What does Battery Preheating mean?

Explanation

Battery preheating is the specific process of raising the battery temperature before a fast charging session. Cold lithium-ion batteries cannot accept high charging power safely, so the car's thermal management system warms them to the optimal range (typically 25 to 35 degrees Celsius) before you arrive at the charger.

Most modern EVs trigger battery preheating automatically when you set a fast charger as your navigation destination. The car uses energy from the battery to run heaters or divert waste heat from the motor and inverter to warm the battery pack. This process typically takes 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how cold the battery is.

The difference is dramatic. A cold battery in winter might charge at only 30-50% of its peak speed. A preheated battery can reach peak speed almost immediately. If you are planning a fast charging stop, always use the car's built-in navigation to set the charger as your destination. Using a phone-based navigation app instead may not trigger preheating on some cars.

Read more at National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Where you'll see this

• On your car dashboard

Common confusion

Battery preheating and cabin preheating are different. Battery preheating warms the battery cells for faster charging. Cabin preheating warms the interior for passenger comfort. Some cars do both when you set a departure time.

Example

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