Preheating isn't coming

[Skku]

Apparently the preheating is coming in ME 4.0. The problem is that cars already delivered with ME 2.x or 3.x NEVER will get ME 4.0. So your car will newer get the function to preheat the battery before charging - and therefore always charge slow as #+@&@ when it's cold outside.

Skoda has promised this preheat funktion for two years now. But has now informed us that it's not coming (however the VW ID cars will get it).

I recommend everyone to email Skoda to complain and also contact the company that sold the car to complain and also (if the seller as in my case informed u that this was a comming function) ask for compansation.

[ricky10]

Not particularly bothered about this function as 99% of my charging is destination 7kw.

The odd time I do need ultra it’s not usually in the colder months.

[Skku]

Perhaps that's the case for you. But don't u want the function of u paid for it?

[Deleted User 2162]

It's not functionality we paid for as the functionality isn't there so how can we have paid for it? Nothing I have seen in writing anywhere says this is coming. If the salesperson told you it was coming and it's in writing then it would be miss-selling, especially if you told them this is a key feature to decide if you bought the car.

Like ricky10 I personally dont care for it, or even see it as necessary on 400V 60/80Kwh BEVs. If it's 800v and 120Kwh then I can see why it would be more useful. On a 60/80 the charge rate drops off anyway far quicker in a per mile term and so the useful is reduced in my opinion.

[Aragorn]

I think i've only rapid charged my Enyaq 5-6 times in 36k miles, i also only paid for the basic 50kw option because its not worth the extra money for the odd occasion where it might charge slightly faster. Any time i have charged it, even with 50kw limited charging, its always been ready before me.

I suspect some of the issue can be worked around simply by knowing of the problem and dealing with it accordingly.

If your always having to rapid charge a stone cold battery you might be able to do things differently to alleviate that.

[ricky10]

Perhaps that's the case for you. But don't u want the function of u paid for it?

First of all like other said, I do t think it was a feature meant that was available or market to start with.

The BMS does have some pre-heating function but that is raise temp from below freezing to somewhere around 10c.

The operating range of the battery is 10c to 25c I believe before either the heater or the heat exchanger start to heat or cool the battery.

Now the last point, the reality of ultra charging. Do you really need it? I would argue 90% or if not more end users don’t need ultra charging at absolute maximum charge rate. It’s nice to see those 130/150kw going into the car but is it necessary. For me, when I do need those ultra charging I am on a long road trip to somewhere and it is certainty that I am stopping over for a lunch break. Therefor I have the luxury of staying for an hour (usual more than an hour due to kids being kids). So getting 80%/100% in 45min @ 80kw doesn’t bother me.

I would argue most people in UK are in the same boat and don’t rely on ultra charging as their daily charge regime.

[Ken3966]

And what damage does that ultrafast charging do to battery compared to the slow overnight charge at 7kW.
I have only used a fast charger twice in 5k miles, and first time I didn’t really understand how best to do it on 250m drive home from collecting it. I knew where a Tesla charger was on route but was still at 47% when we reached it and it never really got above 50kW rate all the way to the 90% when we left.
Second time still in the 30% range at another Tesla charger because convenient to charge then and may have reached 70kW briefly.
I can’t imagine preheating would have made much difference.

I bought a car knowing it did not have preheating. Skoda may have promised it was coming, and are keeping their promise, in my24 cars!

[CrowSysE243]

I knew that the car did not have battery preheating and am happy to be without it. I have only used rapid/ultra rapid 7 times in 5.8k miles, and only when on long (>250 mile) journeys and each time while stopping for a short break anyway. The average charging rate has been between 42 and 48kW for 6 of the stops. The only time I got more than 50 kW was a week ago at an Ionity charger at Carlisle which peaked at at least 108kW and averaged 97kW from 25.5% to 80.1% with initial battery temperature of 16.5 rising to 34.5 at the end. Charging was competed before we had finished eating and gave more charge than we needed to complete the 460 mile journey. I think that for many people under most circumstances battery preheating is not essential.

[ricky10]

Let’s also be mindful that heating battery is gonna cost electricity.

The battery pack is around 500kg to get it up 10kelvin will cost significantly amount of energy.

[ScullD01]

If you ask Skoda they still maintain they are working on a way to deliver preheating to ME3.X vehicles. Ultimately the value of this feature is different for every owner but I guess what you don’t have now you don’t necessarily miss!