Is Battery Cooling after shutdown?

[keybman]

I went back into my garage about 15 minutes after coming home, and heard a whirring noise coming from the FFH. The source appeared to be in the area of the EV battery (behind the rear seats, audible from the rear tire wells). Is this just the cooling fan operating? If so, how long does this usually last after turning off the vehicle?

 

Could not locate any info in the OM, or in previous threads here.

[neod192]

That sounds about right, and I would think the cool off period depends on how hot the battery is to begin with.

[keybman]

Thank you, neod. With all the electrical and electronic whizbangery going on, its good to know what every whirr, ping pong ball, click, clunk and ding is.

[hybridbear]

I have never heard the battery cooling fan come on. Maybe it hasn't been hot enough in MN yet to get it to really kick in.

[hybridbear]

Heard this for the first time Friday evening. It wasn't running the fan when I left the car but when I went back downstairs 15 minutes later to check something it was running and shut off while I was down there. Pretty neat to hear it

[rfruth]

Have heard the (traction battery) fan on my 2010 but as soon as the key is turned off the fan stops (the fan is quiet but you can hear it if in EV mode and radio is off) anyway if the fan on the 2013s can run if need be couldn't this potently run down the 12v battery ?

Edited August 1, 2013 by rfruth

[jeff_h]

Yes I hear this often when I walk back out into the garage after getting home, duration is probably commensurate with weather/battery temp (as noted above), but it's a regular occurrence on mine.

[smr2112]

I swear on really hot days, it's still going 1/2 hour or more after I shut the car off.

 

[MaineFusion]

I've heard my FFH's battery fan going a few times after driving.

[rfruth]

So it may be best to use the AC when in doubt (helps to cool the high voltage battery) ?

[MaineFusion]

So it may be best to use the AC when in doubt (helps to cool the high voltage battery) ?

The FFH does pull air from the cabin to cool/warm the batteries. The question is how much of a difference it makes to the batteries if they are getting 70F, 80F or 90F air from the cabin.

 

I also don't know if there is secondary system to condition the air for the batteries or not.

[rfruth]

HBV fan(s) cooling off the battery pack after the car is shut down but with the temps we have around here the 12v battery would really get a work out (not an issue with my 2010, the fan is done the moment you shut off the car) Would like a new car but this is a biggie for me

[mczajka]

I'm glad someone is having the battery fans running while the car is off. In my Fusion Energi, in hybrid mode or EV modes, these fans will run when the car stops at a light, stops in traffic and when I power off the car. I've been having issues with my 12 volt battery dying after the car sits for 24 hours, most recently at the airport. The battery was recently replaced, but it doesn't seem the battery is the problem (although many of us believe the 12 volt is not big enough to handle all these electrical issues).

 

This is happening to me in extreme heat, when sun is beating down on the car trunk or in a hot garage. If the car is off, one would have to think it's getting power to so this from the 12 volt.

Edited August 13, 2013 by mczajka

[acdii]

With these new Lithium batteries, temperature control is critical. Unlike NiMh in the 10-12 models, the Lion packs can be destroyed if they get too hot, or worse, get hot enough to split the case, in which case, they will ignite. Remember the Volt that burst into flames after crash testing and sat for a while? I use LiPo packs in my RC equipment and I have had one short out, thankfully it was nearly depleted when it did, but it puffed up and got really hot, really fast, and had it had any more energy in it to split the case it would have burst into flames, and they burn really hot, really fast.

 

This is why you will hear the fans running in the 13 models. The cooler the pack stays, the longer it will last. The chances of them actually going POOF are very very very minute, just dont short them out to find out! :)