How to Preheat Your Car and Reduce Battery Loss | Strategies for Electric Vehicle Owners
Alexa, preheat my car
It seems that the battery percentage drop when switching on climatisation is a common issue among electric vehicle owners. This could be due to software glitches or incorrect settings. The amount of battery usage varies depending on the outside temperature and how long the climate control is left running for.
For some people, increasing the charging threshold by 5% before turning on climate can help reduce battery loss. Others have found success in using a Zappi charger set to charge only during reduced tariff hours overnight. This will ensure the car does not pull from wall power unnecessarily.
However, BMW has recently released an upgrade (2022.44) which allows users to see their L2 charger start up even if they are charged to the configured limit when preheating. This helps to prevent battery loss while still allowing users to preheat their cars.
Overall, it appears that there are several ways to reduce battery loss when switching on climatisation. It is important for electric vehicle owners to experiment with different methods and find what works best for them.One of the most effective ways to reduce battery loss is by using a Zappi charger. This will ensure that your car does not pull from wall power unnecessarily and can help you save money on electricity bills. Additionally, BMW’s upgrade (2022.44) allows users to see their L2 charger start up even if they are charged to the configured limit when preheating, which helps prevent battery loss while still allowing users to preheat their cars.
Another way electric vehicle owners can reduce battery usage is by increasing the charging threshold before turning on climate control or setting timers for when it should turn off automatically after a certain amount of time has passed. It may also be beneficial for some people to use an app such as ChargePoint or PlugShare in order to find public charging stations nearby so they don't have rely solely on home chargers and risk draining their batteries too quickly due running out of charge during long trips away from home base.
Finally, it's important for electric vehicle owners remember that there are several factors at play when trying minimize battery drain while switching climatisation - temperature outside, how long climate control runs for etc., so experimentation with different methods may be necessary in order find what works best them personally .
What is the issue?
The issue is that when pre-conditioning the car using the fan icon in the BMW app, the battery percentage drops significantly.
How can I avoid this issue?
Increase the charging threshold by 5% just before turning on climate. This will prompt the car to start pulling wall power and then you can turn on climate and it will continue to use wall power.
Does this happen with all cars?
No, this was my experience until I got the 2022.44 upgrade. Now when I preheat the interior, I can see the L2 charger starting up even if I am charged to the configured limit.
How much battery does pre-conditioning usually cost?
It depends on the temperature. Usually it costs about 1%, as most people only do pre-condition 2-5 mins before getting into the car (-2 - 8 Celsius outside and a target of 20 celsius inside). If you spend more time pre-conditioning, it may cost up to 2%.
Is there any difference between using the BMW app or Alexa to turn on pre-conditioning?
No, both methods should have the same result. The only difference is that Alexa will allow you to set a timer for pre-conditioning, so you can turn it on before you leave the house.
Is there any way to reduce the battery drop?
Yes, you can reduce the battery drop by using the BMW app's "Charge Now" feature. This will start charging your car even if it is below the configured limit.
What happens if I don't use the Charge Now feature?
If you don't use the Charge Now feature, then the car will draw power from the battery when pre-conditioning and this will cause a significant drop in battery percentage.
Is there any other way to reduce the battery drop?
Yes, you can also reduce the battery drop by setting a lower temperature target for pre-conditioning. This will reduce the amount of energy needed to heat up the interior and thus reduce the amount of power drawn from the battery.