I know that EV range is much less impacted in very hot versus very cold weather. But with respect to the Clarity: Will the Clarity cool the battery when needed, even when the car is off? If not: 1. If the car is plugged in 120V/240V and preconditioning is started in hot weather, will the battery cool? 2. As (1) above, if the car is not plugged in? Is there a difference between 120V vs 240V? 3. If besides comfort, the principal benefit of preconditioning in hot weather is to reduce potential battery damage, will this really take place given that the car may already be sitting in hot weather for a number of hours? Does more damage occur when the battery is in use/while driving vs sitting? Guessing, I would say a well designed system will protect the battery in any temperature extreme, with or without preconditioning, hot or cold. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
The car has a fully independent battery cooling system that runs as needed. You should hear it running frequently while charging on hot days. Fans and coolant pumps are clicking and whirring periodically. Preconditioning is 100% a personal comfort benefit for the interior of the cabin. The process provides no benefit to battery cooling. The car knows what to do to cool the battery, and will do so as needed with no user input.
^^^ Past week temps in the 90+ degree days, after plugging her in, the fans are running to keep the battery cool. Gotta love this car that is so smart - it knows how to take care of herself! I don't pre-condition as it charges in a garage.
The garage is cool in the morning and don't need to cool down the cabin prior to driving her. No need to pull more watts from the house - don't need the higher bill. I also prefer not to use the A/C if at all possible due to the dry air (chronic nasal condition) and that sour / musty odor that accumulates over time. Using the windows rolled down gives the best cooling unless the temps go over 100 degrees.....
You could probably get by with that in the typical low humidity you have in your area. Here in Okla, humidity levels are oppressive with all the rain we have received, so I am popping on that A/C every time I'm in the car. Fortunately, electricity is relatively cheap (.11 cents per KWh) so I don't mind using a bit extra to precondition my car before hopping in.
