Yardstick
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
I've been doing a lot of searching on the eTorque system and I've come up with a couple of questions for which I cannot find difinitive answers.
There are many references to the 48V battery's coolant system and antifreeze lines that run under the vehicle. I have seen fewer references to a refrigerant system with lines carrying freon under the vehicle, presumably to keep the battery cool. Are there actually two systems to protect the battery? Antifreeze would protect the battery from freezing and could be used to warm it up in colder climates and a refrigeration system would be used to cool the battery in hot climates. Are these systems only active when the vehicle is running or can they activate to protect the battery if the ambient temperature is too high or low? One of my worries with eTorque was cooking that 48V battery if the Jeep weren't being driven for a week or more at a time during the AZ summer where daytime ambient temps can be above 110F for months on end.
My other question might just change my mind on the system (maybe others too). I've had a negative opinion of the eTorque system in part because it seemed like unnecessary complexity. Recently some comments made me wonder; could we exploit this complexity into redundancy? It sounds like the system is already smart enough to disable ESS if the 48V battery is low. The next most common failure might be a main starter battery failure. The 48/12 DC to DC converter might prop up the starter battery for a while. If the 12V battery failure were severe enough, could we start the vehicle (thinking cold start) using the 48V battery alone, either through the DC to DC converter with the conventional starter or by engaging the BSG to turn the engine over? This might also offer redundancy if the conventional 12V starter motor failed.
There are many references to the 48V battery's coolant system and antifreeze lines that run under the vehicle. I have seen fewer references to a refrigerant system with lines carrying freon under the vehicle, presumably to keep the battery cool. Are there actually two systems to protect the battery? Antifreeze would protect the battery from freezing and could be used to warm it up in colder climates and a refrigeration system would be used to cool the battery in hot climates. Are these systems only active when the vehicle is running or can they activate to protect the battery if the ambient temperature is too high or low? One of my worries with eTorque was cooking that 48V battery if the Jeep weren't being driven for a week or more at a time during the AZ summer where daytime ambient temps can be above 110F for months on end.
My other question might just change my mind on the system (maybe others too). I've had a negative opinion of the eTorque system in part because it seemed like unnecessary complexity. Recently some comments made me wonder; could we exploit this complexity into redundancy? It sounds like the system is already smart enough to disable ESS if the 48V battery is low. The next most common failure might be a main starter battery failure. The 48/12 DC to DC converter might prop up the starter battery for a while. If the 12V battery failure were severe enough, could we start the vehicle (thinking cold start) using the 48V battery alone, either through the DC to DC converter with the conventional starter or by engaging the BSG to turn the engine over? This might also offer redundancy if the conventional 12V starter motor failed.
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