Battery range or charging issues when outside temp is 100F+

[kjhansen]

I'm considering buying a 2019 e-Golf. The dealers in CA are offering some very good discounts and because of that, I'm willing to accept the 125 mile range. However, the "passive" battery cooling has me concerned.

I own a 2016 Ford Fusion Energy (Plug In Hybrid) and the car is wonderful in most aspects (such as heat pump cabin heating and cooling), except Ford did a REALLY bad job on the forced air cooling of the battery. The hot battery cooling air is expelled inside the trunk, which is where the battery lives. So, the battery gets "cooked" by the hot cooling air.

Out here in Sacramento, CA we can get daytime outside temperatures of 100F+ for a week or more at a time. When this happens my Fusion won't run in battery only mode. I've taken it to the dealer multiple times for this and Ford Corporate says the car is "operating as it properly". Said another way; it is a crappy design.

Has anyone been operating an e-Golf during outside temperatures of 100F+? If so, have you noticed any range degradation due to the heat? If so, how much range degradation?

Also, have you noticed any problems with charging the e-Golf when outside temperatures are 100F+, such as increased charging time due to excessive battery heating causing charging current throttling?

Any experience you can provide concerning this s greatly appreciated.

 

[Sparklebeard]

The battery back in the Fusion is much smaller, so it will heat up faster through charging. I haven't operated my e-Golf in those temperatures (I drove it to Sacramento last fall but the temperatures weren't in the 100s).

From what I've heard from people in Arizona, you probably won't experience any problems with Level 2 charging, though Level 3 charging may be slower and inadvisable in that heat. Its possible that the battery will degrade faster than it would in the Bay Area for example, but even the e-Golves in Arizona seem to be doing well overall, especially compared to the terrible degradation of the LEAF. The warranty on the battery isn't voided if you live in Sacramento temperatures so you will probably be fine. Being mindful of trying to only charge to 80% unless necessary may be able to balance out stress on the battery from heat degradation.

Unless you're commuting 110 miles a day on the freeway and running the battery as hard and fast as possible, you'll probably be ok.

 

[RonDawg]

SoCal can get pretty warm too but I haven't noticed any issues, and compared to the Leaf I used to have, heat-related battery degradation has been less. After almost 4 years I can still get 80 miles per charge on my 2015, something I struggled with on the Leaf after 2.

In high temps I would advise against rapid charging though, but L2 should be OK.

 

[kjhansen]

RonDawg and Sparklebeard; Thank You for the replies!

 

[Image7801]

I live in Metro Phoenix and we just started hitting 100+ (108 yesterday). I have seen no problems so far with my range, charging, performance or anything else. Granted, I park in a garage at home and at work, so it doesn't sit in the sun at all. But the heat from the pavement is pretty extreme. However, no problems yet. As this is my first Summer with the e-Golf, I'll keep an eye on it and see.

 

[JoulesThief]

charge over concrete pads if you can, during hot summer days, or get there early enough when you start charging, that the sun hasn't been beating down on the pavement when you start charging. Or charge in shade, if at all possible, on warm to hot days.

I've not had charging problems at all with level 2 in my 2015 e-Golf SEL. I have been seeing 113 to 119 miles of range on a full charge. 22.5k miles, not really much degradation of battery, and I live in the San Fernando Valley.

The worst thing for your battery is to have a 20% or less state of charge and let the battery sit in the heat. Try to at least get it to 50 to 60% ASAP.

 

[kjhansen]

Update...
I did purchase a 2019 e-Golf and I'm very happy to report I have driven it with the AC set at a comfortable temperature on multiple 100F+ days here in Sacramento with no performance degradation, even going up the steep freeway grade near my home at 65MPH. I noticed the floor above where the battery "lives" doesn't even get warm after such driving or during charging.

Thank you for all your replies, they were very helpful!

Now I'm trying to get the "departure time" and or the "off peak" charging to work. Below is what I have set and the car starts charging as soon as I plug it in even though the timer light is on (inside the charge door). (I'm plunging it in well before 11PM).

Departure time box selected and set to 9:00AM for all days of the week. (With or without the box selected I get the same result).
Off peak time selected and set between 11PM and 8AM. (With or without the box selected I get the same result).
Minimum charge level set to 20%.
Maximum charge level set to 90%.
Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[Sparklebeard]

Congrats on the new car! Really glad to hear its treating you well so far!

You are not the first person to have trouble combining off-peak hours and departure timers, with the end result being "no charging happened". I unfortunately do not have a good solution for you here as I do not have TOU metering so I've never bothered to use that function on the car :?

What kind of EVSE 'charger' are you using? I don't suppose it's a 'smart' one like a JuiceBox that has its own timers and conditional rules that could be clashing with the car's conditional rules? Probably not the case, but its been a problem for others before so its worth mentioning!

Which colour did you pick?

 

[kjhansen]

I bought a white one because they stay cooler during the hot days, plus they "look cleaner" longer and body work is easier to blend in. (Unfortunately, we seem to have a lot of parking lot hit and runs in our area).

I have a Clipper Creek HCS-40 EVSE which leaves all the charge control to the car. I have contacted Clipper Creek and reported others have had the same problems with the e-Golf. They gave me lots of things to try but none worked.

 

[Sparklebeard]

I would try turning off the ‘off peak’ setting and just using a departure timer. Realistically if your departure timer is like 7am, with a 40A EVSE the car will just end up charging off peak anyway.

 

[flyboy320]

From what I recall you can only set one or the other, off peak, or departure time, not both. I guess it's because they can conflict with each other.

 

[manybees]

Off peak time selected and set between 11PM and 8AM. (With or without the box selected I get the same result).

Try setting off peak time to start at midnight. I was told by a VW customer service rep that the off peak timer only works if it's set to start and stop on the same day. I have mine set to settings similar to yours, and it seems to work fine now.

 

[Sparklebeard]

Try setting off peak time to start at midnight. I was told by a VW customer service rep that the off peak timer only works if it's set to start and stop on the same day. I have mine set to settings similar to yours, and it seems to work fine now.

What a terrible design for a feature!!!

This should probably go onto some "Charging Guide" sticky post.