Batteries heating up to 105 degrees when charging

[Debbie]

My R1S is 15 months old, 6500 miles. It has only ever been charged on my garage Rivian charger.

I noticed about 2 months ago that the batteries are heating up to 105 degrees when charging. I typically charge when it gets around 100 miles left, up to 80%. I live in Seattle, not a really a hot or cold place.

If I charge in 2 sessions, say 30 - 50%, drive a day, then 45-80%, they still heat up to somewhere between 95 and 103 degrees,

I called support. At first the person was aghast, told me to take pictures, he would get me a service slot. Then he said he had to call me back.

1/2 hour later, he called me back. He said that it was no problem, the upper temperature for Rivian batteries is 120- 130 degrees. Huh???

Has anyone seen this with charging? Do I have a problem?

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[DuoRivian]

Those are normal temperatures after charging, especially DC fast charging. You can tell if it is high in the gauges they show on the gauge screen.

 

[godfodder0901]

My R1S is 15 months old, 6500 miles. It has only ever been charged on my garage Rivian charger.

I noticed about 2 months ago that the batteries are heating up to 105 degrees when charging. I typically charge when it gets around 100 miles left, up to 80%. I live in Seattle, not a really a hot or cold place.

If I charge in 2 sessions, say 30 - 50%, drive a day, then 45-80%, they still heat up to somewhere between 95 and 103 degrees,

I called support. At first the person was aghast, told me to take pictures, he would get me a service slot. Then he said he had to call me back.

1/2 hour later, he called me back. He said that it was no problem, the upper temperature for Rivian batteries is 120- 130 degrees. Huh???

Has anyone seen this with charging? Do I have a problem?

This doesn't seem abnormal to me. Charging creates heat, and batteries charge more efficiently at temp. You normally see this when fast charging since you are more likely to be with the car, but increased temps when charging is normal.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

My understanding is that ideal charging temperatures, for all charging modes, are 10-30 degrees C (50-86 degrees F).

My understanding is that temps of 5-45 degrees C (41-113 degrees F) are acceptable for DC fast charging, and temps of 0-45 C (32-113 F) are acceptable for Level 2 charging.

At battery temps below 0 C (32 F), experts advise charging at a slow rate, not adding more than 2% of total battery capacity per hour. 8 amps at 220 volts deliver about 1.7 kW, which is less than 2% of total capacity on any battery above 85 kWh. Once the battery heats up to 0 C (32 F), which it should do while charging unless the environment is super cold, it's in the "acceptable" temperature range for all Level 2 charging.

It seems wise to be aware of these parameters, but I don't think we need to stress about them.

***

I believe all EV manufacturers provide software protections against practices that are likely to harm the high-voltage battery. These protections don't just protect our vehicles -- they protect the manufacturers, who are required to offer long warranties on the high-voltage EV batteries.

There are good consumer-protection reasons for a lot of government regulations. I believe the government's requirement for long battery warranties helps to protect us all from long-term trouble.

Best to all!

 

[Dark-Fx]

50C is generally considered the upper limit for charging for most li-ion batteries IIRC. You can go a little higher during discharge.

 

[azbill]

My battery can be as high as 110F without charging. Quite normal, living in Phoenix.

 

[SwampNut]

Wow, it's down to 105? Why so cold?

Also there's really no reason to not plug in every day. Tesla specifically recommends it.

 

[Polar]

First support call rep was not well informed. They should have not made such a deal about that - 105 is just fine. Their reaction made it so much worse, and that’s really unfortunate.

 

[DCFC]

As a generalization, 60-65C is typically when things get derated in power for li-ion batteries. 70C is a hard stop. 105F/40C is completely normal and safe.

 

[vandy1981]

I think this is why they don't show battery temperatures while charging.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

Using ABRP, we can track changes in battery temperature while charging. Results are interesting, at least to me.

On our 2023 R1S with MaxPack, temperature seems to RISE about 1.25 degrees F for every percent of charge (1.43 kW in Gen1 MaxPack). The true value could be anywhere from 0.8 degrees F to about 1.5 degrees F per percent of charge. I'll refine this estimate with further observations.

The battery EQUILIBRATES toward outside temperature, closing maybe one-twelfth (8.3% or so) of the gap between battery temperature and outside temperature each hour. I suspect battery temperature is also influenced by cabin temperature, which varies more widely than outside temperature, so this number is even more uncertain than my estimate for temperature rise with charging.

The battery HEATS SLIGHTLY when discharging, i.e., when the vehicle is being driven. The heat gained with discharging appears to be a small fraction -- maybe one-tenth? -- of the heat gained with charging. So this appears to be a minor influence on battery temperature, even though average discharge rates while driving can be 20-40 kW or more.

This is all interesting, but it might not be very important. Some of us like to figure out patterns. Rivian's Battery Management System seems to keep us from significantly damaging our batteries, whether we analyze and manage temperatures a lot or a little.

***

My "bottom lines" for charging and charging temperatures are this:
"What State of Charge (SOC) do I want to start tomorrow (or the day after) with?"
"How many hours do I have to get the vehicle to that SOC?"
"Do I want to charge any other vehicle on that charger tonight?"
"Is there anything that I want to measure or learn in the process?"

I usually wind up adjusting the charging rates (using center screen or the Rivian App) to maintain a steady charge rate through the night, trying to reach the desired SOC in early morning (and stop charging when others are increasing their electricity consumption for the day).

***

If anyone has more precise observations from their vehicle, I would be interested in seeing them. Please share if you wish!

Thanks to all!

 

[SPITmadFIRE]

1/2 hour later, he called me back. He said that it was no problem, the upper temperature for Rivian batteries is 120- 130 degrees. Huh???

This is true, and the battery will frequently approach 120F when fast charging on a warm day.

 

[HaveBlue]

My battery was 120f when I got in the other day to drive off and the car has been sitting there not charging. It was 114f outside.

 

[SPITmadFIRE]

My battery was 120f when I got in the other day to drive off and the car has been sitting there not charging. It was 114f outside.

Batteries are thermally massive. There's no way 114F ambient for a few hours is going to raise your battery's temperature that much. Did you charge right before you parked the vehicle last? Or was your last drive during the same high temps? Once the battery heats up, it will stay warm for many, many hours unless actively cooled.

 

[sherold]

Batteries are thermally massive. There's no way 114F ambient for a few hours is going to raise your battery's temperature that much. Did you charge right before you parked the vehicle last? Or was your last drive during the same high temps? Once the battery heats up, it will stay warm for many, many hours unless actively cooled.

Keep in mind, if the 114°F is just an ambient air temp, it does not account for the temperatures actually impacting the battery which, would likely be much higher if the R1 is parked on an asphalt surface in direct sun. Combine that with some hotboxing interior temps (likely 120-130° in between automatic screen cooling cycles, which can also cause the batteries to slightly heat), and 120° seems pretty realistic.

Do we know what temp the BMS starts to actively cool the battery pack?

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