Hot Garage

[jeff3948]

I live in southern Nevada where the high temperatures range from 100F to 116F from June through August. The temperature in my garage is can reach to around 120°F every day from mid-June through mid-August. Is there a danger of the Bolt overheating while charge or just storing it in my garage at those temperatures?

 

[SparkE]

Yes.

At those temperatures (any temp over 90, I believe) the car should be plugged in to a charging station, so that the vehicle will run the battery cooling system (and draw electricity from the wall to do so).

It is specified in the manual. Read it.

 

[user 1034]

Sheesh SparkE, he hasn't even received his yet. He's doing some research beforehand.

His last post mentioned his worry about his order being delayed by the plant closure...

 

[SparkE]

Here is a link to the manual: https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2017/Chevrolet/BOLT%20EV/Owner%27s%20Manual.pdf

(One of them - there are many on the InterWebs).

Great evening reading while waiting for delivery...

 

[jeff3948]

Here is a link to the manual: https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2017/Chevrolet/BOLT%20EV/Owner%27s%20Manual.pdf

(One of them - there are many on the InterWebs).

Great evening reading while waiting for delivery...

Thank you. 90°F is low, now I'm really worried that 120°F will be too much even with the battery cooling system. Even putting a vent fan in the garage to bring in outside air would at best reduce the temperature to be equal to the outside temperature. Our temperatures consistently are above 100°F from mid-June to mid-August with highs going up to 116°F with us continuing to reach new highs almost every year. Has there been any testing of the Bolt charging in 120°F temperatures and leaving it plugged in during storage? I'm having serious doubts about buying a Bolt now knowing that it has to be continually plugged in in temperatures over 90°F.

 

[SparkEVPilot]

Here is a link to the manual: https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2017/Chevrolet/BOLT%20EV/Owner%27s%20Manual.pdf

(One of them - there are many on the InterWebs).

Great evening reading while waiting for delivery...

Thank you. 90°F is low, now I'm really worried that 120°F will be too much even with the battery cooling system. Even putting a vent fan in the garage to bring in outside air would at best reduce the temperature to be equal to the outside temperature. Our temperatures consistently are above 100°F from mid-June to mid-August with highs going up to 116°F with us continuing to reach new highs almost every year. Has there been any testing of the Bolt charging in 120°F temperatures and leaving it plugged in during storage? This forum is "Ask Chevrolet", so I only want a Chevrolet spokesperson to politely answer my question as I'm having serious doubts about buying any electric car now knowing there maybe a serious heat issue.

I cannot speak for the Bolt - I have 2 Spark EVs -, but I have found, in hot weather >90 deg. F, the Spark EV has to be plugged in and be in the immediate charging mode to keep the battery cool.

 

[gpsman]

I cannot speak for the Bolt - I have 2 Spark EVs -, but I have found, in hot weather >90 deg. F, the Spark EV has to be plugged in and be in the immediate charging mode to keep the battery cool.

"Has to" is way too strong of wording.

Best for the battery, yes.
It won't explode or create immedate harm or prevent you from driving or charging at 120 degrees. Think of it like produce. Cooler keeps it "fresh" longer.

A few days or weeks at 120'F is NO BIG DEAL.

Think about EVERY PARKED BOLT IN THE SUN. The interior (and battery) of every car produced exceeds 120'F from time to time. Those in SW states: this occurs daily, and for most of the year.

I read that the batteries put out maximum current at 140'F. Electric racers purposely heat their batteries before a race. That is not great for longevity, but illustrates they tolerate heat well.

These cars are very robust.

 

[jeff3948]

I cannot speak for the Bolt - I have 2 Spark EVs -, but I have found, in hot weather >90 deg. F, the Spark EV has to be plugged in and be in the immediate charging mode to keep the battery cool.

"Has to" is way too strong of wording.

Best for the battery, yes.
It won't explode or create immedate harm or prevent you from driving or charging at 120 degrees. Think of it like produce. Cooler keeps it "fresh" longer.

A few days or weeks at 120'F is NO BIG DEAL.

Think about EVERY PARKED BOLT IN THE SUN. The interior (and battery) of every car produced exceeds 120'F from time to time. Those in SW states: this occurs daily, and for most of the year.

I read that the batteries put out maximum current at 140'F. Electric racers purposely heat their batteries before a race. That is not great for longevity, but illustrates they tolerate heat well.

These cars are very robust.

Thank you. That is encouraging to know.

 

[jeff3948]

Here is a link to the manual: https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2017/Chevrolet/BOLT%20EV/Owner%27s%20Manual.pdf

(One of them - there are many on the InterWebs).

Great evening reading while waiting for delivery...

Thank you. 90°F is low, now I'm really worried that 120°F will be too much even with the battery cooling system. Even putting a vent fan in the garage to bring in outside air would at best reduce the temperature to be equal to the outside temperature. Our temperatures consistently are above 100°F from mid-June to mid-August with highs going up to 116°F with us continuing to reach new highs almost every year. Has there been any testing of the Bolt charging in 120°F temperatures and leaving it plugged in during storage? This forum is "Ask Chevrolet", so I only want a Chevrolet spokesperson to politely answer my question as I'm having serious doubts about buying any electric car now knowing there maybe a serious heat issue.

I cannot speak for the Bolt - I have 2 Spark EVs -, but I have found, in hot weather >90 deg. F, the Spark EV has to be plugged in and be in the immediate charging mode to keep the battery cool.

Thanks. That is real world experience, which is reassuring and good to know.

 

[SparkEVPilot]

I cannot speak for the Bolt - I have 2 Spark EVs -, but I have found, in hot weather >90 deg. F, the Spark EV has to be plugged in and be in the immediate charging mode to keep the battery cool.

"Has to" is way too strong of wording.

Best for the battery, yes.
It won't explode or create immedate harm or prevent you from driving or charging at 120 degrees. Think of it like produce. Cooler keeps it "fresh" longer.

A few days or weeks at 120'F is NO BIG DEAL.

Think about EVERY PARKED BOLT IN THE SUN. The interior (and battery) of every car produced exceeds 120'F from time to time. Those in SW states: this occurs daily, and for most of the year.

I read that the batteries put out maximum current at 140'F. Electric racers purposely heat their batteries before a race. That is not great for longevity, but illustrates they tolerate heat well.

These cars are very robust.

Thank you. That is encouraging to know.

FYI - I live in Central California and recent high air temperatures have been running 95 to 107 deg. F. My garage highs in the late afternoon and early evening have been running 95 to 100 deg. F. After driving my two Spark EVs for the last two years, you would think I would have learned everything I needed to know. Nope! A recent post on the Spark EV forum led me to check how the battery cooling actually worked when plugged in. That is where I found out, after a bit of testing, that the Spark EVs needed to be in the IMMEDIATE charging mode for battery conditioning to work when the car was plugged in. Another interesting observation is that the Energy Information screen in my 2014 Spark EV has never shown anything but ZERO for BATTERY CONDITIONING. On the other hand, my 2015 Spark EV has, on a few occasions while driving in very hot weather, shown up to 4% for battery conditioning. My guess is the Chevy Bolt will also show active battery conditioning while driving in temperatures of 90 deg. F and above.

 

[SparkEVPilot]

To quote from the 2015 Spark EV owners manual, "Do not allow the vehicle to remain in temperature extremes for long periods without being driven or plugged in. It is recommended that the vehicle be plugged in when temperatures are below 32 deg. F and above 90 deg. F to maximize high voltage battery life". My point is that I found that the charging mode for a Spark EV must be [has to be] set to the IMMEDIATE mode for this to work. Other modes act like the car is disconnected until the timed set point to connect to the power is reached.

Note: Page 231 of The 2017 Chevy Bolt Owners Manual states, "Plug-In Charging - This section explains the process for charging the high voltage battery. Do not allow the vehicle to remain in temperature extremes for long periods without being driven or plugged in. It is recommended that the vehicle be plugged in when temperatures are below 0 °C (32 °F) and above 32 °C (90 °F) to maximize high voltage battery life." Sounds very familiar to me.

If you so choose, you can keep the battery fresher longer or shorten the battery's life more quickly - Your choice!

 

[gpsman]

"Battery Conditioning" applies mainly to "high power loads".

Either high output (foot deeply on the go pedal, or perlonged uphill climb) or high regen (going down a steep hill, stopping quickly from highway speeds), or Level 3 DCFC.

Charging at Level 1 ( 1kw ) or Level 2 ( 6kw ) does not produce very much heat. The batteries will stay close to ambient. At 1kw to 6kw of charge rate, there will be only a few tens of watts of heat to dissipate.

 

[SparkE]

It's not the charging that is the heat problem in my case/example. The problem was the 104 degree heat - the ambient temperature. At my house. Three days ago. Hotter in the garage. I left my EV plugged in all day, and yes, it consumed power even though the battery was 'full' (and had been full since halfway through the night). The 'conditioning' was keeping the battery cooler than the 104+ air. Just like when I drove to Walnut Creek last month (temp 106) and the energy display showed that 4% of the energy used was for 'conditioning' (even though I didn't charge).

 

[SparkEVPilot]

It's not the charging that is the heat problem in my case/example. The problem was the 104 degree heat - the ambient temperature. At my house. Three days ago. Hotter in the garage. I left my EV plugged in all day, and yes, it consumed power even though the battery was 'full' (and had been full since halfway through the night). The 'conditioning' was keeping the battery cooler than the 104+ air. Just like when I drove to Walnut Creek last month (temp 106) and the energy display showed that 4% of the energy used was for 'conditioning' (even though I didn't charge).

This is exactly what I see with my 2015 Spark EV in hot weather. For some reason, my 2014 Spark EV has never shown any % for battery conditioning. Yet, when I plug it in at night, and after the battery is fully charged, if it is hot enough in my garage, power will be consumed to keep the battery cool. If my garage is cooler than 90 deg. F, no power will be consumed.

 

[flamaest]

Think about EVERY PARKED BOLT IN THE SUN.

Exactly.

 

[WetEV]

The problem was the 104 degree heat - the ambient temperature. At my house. Three days ago.

The difference between the Northwest and California.

I drove 160 miles in my Leaf yesterday in normal NW summer temperatures, and the battery never got over 30C/86F. The hottest I've ever seen the battery get in the three and a half years I've owned the car was 36C/96F.

If I buy a Bolt, I suspect I'll rarely if ever see battery conditioning power use for cooling.

 

[devbolt]

The problem was the 104 degree heat - the ambient temperature. At my house. Three days ago.

The difference between the Northwest and California.

I drove 160 miles in my Leaf yesterday in normal NW summer temperatures, and the battery never got over 30C/86F. The hottest I've ever seen the battery get in the three and a half years I've owned the car was 36C/96F.

If I buy a Bolt, I suspect I'll rarely if ever see battery conditioning power use for cooling.

Even in 90+ degree weather down in SoCal, and doing DC Fast charging, I haven't seen the battery temp get above 32C. And I have yet to see any power drawn for battery conditioning while not plugged in...

Normally the Bolt lives in Northern California on the coast by San Francisco, but we decided to take a road trip down to SoCal and visit family.

 

[oilerlord]

I'm having serious doubts about buying a Bolt now knowing that it has to be continually plugged in in temperatures over 90°F.

If you own the car and plan to keep the car for the long term...You live in the desert. Your doubts may be justified.

If you're leasing the car, drive more / worry less...If the battery gets cooked, it's GM's problem - not yours. At this point, it's anyone's guess as to how the Bolt's battery pack will withstand heat.

Google "Nissan lizard battery". It would be reasonable to assume GM has learned from Nissan's experience and engineered the battery to withstand desert heat. With that said, it's also reasonable to assume that the battery also has it's limits - which is why they are clearly stated in the owner's manual and warranty statement. It's stated for two reasons:

1.) Best practices for the long term health of the battery.
2.) Releasing GM from the liability of replacing the battery under warranty should it be determined that the cause of battery failure is abuse. Subjecting the battery to temperatures beyond what is stated in the owner's manual (and warranty statement) are examples of abuse.

 

[jeff3948]

Does anyone know if the Bolt uses the air conditioner (or some other method) to cool the battery cooling fluid when in extreme heat while plugged in? If that is the case than my worries would be over storing it in a hot garage while plugged in.

 

[SparkE]

Does anyone know if the Bolt uses the air conditioner (or some other method) to cool the battery cooling fluid when in extreme heat while plugged in? If that is the case than my worries would be over storing it in a hot garage while plugged in.

Yes, the Bolt will cool the battery if it gets 'too hot' while driving, or when it is plugged in for charging. (It *may* not cool if delayed charging is set and it isn't charging - somebody said something along those lines.)