Is there a battery temperature readout in degrees C and F?

[WetEV]

I'd like to know the actual battery temperature when driving up and down steep mountain roads, on long trips with multiple DCQC sessions, etc.

On a warm day, I arrive at DCQC station after a long drive. If the battery is near the upper temperature limit, the charging current seems to me to be likely to be limited to prevent the battery from overheating while charging. This would affect my time to charge to the level needed. I'd like to know this when I arrive by knowing the battery temperature.

Driving over a mountain pass, I'd like to know if I'm close to a temperature limit.

Ideally this should be a driver display, but I'd be happy with a readout on a center console screen.

 

[michael]

The Focus electric offered this via OBD. I strongly suspect Bolt does too and we will be able to access it

In the case of the Focus I simply bought a small OBD scanner that displayed four selectable values and attached it above the steering column

 

[drdiesel1]

There are two sensors. One is the battery temp sensor and the other is battery coolant temp sensor.
If you can get a device to read the PID's from the DCL, you'll have the data you require.

 

[DaveInAvl]

By the time I leased my LEAF in March 2014 (it's about to go back to Nissan) the Leaf Spy app was under development. Since then it has become, to many LEAF drivers who use it, a thing of beauty... I really hope a similarly-capable app shows up for the Bolt. Here in NC we've got a bit of a wait, so maybe by then...

 

[devbolt]

A Bluetooth OBDII reader and the Torque or EngineLink apps for Android or iOS will give you what you want. If you don't want to use your smartphone, there is the ScanGauge II with its X-gauges that can read out the data you want.

 

[SeanNelson]

By the time I leased my LEAF in March 2014 (it's about to go back to Nissan) the Leaf Spy app was under development. Since then it has become, to many LEAF drivers who use it, a thing of beauty... I really hope a similarly-capable app shows up for the Bolt.

An app like that would be terrific if it was compatible with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay so that it could display it's output on the centre screen.

 

[user 124]

I'd like to know the actual battery temperature when driving up and down steep mountain roads, on long trips with multiple DCQC sessions, etc.

On a warm day, I arrive at DCQC station after a long drive. If the battery is near the upper temperature limit, the charging current seems to me to be likely to be limited to prevent the battery from overheating while charging. This would affect my time to charge to the level needed. I'd like to know this when I arrive by knowing the battery temperature.

Driving over a mountain pass, I'd like to know if I'm close to a temperature limit.

Ideally this should be a driver display, but I'd be happy with a readout on a center console screen.

Unlike the Leaf, the Bolt has active thermal management of its traction battery. It monitors the battery temperature and provides heating and cooling (via the A/C system, as explained elsewhere in this forum) as needed so you do not need to do this manually.

Battery temperature information is not needed for operating the vehicle. You can tap into the car's CAN bus data and retrieve it if you really want it.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

But if the TMS fails, you won't know, besides a vague service vehicle soon light. Meanwhile, your pack could sustain more heat damage. Better to monitor it yourself with an app.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

But if the TMS fails, you won't know, besides a vague service vehicle soon light. Meanwhile, your pack could sustain more heat damage. Better to monitor it yourself with an app.

This.

By the same token, all ICEVs have a radiator which keeps the engine from overheating. So why bother with a temperature display on the dash? So that you can stop immediately at the first sign of an issue rather than blowing up your engine.

 

[WetEV]

Yes, I know that a third party app on ODB link of some sort will give me battery temperature.

Yes, I know that there is a TMS, and mostly I can't and don't need to worry about.

This is basic information that I would like to have from the built in displays.

 

[oilerlord]

But if the TMS fails, you won't know, besides a vague service vehicle soon light. Meanwhile, your pack could sustain more heat damage. Better to monitor it yourself with an app.

This.

By the same token, all ICEVs have a radiator which keeps the engine from overheating. So why bother with a temperature display on the dash? So that you can stop immediately at the first sign of an issue rather than blowing up your engine.

Is TMS failure something to be concerned about, or is more like a 1 in 100,000 type of occurence? I'd like to see a LOT more battery (including temperature) information displayed with my car too but it's understandable why it isn't there. For the majority of people that lease, short of the pack catching fire - do you really need to know it's temperature, and other related BMS info, or do you merely drive the car knowing this is all being managed behind the scenes (or for that matter, NOT knowing)?

Also, the 8 year / 100K mile battery warranty is only valid should your battery fall below 60% capacity - making a warranty replacement highly unlikely - especially on a 30,000 mile lease. Unless you own the car, and thus have a reason to be concerned about the long term health of the battery, I'd just let GM's stellar BMS/TMS do it's thing. Drive more & worry less.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Well, they could have included it on a selectable screen for folks that want it. Why hide it? It's a $40k car, it should talk to you if you want it to. The folks that will want it most live in a hot climate and travel using QC a lot. Even if the TMS is operational, knowing that they're running the pack on the hot side might allow them to manage their charge stops better. But if the TMS has some issue, maybe it won't give a warning. It may be rare, but more likely when a model is new like a Bolt. Sure, you can drive without looking at the gauges, but I'd rather have them and ignore them than need them and not have any. Some OEMs haven't figured this out yet. Accurate kWhs remaining is probably most important. At least Bolt shows tire pressures. Have to use LeafSpy to see them on my car.

 

[oilerlord]

Well, they could have included it on a selectable screen for folks that want it. Why hide it? It's a $40k car, it should talk to you if you want it to. The folks that will want it most live in a hot climate and travel using QC a lot. Even if the TMS is operational, knowing that they're running the pack on the hot side might allow them to manage their charge stops better. But if the TMS has some issue, maybe it won't give a warning. It may be rare, but more likely when a model is new like a Bolt. Sure, you can drive without looking at the gauges, but I'd rather have them and ignore them than need them and not have any. Some OEMs haven't figured this out yet. Accurate kWhs remaining is probably most important. At least Bolt shows tire pressures. Have to use LeafSpy to see them on my car.

I don't disagree. Knowledge is good. Looking at reasons why that information isn't user-accessable, designers may have also wanted to keep the car's menu simple. They start loading it up with information you really don't need to see, then it becomes cumbersome.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Cumbersome. That's interesting. Used to be easy to work on a car, you could almost climb into the engine compartment. Now it's so tightly packed you have to remove half of it to get to something. Most people don't bother.
Cumbersome. I think you're right. Most people ignore informational gauges. If something is wrong the car will warn them with a little light. They just want to get in and go. A kind of mindless driving culture is evolving. Increasingly, cars are being equipped to drive themselves. If that's perfected, we'll all be passengers, free from all things cumbersome. Cars will fuel and go for service on their own. Most people may not even own one, just subscribe to a plan. Even if you own one, you probably won't drive because the insurance industry will discover how dangerous humans are in comparison and set premiums accordingly. Too cumbersome anyway, just send the car to pick up the kids, or a pizza.

Things change. I've never ridden on a horse, but I hear it was once a common way to travel. Sounds cumbersome.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Things change. I've never ridden on a horse, but I hear it was once a common way to travel. Sounds cumbersome.

I have ridden a horse. As a recreational activity, it is quite enjoyable. As a form of transportation? No thanks.

I'm coming to the realization that this may be the future of cars. Enthusiasts will form clubs. There will be tracks where one can drive for fun. (heck, there already are!). Some crazy people will even drive on public streets, much like the occasional horse ridden down the road in rural areas. But as a day-to-day means of transportation? No thanks.

That won't come within a generation. My elementary-school-aged kids won't be that generation either. But my grandkids may be raised in that world.

 

[oilerlord]

I'm coming to the realization that this may be the future of cars. That won't come within a generation.

Hard to say when it's coming. A guy on this forum blamed GM for not covering "tire failure" under warranty. He wasn't joking. We now live in a world where a simple flat tire has become tire failure. Either people are becoming dumber or they have no inclination to learn the the basic minimums of maintaining and servicing their own vehicles, or for that matter, ever opening their owner's manual.

Imagine a world with self-driving cars. I don't know why manufacturers are pushing this because at least initially, it's going to be a litigation nightmare. If we're all just passengers in self-driving pods...why do we care if it's a GM pod or a Honda pod? For that matter, why even lease or own a car at all? Just dial up a pod on Uber - which is essentially what millennials are doing now. Many have no intention of ever buying a car. I think this signals the end of the auto industry as we know it

 

[GetOffYourGas]

True, we don't know. My statements were of course opinion, but I assume you know that. I still don't believe that the human-driven car will go the way of the horse within my driving lifetime. But I do imagine that self-driving cars will be here by the time I am too old to be safely driving.

Anyway, this has diverged from the topic quite a bit.

Regarding the tire failure, I don't know that things are so different now. There have always been those who don't understand automotive technology, and incorrectly place blame on someone else. But cars today are rolling computers, be it EV or ICE. The car measures a lot of data - temperatures, tire pressures, battery SoC and condition, the list goes on. I personally like data. I would love to see as much of it as I can. I also recognize that others just want a warning if something is wrong, and nothing if everything is normal. That's the beauty of a large screen in the car (as opposed to old-style analog instruments). It can be configured to show whatever GM wants it to. And that can be selected by the driver (again, if GM allows them to).

 

[oilerlord]

Years ago, when photography was one of my first loves; cameras had only manual controls for aperture and shutter speed settings. If consumers wanted to take photos that weren't under or over exposed, they essentially needed to learn how a camera works. Cameras evolved into semi and fully automatic point-and-shoot playthings to the point that all smartphones have them. That simplicity killed an entire industry.

The sad reality is that the same thing is happening with cars. Cars are being dumbed down to the point where they brake for us because drivers are more concerned about snapchat than watching the road. My guess is that most people that buy a car today could give a damn about engine or battery temperature. You and I are in the minority that do.

---rant over.

 

[devbolt]

While I get the desire to see the battery pack temeperature, or the SOC down to a tenth of a decimal place, or knowing how much regen is being funneled back into the battery pack, there's a point at which too much information is being presented and becomes not just cumbersome, but a dangerous distraction to the driver. Your primary focus should be on safely driving the car, not if the battery pack temperature is at 60C.

The reality of things is that GM has engineered the car so that you don't normally need to know the temp of the battery pack while you are driving. If there is a problem, you'll likely be alerted well in advance before it becomes an issue that is critical. It's not like this is a car where if the coolant system dies on you, you need to know almost immediately so you don't up with a seized engine or a warped head.

I love getting into the nitty gritty of these kinds of techy cars. I had a ScanGauge II hooked up to both of my Prii to give me info like SOC, pack voltage, water temp, RPMs, amount of braking regen, Amperage in/out of the battery and a host of other stuff. I've got a Bluetooth OBDII reader hooked up to our Highlander Hybrid to get similar data. But I don't need to look at that data very often while driving. If it were constantly available on either of the car's displays, it would become distracting.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

And . . . We've come full circle back on topic. You guys can really weave a thread!

Bottom line is there is no temperature gauge, at least in this model year Bolt, you'd have to use an app if you really want to know.

As for the autonomous trend, my guess is they're doing it for the enormous profit potential should they succeed. Cars that are all corporate owned, depreciating, expensing the little service they need. No driver expenses. Cars that minimize downtime, maximizing fee revenue, over years. How much more profit could that generate over just building and selling vehicles?