Domane + overheating in car

[dkemme]

Taking delivery of Domane+ SL7 next week and will load up the car and drive to Grand Junction, CO for the Tour de Moon! I tend to keep the bike in the car for long car trips using a trailer hitch rack for short trips. One leg of the trips finds us hiking up the Hanging Lake and wondering if safe to keep the bike inside the car with the windows cracked open or should I lock it up on the hitch rack? Trek states best to keep battery < 122F so I imagine it would be safer outside of the vehicle for that day.

 

[Calcoaster]

Interesting question. If you can park in the shade it really helps. I hope you give a detailed report on your new bike after your rides. If you have other road ebike experience (Creo, etc) I’m interested in how they compare.
Google found this for shaded parking:

Outside “Shaded” Temperature	Inside Closed Automobile
10:30 am	90°	108°
11:00 am	92°	109°
12:00 pm	95°	113°
1:00 pm	101°	114°

 

[6zfshdb]

I was in Moab, UT. last spring and saw a group of ebikers put their batteries in a cooler when storing in a hot car. Don't know if this is possible with the SL7 though.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Not sure about the Domane+ but the 122 F is the upper temperature limit for charging the battery while 158 F is the highest temperature for riding an e-bike. This information is printed on Specialized batteries.

 

[dkemme]

Great info, thanks to all. When I picked up the bikes, I learned it is quite difficult to remove the seats with stems attached as the Di2 batteries are in the stem and pushing the stems down could damage wiring so it will be traveling on the hitch rack.

 

[mtnroads]

Wow - I never would have thought of the heat issue inside the car. Thanks for bringing it up dkemme.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I have ridden in 114 degrees sucked rocks the battery did better than me.

 

[mtnroads]

Yeah that's pretty bad. Here in the Southwestern US I regularly ride in 100-105 as it's almost unavoidable mid-summer. Just have to stay hydrated. But 114 would be brutal - I would look for shade and wait it out.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Yeah that's pretty bad. Here in the Southwestern US I regularly ride in 100-105 as it's almost unavoidable mid-summer. Just have to stay hydrated. But 114 would be brutal - I would look for shade and wait it out.

I had to commute home riding the bus would have been even worse. its 8 miles I had to stop I the middle to get something to drink and cool off at a convince store. the pavement was 135 degrees.

 

[Gordon71]

Buy a sheet of foam insulation and construct a box that the battery will fit in.