I believe I saw this activated at -20C.. take this with a pinch of salt though, as I'm not 100% certain since we didn't have too many days below -20C, and I wasn't about to sit in a cold car to find out

I think the leaf battery warmer kicks in at -21C and out at -5C. I've seen one day here where the temperature during the day was below -25C and my SoulEV lost 10kms of range sitting in the car park at work.

My logger has recorded one occasion when the battery heater operated in my car. It was at work in the evening and the car had been plugged in for a few hours at below -20C, just waiting for the pre-heating timer. The log shows that some of the 8 battery modules were at -1C, and the two heater temp sensor values increased from 0C to 18C in 8 minutes, at the same time all battery temps slowly got to or above 0C.

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I am also currently discussing this topic on the Ioniq EV Forum. - Re: 1750km Test Drive in Ioniq Electric

This is what they say at the Dutch Website for the Ioniq EV; see Hyundai Nederland

BATTERY CONDITIONING
The integrated heating system brings the battery at the ideal temperature for efficient charging and maximum range in cold conditions.

 

[JejuSoul]

Anyone want to help me understand the following data -

Taken from the avt website - https://avt.inl.gov/fuel-type/electric
This data is an average of 4 cars Chademo charging from 8% to 80% at different ambient temperatures

1/ Infographic - DC Fast Charging at Different Temperatures - 2013 Nissan Leaf

2/ Infographic - DC Fast Charging at Different Temperatures - 2015 Kia Soul

BCCS is the Battery Climate Control System. The Nissan Leaf does not have any hence n/a. The Soul EV has a battery fan that comes on at 30C to cool the pack. Higher speed of fan at higher temperatures. At 25C there will be no fan at all until the pack has warmed up because of the charging. After that the fan will keep the pack from getting much hotter. At 50C the fan will work hard the whole time. It seems the Soul EV also heats the pack at lower temperatures to improve charging.

The Soul EV will charge much faster at lower temperatures compared to a Nissan Leaf. I am assuming this is because of a battery heater. Is this correct? Or is this just about different battery chemistries.
Why does the Leaf do so much worse in the cold? Any Leaf owners care to explain.

Have also seen a discussion on the Norwegian Forum where they talk about how some imported Soul EVs do not have heat pump / battery heater.
They state - "These vehicles lacking heat pump and the battery heater, yield inferior range and longer charging times in the winter."