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Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars

recurrentauto.com

91–100 of 332 posts

Re: Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars

#91

Wait, judging from some comments people actually take heating and winter tires into consideration when calculating differences in mileage? But I have to disagree. You have to use heating and winter tires during winter. The correct calculation should be take that out first and then compare the numbers. For example if heating and winter tires take say 100 miles, full mileage says 500, but car stops around 300 miles, th…

Uh, you don't loose range to heating in an ICE engine. The heater is just a secondary radiator, so it actually improves engine efficiency. Old trick for driving an under-powered car over the Rockies in the summer: open the windows and turn the heater on.

People around here put warm non-flammable fabric in front of radiators and cover their engines in winter because it significantly improves gas mileage and doesn't push the engine into overheating — the air is cold enough (-30°C and below) that it's not an issue.

Re: Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars

#92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your car doesn't feel wind chill. I drive an EV in Canadian winter all the time. Not at all an issue. Range loss is a thing but it's not like the car stops working. In fact it starts more reliably and heats up more quickly for me. And I start mine remotely while it's still plugged in, so the cabin is warm and ready to go without wasting battery energy. And can do this safely in the garage without concerns of carbon m…

Air velocity certainly impacts heat transfer.

Wind chill is a measure of the perception of winter temperatures on human skin.

Certainly the car is affected by wind in cold temps. But that's something else that we would measure entirely differently.

Re: Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars

#93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your car doesn't feel wind chill. I drive an EV in Canadian winter all the time. Not at all an issue. Range loss is a thing but it's not like the car stops working. In fact it starts more reliably and heats up more quickly for me. And I start mine remotely while it's still plugged in, so the cabin is warm and ready to go without wasting battery energy. And can do this safely in the garage without concerns of carbon m…

Air velocity certainly impacts heat transfer.

…and therefore your argument is that the wind is somehow blowing on a battery that is enclosed, as are most EV traction batteries?

Re: Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars

#95

I find it strange that the charts only go down to 20°F, when for example at the moment I write this comment, it's -5°F (-21°C) in Bismarck, North Dakota. And sub-zero Fahrenheit temperatures are pretty common in the winter across the Northeast, especially at night. "Normal" driving conditions extend way below just 20°F.

As I’m sitting here reading this, it is -35 C after windchill. The reason we didn’t get an ev is because we are getting the sense that the companies that make them do not take Canadaian weather into account It looks like some of those manufacturers only lose 3% of their range in weather like this, but that’s estimated. The verified numbers are far lower?

Plenty of people drive EVs in the arctic far north of Norway (Troms & Finnmark). Not quite as cold as Canada, maybe, but close.

Of course EVs will have less range in cold conditions, but they also have some advantages in the cold: pre-heating from an app so the car is warm when you set out, for example. They may be more reliable than petrol and diesel vehicles in extreme cold conditions, and no need for engine block heaters, etc.

Re: Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars

#96

I can’t decide on my next car - Live in cold village on US east coast - ICE might be going obsolete - BEVs are improving quickly so what I buy might be superseded soon - feels almost like the early days of smartphones. - Gas prices are very high - Used and new car prices are unreasonably high - There’s not enough chargers to support the number of EVs being driven in my area leading to long waits. - I could charge at…

> I could charge at home, but don’t have a garage

No problem (why should it?)

> BEVs are improving quickly so what I buy might be superseded soon

That WAS my concern, but EV resale value is amazingly stable, better than most ICE in my area (EU). After all, EVs are still cars, so innovation cycles are long (many years).

Re: Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars

#97
post #42

As a Minnesotan with an unheated detached garage, I’d be very interested to know about -40°F performance. We get a couple of those days every year. I have been looking at my next car potentially being an EV and am really curious about the extremes.

It maybe worth calculating the cost of adding some insulation and very limited heating to your detached garage; this could be a factor, in terms of the overall cost of vehicle ownership.

I think that's excessive and even wasteful. He can use a heating block.

Re: Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars

#98
post #42

As a Minnesotan with an unheated detached garage, I’d be very interested to know about -40°F performance. We get a couple of those days every year. I have been looking at my next car potentially being an EV and am really curious about the extremes.

A lot of ICE cars won't even start at 40 below. Those cases should count as zero mile range

Heating block

Re: Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars

#99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I’m sitting here reading this, it is -35 C after windchill. The reason we didn’t get an ev is because we are getting the sense that the companies that make them do not take Canadaian weather into account It looks like some of those manufacturers only lose 3% of their range in weather like this, but that’s estimated. The verified numbers are far lower?

Plenty of people drive EVs in the arctic far north of Norway (Troms & Finnmark). Not quite as cold as Canada, maybe, but close. Of course EVs will have less range in cold conditions, but they also have some advantages in the cold: pre-heating from an app so the car is warm when you set out, for example. They may be more reliable than petrol and diesel vehicles in extreme cold conditions, and no need for engine block…

I was under the impression that cars died in the cold due to the battery dying. Are evs more reliable because they are likely to be plugged in over night?

Re: Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars

#100

I find it strange that the charts only go down to 20°F, when for example at the moment I write this comment, it's -5°F (-21°C) in Bismarck, North Dakota. And sub-zero Fahrenheit temperatures are pretty common in the winter across the Northeast, especially at night. "Normal" driving conditions extend way below just 20°F.

Everyone’s repeating they find this strange. Is it really strange?

I’ve been excited for EVs all my life. But there’s a certain level of propaganda that’s come with them.

Explicitly talking about their downsides seems to be taboo. Like you’ll get downvoated or banned on many social media platforms for doing it.

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