Preconditioning

Preconditioning is an EV control that prepares the vehicle before use, most often by warming or cooling the cabin and sometimes by bringing the high-voltage traction battery closer to a useful temperature for driving or DC fast charging. Ford describes scheduled departure and cabin comfort settings that warm or cool the cabin and condition the battery by the set departure time, while Chevrolet describes battery preconditioning on the way to a public fast charging station to help bring the battery to an ideal temperature for charging performance. In home-energy material, the term may appear near smart charging schedules, off-peak charging, vehicle apps and winter range notes because preconditioning can draw electricity while the vehicle is plugged in. It is different from the charger setting a tariff schedule, from plug-and-charge authentication and from ordinary battery heating that the vehicle manages during driving or charging.