Is there a too HOT? Protect Clarity Traction Bat.- Clarity storage for a week

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Dan Albrich

Well-Known Member
Living in western Oregon, this is kind of a non-issue for us. However, I notice during the like one week a year it gets hot and stays hot, my Clarity plugged into 240v in my garage will cool itself. The car makes the 'grrrr' sound for awhile, then shuts off on its own. i.e. protecting the traction battery from getting too hot.

So my wife and I want to visit her dad, and he lives in the Tucson area. We have a complicated work schedule and also need to have a pet sitter, so we were thinking to do something this summer, in the super-hot time for Tucson.

Last time we visited, the car had to stay in his garage the whole time due to HOA rules and he drove us around in his vehicle. But the car sat in the garage unplugged. No matter, and it wasn't hot.

But... if Clarity sits for one week with say 1/2 full battery and not plugged in, in a garage that never really goes below 80 degrees F, is that hard on the traction battery? i.e. will it likely run out juice to self-cool?
Would be any help to the above situation if I can plugin the level 1 charger during this time? Is that the answer?

The reason I ask is while I know how scheduled climate control works with level 1 and level 2, I have no idea what the car really needs to protect he battery. That function is a bit opaque to me. Also if someone knows that say 2/3 charged battery has more than enough power to keep the traction battery cool under these circumstances that would be good to know.

-Dan

PS: I did try and search the forums, but didn't get a direct hit on this question.
 
Don't worry about it. It's not going to spontaneously combust, nor drain the battery.

Active cooling is only needed when heat is generated from charging, or when driving to keep within sane efficiency.
 
What i did in arizona when it was 105 degrees plus was keep plugged in to level 1. Start out with full charge. At the hot part of the day i would turn on climate control to reduce soc and cool the interior. That would sometimes trigger the ev cooling system to turn on and would reduce the soc some. Looking back i think I was being protective and overly cautious because i know the battery gets even hotter with moderate temps while driving at 60 mph or so for a few minutes especially when climbing a slight grade. I remember reading the Charity's ev system is designed to operate at ambient temps up to 140 degrees.
 
Dan Albrich said:
But... if Clarity sits for one week with say 1/2 full battery and not plugged in, in a garage that never really goes below 80 degrees F, is that hard on the traction battery?
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Lithium batteries can be operated in temperatures exceeding 130F, and as low as -4F. They can be charged from temperatures as low as 25F and up to ~113F. I haven’t seen specifications that show at what temperature they can be stored.

If you don’t expect the garage to reach temperatures above 130-140F, I wouldn’t sweat it.
 
Not to mention the fact that if the vehicle is sitting in a garage that is say, 120 degrees, you can run the coolant pump until the cows come home, and it will not reduce the temperature below the 120 degree garage temperature. This is just a coolant loop with a radiator so it cannot cool anything down below the ambient temperature.

If you turned on the climate control to cool the interior, it would actually raise the temperature of the garage because the A/C just moves the heat from the cabin to the outside of the car.

Would the HOA rules allow you to have the garage door open (fully or partially)?

I agree with the other comments, and wouldn't worry about this.
 
I live in Palm Springs, temperature similar to Tucson. I charge the car in a carport. Bought the car 7/2018. No problems so far. So I would say don’t worry.
 
Just returning to this thread to thank you all for the thoughtful replies. I really like the car and am still excited to drive it 3 years in. So not wanting to do something with long-term consequences. I feel basically convinced that the car will be fine.

My father in laws house does have AC. I suspect the garage is not actively cooled (I could ask, I just don't know), but it probably doesn't get to ungodly temps either.

Our unheated garage in Oregon always has a higher temperature in the winter than outside ambient temp due to being connected to the house which is heated. I presume the reverse effect also happens. i.e. hot outside, house actively cooled, attached garage doesn't go unbearably hot. I doubt he'd mind if I wanted to plug in (level 1). He doesn't have level 2 (and doesn't like electric cars which is a separate subject).

Anyway, thanks again all. I think we'll just go for it and not worry about the car.

-Dan
 
Dan Albrich said:
My father in laws house does have AC. I suspect the garage is not actively cooled (I could ask, I just don't know), but it probably doesn't get to ungodly temps either.
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I have relatives in Scottsdale and Mesa and have been in Arizona at all different times of the year. It isn’t likely an attached garage will get above 100F even if it’s 120F outside.

There are any number of variables at play. Does the garage have northern or southern exposure? Are there air conditioned rooms above the garage? Is more than one wall of the garage shared with the climate controlled house? Is the driveway or garage shaded?
 
Hi Landshark, to answer your q's:
southern exposure (yes).
AC rooms above garage (no). Single level house.
Walls shared with house (yes, 2).
Shade, no, none. Almost no vegetation at all.
 
That garage will be on the warmer end of the scale. The highest temperature in Tucson in the past 100 years was 116F. So, even if the garage gets to the highest recorded outside temperature, the batteries will not be harmed.
 
Las Vegas here. No problems in two years. 113 ℉ a couple of times with corresponding highs during the time before and after.
 
MrFixit said:
Not to mention the fact that if the vehicle is sitting in a garage that is say, 120 degrees, you can run the coolant pump until the cows come home, and it will not reduce the temperature below the 120 degree garage temperature. This is just a coolant loop with a radiator so it cannot cool anything down below the ambient temperature.
Click to expand...
Unless maybe you spray some water on the radiating element! :)
 
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