Exhausting Driving In Document Warmth Exhibits Nissan Lastly Obtained Battery Cooling Proper

Should you’ve been following me on right here over the previous few years, you’ll find out about my dangerous experiences with a 2018 Nissan LEAF. I had numerous issues with the automobile that I’ve had with no different automobile earlier than or since, however the largest downside was the dearth of liquid cooling.

This didn’t come from just a bit testing, both. I owned the automobile new from the vendor lot and put 40,000 miles on it over the subsequent 12 months or so, and charging speeds had been continuously an issue for rideshare driving. Later, I took the automobile on a 1,200 mile journey to see the way it did in milder spring temperatures, and it wasn’t an excellent expertise. What ought to have been a four-day journey ended up taking a couple of week with the entire overheating points. Even after a software program replace supposedly fastened the difficulty, I noticed little distinction, and concluded that it wasn’t appropriate for highway journeys.

Final 12 months, I ended up buying and selling the LEAF in and shopping for a Bolt EUV. My spouse stated we aren’t allowed to purchase one other Nissan ever once more, and my children who endured among the gradual charging really feel the identical approach. Given the issues the corporate had with lots of its ICE automobiles’ transmissions, I can see why they really feel that approach, however I’ve stored a watch out to see if Nissan ultimately received it proper.

Whereas LEAFs of all battery sizes (together with the 62 kWh LEAF Plus) are nonetheless having thermal points, it was encouraging to see Nissan embrace a liquid cooling system in its Ariya electrical crossover. However, having a liquid cooling system and having a GOOD liquid cooling system are two various things. So, I’ve additionally been watching to see the way it turned out for various individuals who examined and purchased it.

Thankfully, in the present day I got here throughout what’s most likely the most effective and most thorough take a look at I’ve seen of the Ariya’s cooling that’s doable.

Snap. Been working our Ariya all throughout the U.S. and drove LA to El Paso through the heatwave with again to again charging and the automotive has carried out fantastically.

No points by any means pic.twitter.com/JYTxh3HVh8

— Pole to Pole EV (@PoletoPoleEV) July 23, 2023

The Hardest Potential Check Quick Of Towing

There are two issues that make this the hardest thermal take a look at round, with the doable exception of pulling a trailer. First, the automobile’s modifications all enhance power consumption. Second, they took this modified automobile into excessive warmth.

The most important factor you’ll discover from photographs is that the automotive has 39″ tires, they usually’re made for terrain. Which means that the automobile can go much more locations, but it surely additionally signifies that the automobile goes to make use of much more power doing regular freeway driving. It’s additionally lifted and on a customized suspension to get extra floor clearance and higher articulation, and that’s going to not solely enhance automobile weight, however give it a taller aerodynamic profile. The width of the tires and the customized fender flares additionally add to the automobile’s drag on the perimeters.

Lastly, they’re carrying a rooftop tent on high, which will increase each weight and drag much more.

They took this modified automobile that makes use of extra power and drove it from Los Angeles to El Paso, crossing the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts. And, right now in 2o23, we’re experiencing file warmth throughout the entire area, making for temperatures that normally exceed 100 levels within the decrease deserts and temperatures approaching 110 levels within the excessive deserts.

About the one factor that might put extra stress on the automobile’s cooling system can be to hitch a giant trailer up behind it, however to do this, you’d must decrease speeds to make up for it, so I’m undecided that it could make an enormous distinction.

“No Points In any way”

I’ve been making an attempt to satisfy up with the Pole to Pole staff to get additional info on the automobile’s power utilization and efficiency within the desert, however the tweet I embedded above makes it fairly clear. The automobile skilled “no points by any means” on the drive. The additional power utilization and the file warmth didn’t trigger the automobile to cost slowly, lose energy, or do anything that the adventurers seen.

I’d think about that the vary was affected, however in the present day’s CCS charging community between Los Angeles and El Paso is so much higher than it was once. There’s no purpose that the Ariya couldn’t make it, even when it was getting half of its unique manufacturing facility vary in ideally suited circumstances.

Each EV Ought to Have To Go A Related Check, & Tow If Rated For That

Primarily based on my dangerous experiences with EVs and heat-related issues, I believe it is a take a look at automotive journalists ought to run, however it could be even higher if producers did one thing like this.

I wouldn’t recommend {that a} modified off-road model of each EV needs to be constructed and run from LA to El Paso in late June (what’s usually the most well liked time of 12 months), even when seeing a customized rig like that will be extraordinarily cool! As a substitute, producers ought to devise an analogous torture take a look at.

My suggestion can be to take much less drastic measures. As a substitute of placing large 39s on the automobile, simply put the least environment friendly tire accessible within the manufacturing facility dimension. Take away among the physique panels to create extra drag. Bolt a really inefficient field on high of a baggage rack. Load a bunch of sandbags to deliver the automobile to GVWR. Then, drive it within the hottest elements of the US and the most well liked elements of the world.

EVs with tow rankings ought to add to this stress by ensuring they’re able to drive with a trailer loaded to that restrict. Having an EV that may theoretically tow however would overheat within the worst circumstances isn’t an excellent concept.

The Los Angeles to El Paso route would truly be an excellent alternative for this. Not solely does it cross a number of deserts, but it surely climbs up some fairly steep hills (particularly going from Tucson to Willcox, Arizona) and mixes in some city areas alongside the way in which. Freeway speeds are additionally excessive, with limits typically set at 75 MPH and drivers typically doing 80–85 MPH. One good facet take a look at to do can be to drive from Phoenix to Flagstaff within the hottest climate, particularly between Phoenix and Cordes Junction (a stretch of highway that challenges many ICE automobiles).

However, simply seeing that Nissan’s latest EV will get this stretch proper is an efficient signal that the trade is transferring previous its early struggles.

Featured picture offered by Nissan.

I do not like paywalls. You do not like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Right here at CleanTechnica, we applied a restricted paywall for some time, but it surely at all times felt incorrect — and it was at all times powerful to resolve what we must always put behind there. In principle, your most unique and greatest content material goes behind a paywall. However then fewer individuals learn it! We simply don’t love paywalls, and so we have determined to ditch ours.

Sadly, the media enterprise remains to be a tricky, cut-throat enterprise with tiny margins. It is a unending Olympic problem to remain above water and even maybe — gasp — develop. So …