How long till a thermal battery management mod?

[DougWantsALeaf]

When driving home from Kansas to Chicago in 40-50F weather, the temp difference between top and bottom of pack was north of 15F at times. My belief is that given the large surface area under the car and heat rising, that if you could improve airflow over the pack, it might be enough for most long distance travel needs (in sub 95F weather), especially if pack size was moved up to 80kWh as this would extend time between charges.

 

[WetEV]

Long term, I'd hope that there are cars without thermal battery management.

Simpler, more robust.

 

[SageBrush]

Long term, I'd hope that there are cars without thermal battery management.
Simpler, more robust.

And limited to 70 kW charging. That is the Achilles' heel, once everything else is 'solved.'

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

If you believe the new Graphene approaches are close to market, thermal mgmt is not for from forgotten.

https://youtu.be/Qsop30N3PvE

 

[WetEV]

Long term, I'd hope that there are cars without thermal battery management.
Simpler, more robust.

And limited to 70 kW charging. That is the Achilles' heel, once everything else is 'solved.'

Why 70 kW? Seems like an odd number to pick...


Commuting car rarely needs high charging rate, as home/workplace should handle any reasonable sized battery.

AND

While there might be limits to number/rate of charges, especially on hot days, there also might not. The issue is how much does the battery cool between charges when driven at a reasonable rate? My 2014 LEAF battery stayed at a reasonable temperature on the longest trip I took, 4 DCQCs and a hour long L2, as most of the driving was at 60MPH or less, and the OAT was about 5C/ 40F.

Don't expect a passively cooled battery to do laps at full speed round the 'ring, of course.

 

[GerryAZ]

I am probably in the minority, but I much prefer the simplicity, reliability, and lower energy from the wall consumption of the LEAF's air-cooled battery system. I might buy an EV with active battery cooling in the future in the form of a truck or SUV capable of long-distance towing, but the LEAF SL Plus is ideal for my present use patterns. I would never consider a modification to add thermal management because I have no thermal problems with the present OEM battery system.

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

After doing 2, 580 mile days in our Plus, I am much less concerned/worried about liquid thermal mgmt.

 

[knightmb]

After doing 2, 580 mile days in our Plus, I am much less concerned/worried about liquid thermal mgmt.

I have to agree, I did several +600 mile trips last year and my guess is the 50 kW charging rate at most QC must be the sweet spot for the 62 kWh pack temperature wise.

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Yep. On my way out, I didn't throttle until my 4th stop..and the 3rd was a 150 or 200amp charger. Stock to 50kW chargers for the road trips if you can.

The 100kW chargers are great if you only need an extra 1/2 tank to get to your destination, or ~300mile trips.