Preconditioning a myth ?

[Petzi]

In some threads there is talk of “preconditioning” of the battery. This is certainly important in connection which navigation can be used (e.g. Waze). It is generally assumed that this is why you should use the Porsche navigation system, so that the battery is “prepared” for charging.

There is no possibility to start this “preconditioning” process manually. The car itself ensures that the battery is at operating temperature. Many people apparently believe that the battery should be “warmed up” especially at cold temperatures. The opposite seems to be the case. The battery should not be too hot, but it can be assumed that the system itself will take care of this.

Porsche Manual:
High-voltage battery care

If the battery reaches a temperature that is too high due to external influences, the battery is conditioned (cooled). Depending on the service life and battery charge, the temperature range for conditioning is reduced.

To reduce aging and wear of the high-voltage battery, observe the following measures:

• Charge the vehicle at temperatures between approx. –4 °F and approx. +86 °F.
• Avoid exposing the vehicle to temperatures above 86 °F for long periods of time, e.g. by parking it in direct sunlight.
• At ambient temperatures above 86 °F when parked: Connect the vehicle to the power supply after use. Charge the high-voltage battery with alternating current (AC) to a maximum battery charge of 80%.
• Especially before long journeys: Initiate the charging process via the Charging Planner and use the Departure function to charge with alternating current (AC).
• For daily use of the vehicle without long-distance journeys, set the battery charge to approximately 80%.
• If necessary, set the battery charge to 100% before long-distance trips.
• If the battery charge is below 5%, charge the high-voltage battery.

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[Yves]

With temps of 0C to 8C and driving around, DC fast charging will be slow without pre heating the battery … ideally the battery should be around 20 to 25C … such a shame there is no manual pre conditioning button, not even in the app … I have it in the BMW and when I know I will dc fast charge, I just kick off the pre conditioning in the app, making my iX charge faster then the Macan under these “winter” conditions.

 

[Petzi]

EIt is true that the exact parameters are not communicated by Porsche, but I believe that the optimum working temperature of the battery must also be the optimum charging temperature. The car will be programmed by default to reach the optimum working temperature of the battery. This means that you can charge the battery at any time during normal driving. Even if the outside temperature is very low, this can only become a problem - in the very rare case - if you park the car outside, start it and want to charge it immediately.

 

[Yves]

EIt is true that the exact parameters are not communicated by Porsche, but I believe that the optimum working temperature of the battery must also be the optimum charging temperature. The car will be programmed by default to reach the optimum working temperature of the battery. This means that you can charge the battery at any time during normal driving. Even if the outside temperature is very low, this can only become a problem - in the very rare case - if you park the car outside, start it and want to charge it immediately.

No the battery hardly warms up with normal driving … so I can drive the car for 30 minutes or more and maybe the temperature has gone up from 4C to 5C way to low to enable descent DC charging speeds … Also it takes a very long time to warm up the battery with a destination as fast charger, even a 30 minute drive will not get it to optimal charging temp … my iX with a 15 minute pre conditioning and a 10 minute drive to the charger, charges close to normal speed …

 

[SteveInKirkland]

I asked a Porsche engineer at a conference for the USA Dept of Energy how I could drive a Macan EV in Florida or Texas if exposing the vehicle to temperatures above 86 °F for long periods of time caused battery issues. His response was, "what fool told you that?"

His general advice for maintaining the battery was to (a) to maximize battery life, keep the state of charge at 50% if you used the car for less than 50 miles per day; (b) slow charge the vehicle at even slower than 9.6kW; (c) in cold weather, the Departures feature heats up the battery with an effect to increase range and increase charge rates at DC chargers; (d) higher levels of charge in the battery can result in higher performance for some systems (acceleration) and lower performance for other systems (regenerative breaking).

To me, I would feel more comfortable if we had observable test results with known environmental conditions to back up Internet lore. But I've found that Internet lore is one of the only sources of information about the car because Porsche is, effectively, silent.

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