Vehicle: Car: Battery
EV Battery Heater   (+1, -1)  [vote for, against]
Keeps the battery at a minimum temperature

In recent winter months various EV owners discovered that if their battery got too cold the charging station software would refuse to charge it. While many EV vehicles have a battery heating function the driver must remember to activate it prior to cold weather charging and while there is still sufficient voltage available.

If a scrap of nuclear waste were encapsulated in steel one would have a source of perpetual* heat, a hot marble. An antifreeze solution containing a hot marble and irrigated through channels throughout the battery pack via a small pump would keep the battery at a minimum temperature, suitable for charging even in the dead of winter. A heat sink might be used to mitigate excessive temps in really hot weather, perhaps there is already a system in use.

* the half-life of, say, Cs-137 is about 30 years
-- whatrock, Apr 30 2024

Or we could just spoof the sensors with an adapter that plugs in between the battery and the charger and gives a fake temperature reading?

Is there a legitimate safety reason chargers refuse to charge cold batteries or is it just a design fault in the chargers?
-- Skewed, Apr 30 2024


Just did a search for //why won't cold batteries charge?// [a1] and got this back in the top hit.

//cold temperatures cause fluids to flow more slowly. So, the electrolytes in batteries slow and thicken in the cold .. can prevent the lithium ions from properly inserting// etc.

So it's a physical properties issue? a spoofer won't fix, they physically can't charge if they're too cold, rather than the charger won't charge them, there's no sensors (causing it) to spoof.
-- Skewed, Apr 30 2024


I assume this is at public chargers where they want to charge at maximum rates, because I don't see why a home charger couldn't just start at low power until the battery warms up.

At commercial chargers, you could offer a separate parking space with infra red heat lamps (or a box of chickens) to warm the underside of the car.
-- marklar, May 02 2024


Just not feelin it, sorry. [-]
-- Voice, May 02 2024



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