What Is Phantom Drain and How Does It Affect EV Fleets?

Gretchen Reese (00:24):

Hey there. Welcome to the Fleet FYIs podcast, The weekly podcast by Utilimarc that reveals how you can make the most of your data for smarter Fleet management. My name is Gretchen and every week you'll hear from me or some of the industry's finest in candid conversations that will not only shed some light on over two decades worth of Fleet data insights, but also some industry's hottest talking points and key metric analysis aimed to help you better understand your Fleet from every angle. But before we begin, if this is the first time you've heard our show, thanks for stopping by. I'm so glad you decided to come along for the ride with us, but I've got a quick favor to ask you. Once you finished today's episode, if you could take a few minutes to leave us a review on you're favorite podcasting platform, we would really appreciate it. Give us a rating, five stars I hope, or tell us what you liked, or leave us a comment or questions about what you've heard in today's episode. If we haven't yet covered a topic that you're interested in more about, let us know. We would be happy to go over it in detail in a later show. 

(01:34):

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Fleet FYIs podcast. We all know, especially in today's sustainability charged environment, that electric vehicle's range is one of the most important aspects of any driver or Fleet manager to consider when adopting electric vehicles. It's imperative when it comes to planning the logistics behind daily vehicle routes and charging schedules as a lower ranges will mean shorter, potentially more inefficient routes and also potentially more frequent charging needs. EV Fleet managers will also have to consider the various situations and factors that cause batteries to drain faster or inhibit efficient charging. There's so much that goes into this, right? 

(02:14):

Extreme temperatures is another one of those factors. For Fleets operating in extremely hot or cold weather conditions, battery capacity and charging speed can be negatively affected. We've already been over this in a few other episodes, so if you're keen you can always go back in the Fleet FYIs archives and have a listen to those, after this one of course. 

(02:33):

But anyways these effects can be permanent and they can also lessen an EV's range over time. Many drivers are now noticing another phenomenon called Phantom Drain or Vampire Drain, effecting their batter performance and fuel efficiency. But what exactly is the cause? Let's dig in. 

(03:19):

So what is exactly is Phantom Drain? So Phantom Drain, like I said also called Vampire Drain, occurs when energy is lost from a battery when the vehicle is not in use. Think of it kind of similar to, um, how, if say for example you have an internal combustion engine parked in a warm garage, you can feel that evaporates from your fuel tank. I mean its kinda the same basic principle, just a different methodology of fueling your car. It was first observed in a study conducted on a 2013 Tesla Model S which showed that on board electronics contributed to a range loss of up to five miles when vehicles sat unused and unplugged for 18 hours or more. And the question is, you know, why- Why does this happen? 

(04:01):

Well, there's several contributing reasons. Basically when EVs are turned off they are still using a standby power to run features such as power locks, battery climate control, and third party apps, and most electric vehicles actually have a small lead acid battery which is responsible for powering some essential functions. But the main vehicle battery still suffers Phantom Drain from other sources. Whilst five miles of lost range might now post too much of a threat, you know at least initially. The constantly advancing technology in third party applications in third party electric vehicles hold the potential to drain even more battery power going forward. That's where the problem starts. 

(04:41):

The drain from energy intensive technology in combination of external factors like extreme weather can amplify the overall decrease in battery performance, which isn't great. But what- What does this mean for EV drivers because I'm sure that's what you're all wondering here now that I've given you the doom and gloom report. Well, Phantom Draining can have serious implications for Fleets that use their EV infrequently or Fleets that might be prone to rapidly changing climates because we know at this point that whether and temperature can have an effect on batteries too, like we've been saying this entire episode. This is easy to understand when you imagine how it would be when internal combustion vehicles lost a gallon of fuel every single day they sat unused. And that adds up pretty quickly, especially with gas prices that they are now. You probably wouldn't be to happy about that, but it can't be avoided unless you keep your vehicle in a more temperature controlled area, but more on that in a later episode. 

(05:39):

Aside from this, over the course of several months or a year this would quickly add up to a substantial amount of excess fuel consumed outside of what you're driving, and to combat this, especially for electric vehicles, a lot of drivers will leave their vehicles plugged to charging ports until they are ready to be driven. Now this tends to be muddles with EV charging data for multiple reasons, especially at an event level. And most small charging events keep vehicles topped off, but for business purposes they should be aggregated into a single charging event representing the total amount of energy consumed during the vehicles time plugged in.

(06:16):

The good news is, EV drivers and Fleet managers can also take some preventive measures, aside from grouping all those small charging event into a single charging event represented, but turning off any non essential features. That's one, or even switching your vehicles to energy saver mode can be a really good first step. If you also can keep your car warm whenever possible, that can be a huge help in preserving battery performance because, like we've talked about in other episodes, especially when it comes to how temperatures can affect your EV range, we know now that extremely low temperatures are a major culprit for weakened battery capacity. So keeping cars in a covered garage can help prevent batteries from exposure to freezing temperatures. 

(06:57):

If you really want to listen to that episode, say for example what effect does the winter have on EV range but then also internal combustion range, go have a listen to that. That is the first episode of season three. But again, make sure you listen to that after this show. 

(07:13):

All in all, though Phantom Drain should not be considered as a deterrent for those that are interested in switching to EVs, and nor should it be a major cause of concern for Fleet managers. As we were speaking about earlier, lithium ion batteries continue to evolved and increase in capacity, so the slight loss of energy should become even less of a threat in the future. But I'd love to hear what you think. Was Phantom Drain a concern for you before listening to this show? Were you even aware of what it was? Let me know. You can send me an email. You can tag me on LinkedIn, or you can use the hashtag Utilimarc Fleet FYIs. You can even send me a carrier pigeon if you like, if that's more your style. I won't judge. Anyways I am looking forward to hearing from you and until next Friday, that's all from me. Chow.

(07:59):

Hey there. I think this is the time that I should cue the virtual high-five, because you've just finished listening to another episode of the Fleet's FYI podcast. If you're already wanting more content, head over to Utilimarc.com, which is Utilimarc with a C. U-T-I-L-I-M-A-R-C dot com for this episode's show notes and extra insights coming straight from our analysts to you. That's all from me this week, so until next time, I'll catch you later.