What is something that is a benefit to you and a benefit to your EV? Preconditioning! What is preconditioning? Preconditioning is getting the vehicle's cabin set to a comfortable temperature before it comes off the charger. 

Despite the wonderful feeling of a warmed up vehicle, we have recently been advised not to warm up or cool down our traditional ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles. ICE vehicles no longer require a “warm up” period so doing this just uses excess gasoline, pollutes the air, and depending on the vehicle set up, increases your chance for theft. 

With EVs, not only is it great for the driver to be able to precondition the vehicle, it’s actually recommended by the manufacturer. Doing so is better for the life of the battery and helps maintain the estimated battery range given by the vehicle. When a vehicle is plugged in it pulls from the electricity source rather than the vehicle's battery. Allowing you to warm or cool your vehicle essentially without touching or using your battery, prolonging the life of the lithium battery. This also will allow you to use less heat or air while driving, because the cabin is already warm or cool, reducing the battery usage while driving and extending the range. 

Preconditioning varies on vehicle types, but typically can be set up ahead of time using the vehicle's app or the information center in the vehicle itself. If you are having difficulty locating this on your vehicle, check out the owner's manual or look at an online resource like YouTube.

More information on preconditioning and other battery optimization tips can be found in this Going the Distance brochure from Ford. While this information is specific to Ford E-Transit, the concepts typically apply to all EVs.