Cold Batteries

Living in San Diego I didn’t expect to have to deal with cold batteries.  Turns out the CALBs do not like getting under 45F – they really can’t produce the current I need to drive the car – setting off the miniBMS alarm.

I’m working with a machinist to come up with some insulation for the rear pack, and adding some heating to the packs.  Simplest solution is to use plant seedling mats – they heat up whenever the temp drops below 74F.  However, I couldn’t use mats due to the criss-cross of support beams.  Solution:  use soil heating cable.  The cable I bought has a built-in thermostat and can cover up to 10 square feet.  So now, all I’ll have to do is plug in the car each night – something I already do.  🙂

So when you design your pack, make sure you add in the heating lines for cold weather, as well as the necessary insulation.

peter

Living in Santa Cruz with my spouse, a dog and a sprinkling of cats.