Ford wants to implement cooling/heating mechanisms for the batteries they will include in their future Focus Electric. The engineers at Ford designed a thermally conductive liquid that circulates throughout the battery.
The system is designed such as when it’s cold outside and the user plugs the car to the grid, the battery won’t charge right away, but the onboard circuits it will rather heat the liquid and then charge the thing.
Of course, the car will feature Internet and wireless connectivity, so the user will be able to collect real-time data on the car and will be able to monitor the battery’s state.
Tesla and General Motors also revealed plans to integrate cooling/heating systems in their cars, so this technology will surely be something basic and standardized in a few years. Taking the battery to the proper charging temperature is essential to keeping its health and getting it to perform at its best for longer. Doing otherwise only shortens its lifetime and increases the pollution it leaves behind.
I’ve heard theories before saying batteries in electric cars won’t have the same charging performance if the outside temperature is too high or too low. And my technical knowledge says they’re true. All I am wondering is why hasn’t GM included heaters or coolers to their hybrids’ batteries until now.
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#1 by John on November 25, 2010 - 6:52 pm
If you do a little reseach you will find that the Tesla Roadster DOES control the temperature of the battery pack whilst charging.
It also controls it whilst driving. There are different modes, performance – allows more heat in the batteries but provides more power to the motor. Range – gets the most range from the battery and includes the ‘reserve’ battery capacity, and Battery life – controls the temp and output to maximise the battery life
I am sure Ford will have got their hands on a Roadster and pulled it apart to work out how Tesla have produced the best battery packs and management systems.