SUMMER HEAT!

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dstrauss

dstrauss

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We have already broken ALL heat records for May (highest high, number of 100+ days, number of successive 100+ days) thanks to Memorial Day weekend: 102, 105, 102 (yesterday) with the 15 day forecast being:

107, 110, 110, 111, 108, 101, 106, 111, 111, 108, 104, 102, 101, 101, 102 :eek::eek::eek:

Translation - there goes the EV range. We are now getting payback for the cold weather ranges you folks suffered in January. Tuesday of last week I was averaging 62 miles EV range; last three days barely over 50, and one midday recharge 44. Of more concern, of course, is the effect on the battery. Looks like the torture test has begun. :(:(:(
 
dstrauss said:
We have already broken ALL heat records for May (highest high, number of 100+ days, number of successive 100+ days) thanks to Memorial Day weekend: 102, 105, 102 (yesterday) with the 15 day forecast being:

107, 110, 110, 111, 108, 101, 106, 111, 111, 108, 104, 102, 101, 101, 102 :eek::eek::eek:

Translation - there goes the EV range. We are now getting payback for the cold weather ranges you folks suffered in January. Tuesday of last week I was averaging 62 miles EV range; last three days barely over 50, and one midday recharge 44. Of more concern, of course, is the effect on the battery. Looks like the torture test has begun. :(:(:(
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Ouch! I’m sweating just reading your temps.
I was getting 66-68 EV when temps were 68-72F with no non-motive drain on the battery.
Now with temps of 80-92F, I’m getting 61-63 EV with the a/c set to 74F.
So I guess my loss is roughly 5 miles per charge but with much less severe temps than your doorway to H**l.
That’s on Econ and auto and only one person in the car. One thing that really helps is that I have a ceramic IR/heat rejecting film on all windows (even on windshield) and that significantly reduces the heat buildup and a/c usage. Just got garage cleaned out to park in and even without preconditioning it’s keeping the interior so much cooler to start off with.
Will post back if I see any gain but that will probably be too small to notice.

You are going to be working the battery cooling system out there. Too bad we don’t have a battery temp readout to see how well the BMS keeps its temp down. Our manual says check the coolant every time you fuel or charge. (but who really does that!)
Guess you will be the rare one of us that actually checks the HVB expansion tank regularly. Honda put it in a particularly difficult spot to check under the front cover between bumper and radiators. I have to use a flashlight to check mine.
 
bigbug said:
Which leads to a question: what's the optimum temperature for the Clarity to yield the highest EV mileage?
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My best EV has been with temps in the high 60s to low 70s F with no non-motive drain on the battery. Then for a few weeks I consistently got 66-68 EV. Don’t know if that was primarily due to battery temp or just not using the a/c or heat.
 
If you are willing to forgo cabin cooling, hotter is better (up to point battery needs cooling). Li-ion has higher capacity the hotter it is. However, avoid anything that produces extra battery heat that would require cooling, like hard acceleration. This would be stressful to the battery as well (although cooling should handle this).

My Volt always got best in the upper 80's or low 90's F if I drove carefully at low speeds with no AC, but this was also point where cooling would start and if it did range would drop if I pushed it hard at all.
 
Need one of these for my Clarity

220px-Karyn_Marshall_Ice_Bath.jpg
 
I am seriously considering purchasing a clarity plug-in hybrid in the next few months. I am interested and others experiences regarding the effect of heat on distance that could be driven on electric only. This car would be used in the Palm Springs california area: temperatures are often over 100 for the entire day for several months during the summer.
 
UPDATE: Since Monday's posting we may have an arctic front coming Sunday dropping the temp to a high of 94 - WooHoo!

On a serious note, I have set my car to charge at 4:00 am when garage is a cool 90 degrees (but the "low" high for the remainder of the next 15 days is 104), and mileage has stabilized even in this heat (108 yesterday) at 52-54 miles EV range. It is a amazing how well the AC system works in this vehicle - cools down FASTER than the Odyssey or the Highlander it replaced, but then again the cabin volume is significantly smaller than either of those vehicles. By comparison, it is much faster and cooler than the AC in our former Prius.

Keeping fingers crossed...
 
dstrauss said:
It is a amazing how well the AC system works in this vehicle - cools down FASTER than the Odyssey or the Highlander it replaced, but then again the cabin volume is significantly smaller than either of those vehicles. By comparison, it is much faster and cooler than the AC in our former Prius.
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AnthonyW shared some Honda Service Bulletines from paying for a one day subscription that said the a/c compressor is a scroll design which is the most efficient design out there and it’s electric instead is fanbelt driven so it’s more responsive to inputs.
 
Another observation on HEAT -

Last three nights I've had to use the 120v charger outside because of "garage reorganization" - where the temps drop unlike teh oven it usually sits in all nigh. So recharge takes much longer, but EV range has increased from low 50's to upper 50's (59.5 this morning). Likewise, daytime drive range, below 50mph, is holding up great even in the upper 90's heat (no 110's this week). I've been doing an interesting experiment by resetting trip odometer and comparing miles driven vs EV range drain - it's pretty much right on average, but it swings wildly between 2x range depletion when accelerating and 2x distance gain in range vs EV depletion when cruising at constant speeds (30-45 mph) and no quick start or acceleration.

I guess that's all to be expected, but I am beginning to believe that for normal stop and go in town commuting (up to 45 mph) this is a 60 mile EV car.
 
dstrauss said:
Another observation on HEAT -

Last three nights I've had to use the 120v charger outside because of "garage reorganization" - where the temps drop unlike teh oven it usually sits in all nigh. So recharge takes much longer, but EV range has increased from low 50's to upper 50's (59.5 this morning). Likewise, daytime drive range, below 50mph, is holding up great even in the upper 90's heat (no 110's this week). I've been doing an interesting experiment by resetting trip odometer and comparing miles driven vs EV range drain - it's pretty much right on average, but it swings wildly between 2x range depletion when accelerating and 2x distance gain in range vs EV depletion when cruising at constant speeds (30-45 mph) and no quick start or acceleration.

I guess that's all to be expected, but I am beginning to believe that for normal stop and go in town commuting (up to 45 mph) this is a 60 mile EV car.
Click to expand...
I’m getting the same results. EV range estimate was in the high 60s wirh no non-motive draw on the battery, and with a/c usage is now in the low 60s. I don’t let it run down all the way to HV but I’m getting actual range in the high 50s, so it could possibly be past 60.
This is with moderate acceleration, daytime, Econ, 80/20 city/hwy, max speed 60 mph, temps 80-95F. A/C set to 72 auto, car garaged, and heat reflecting ceramic tint on all glass.
 
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