Feature (ZHV) Pre-heating of battery w/ Active air flap ctrl

[Surge]

I haven't found anything written about how this works.
It's distinct from the Heat Pump (4T9), which is for pre-heating the cabin temperature before entering the car.

BMW describes ZHV as:
ZHV, Pre-heating of HV battery with Active air flap control: pre-heating the HV battery ensures that the battery is operating at the optimal temperature which further improves the range and performance of the battery. Additional active control of air flaps to assist in achieving optimum operating temperature.

Sounds fascinating. What does it actually do?

 

[agj]

Sounds fascinating. What does it actually do?

This is one of the questions have been asking for months :?: :?:

Seems like a perfect candidate for the BMW official technical knowledge base have been asking for months (too) :mrgreen:

 

[RJSATLBA]

I had a good experience when I raised a fairly technical question via the online support channel, so much so that it had to be referred up and I received a detailed reply by email about 5 days later, so I've just tried asking the question that has dominated the last few items on the 'Battery pre-heat' thread.

The exact question was:

Q Can you explain how the battery pre-conditioning for the i3 in the ZHV option within the winter pack differs from whatever pre-conditioning there is as standard. Incidentally I'm typing blind as the dialogue box is truncated on ny browser so apols for any errors.

and the subsequent dialogue:

A The winter pack has pre-heating of the battery which will heat it to optimal temperature for the longest range possible. It also comes with front heated seats. These two options are not on a standard BMW i3.

Q Does that mean that there is no pre-conditioning without the winter pack.

A Yes that is correct.

This is contrary to the speculation that a level of pre-conditioning is standard to protect the battery with the warranty in mind. This seems to make sense because somebody with irregular travel patterns (retired like me) who does not set a standard daily departure time, would only pre-condition the battery by triggering it from the remote a few minutes in advance, or possibly not at all. Without pre-setting the car doesn't know when to pre-condition. Unless BMW were to make it clear that preconditioning is a condition of the battery warranty they could not exclude a claim simply because an owner had never used it, even if they had it. After all it is bundled with heated seats so someone choosing the winter pack could be doing so solely in order to have a warm rear!

 

[agj]

I had a good experience when I raised a fairly technical question via the online support channel, so much so that it had to be referred up and I received a detailed reply by email about 5 days later, so I've just tried asking the question that has dominated the last few items on the 'Battery pre-heat' thread.

The exact question was:

Q Can you explain how the battery pre-conditioning for the i3 in the ZHV option within the winter pack differs from whatever pre-conditioning there is as standard. Incidentally I'm typing blind as the dialogue box is truncated on ny browser so apols for any errors.

and the subsequent dialogue:

A The winter pack has pre-heating of the battery which will heat it to optimal temperature for the longest range possible. It also comes with front heated seats. These two options are not on a standard BMW i3.

Q Does that mean that there is no pre-conditioning without the winter pack.

A Yes that is correct.

This is contrary to the speculation that a level of pre-conditioning is standard to protect the battery with the warranty in mind. This seems to make sense because somebody with irregular travel patterns (retired like me) who does not set a standard daily departure time, would only pre-condition the battery by triggering it from the remote a few minutes in advance, or possibly not at all. Without pre-setting the car doesn't know when to pre-condition. Unless BMW were to make it clear that preconditioning is a condition of the battery warranty they could not exclude a claim simply because an owner had never used it, even if they had it. After all it is bundled with heated seats so someone choosing the winter pack could be doing so solely in order to have a warm rear!

The answer you received is not consistent with printed material, price list details and press releases to be found on the internet ...

Ok, I guess we'll have to wait for BMW (Munich) to come up with definitive answers.

 

[RJSATLBA]

Hi agj, I've just skimmed the UK brochure and price list as well as the BMW UK web site and can't see any reference to battery pre-conditioning without the ZHV option that is bundled with the ZWT winter package in the UK. However I can see something in the original press pack under the heading 'The latest in battery technology' that describes various aspects of temperature management on the move, then pre-heating, without saying that pre-heating is an option.

Out of interest, can you point me towards where you have seen something else?

 

[Gonville]

Is the temperature management the fact that the batteries are immersed in coolant fluid? Hence keeping them from getting too hot. The pre heater I guess is to warm that fluid up to optimum from very cold before they do that themselves when under load? And the air flap for very hot conditions to assist in airflow for cooling of the fluid if they are too hot to start with? One option for the desert one for the arctic and the rest works ok at ambient?

 

[agj]

Hi agj, I've just skimmed the UK brochure and price list as well as the BMW UK web site and can't see any reference to battery pre-conditioning without the ZHV option that is bundled with the ZWT winter package in the UK. However I can see something in the original press pack under the heading 'The latest in battery technology' that describes various aspects of temperature management on the move, then pre-heating, without saying that pre-heating is an option.

Out of interest, can you point me towards where you have seen something else?

Hi Roger,

Well, the quest for info is getting exciting, isn't it?

You surely came across this one, in a form or another :
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicles/i/i3/2013/showroom/safety.html (under "High Voltage Battery").

This same sentence has been copied/pasted in some other articles and press releases. A good thing would be to have an official clarification.... Tom Moloughney, any chance your contacts know the answer?

 

[Surge]

In some markets, like Canada, heated seats are standard (494), and there is no cold weather prep package, and no mention of the ZHV feature.

I noticed that for other cars, like the X5, there is mention of an "active air flap", and that refers to louvers behind the front grill, which adjust the airflow to the radiator. But the i3 doesn't have a radiator, especially without the REx, or does it… for the battery?

 

[RJSATLBA]

My reading of the link that agj posted is that, although its a sweeping generalisation and rather ambiguous (perhaps intentionally as it is marketing blurb) it only relates to battery management on the move, not to pre-conditioning.

 

[Gonville]

I'll search the parts diagram for an indication of where this air flap is.

 

[Surge]

Good idea gonville.
And here is a picture of the 'active air flap' on the X5:
http://test.bmwtoronto.ca/images-blog/x5_air_inlet-10-750x256.jpg

I asked BMW Canada customer service - they have no clue! Kept referring me to the dealer, even though I told them the dealer also has no clue! Kind of a joke how misinformed everyone is.