[billg]

It is -8F outside, +18F in my garage. Car is a 2022 Bolt EUV not recalled for battery replacement. Level 2 charging starts at 10 p.m. Charge starts at 80% heading to 100%.

A creaking/crackling sound is heard coming from under the car.

When I interrupt the charging, the sound immediately goes away. When I restart charging the sound immediately returns.

When the charge reaches 87% the sound goes away.

It is as if the very cold battery begins warming and expanding when the charging begins. Perhaps the noise is caused by that expansion. Eventually it warms to a point where it is no longer expanding.

Has anyone else heard this?

 

[neutrondrip]

Yes, as far as I know this is completely normal. If I had to guess, it's the sound of the coolant being heated and circulating through the battery heat exchanger to heat the battery.

 

[accelerus]

22 EUV here built after the recall, and still have it, but only when DC fast charging. I'll plug in and be chilling at a station and you can hear the crackling you describe from under the car from coolant circulation.

 

[neutrondrip]

I should note that I only hear it when the battery is pretty cold, typically when it's been sitting at 30 °F or lower.

 

[Rainystateguy]

I hear creaking and gurgling when using DCFC. I've never noticed it when using level 2 charging, but then again I don't think that I have ever sat in my car when it was charging at level 2.

 

[SteelCurtainSVN]

I just started hearing a unique noise when charging although I pulled my snowy EUV into my garage to charge(L2) when it happened. First time it’s touched snow so maybe it could be that but I wasn’t even getting this noise in the polar vortex a few weeks ago so…

 

[phuber]

I am getting the same noise and wonder if I have air in the battery heating loop. Any wisdom regarding this sound would be appreciated.

 

[GJETSON]

The sheet metal box will make pop and crack sounds if it is really cold, when the battery heater comes on...just sheet metal expansion. There can also be a gurgling sound, if there is air in the loop. If you hear gurgling, i suggest popping the hood and checking that coolant level isn't below the fill line with two arrows.