It's Winter--Don't Drive That EV!
Electric vehicles lose efficiency in cold weather, motor club warns drivers
And not just by a little.
(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- With a winter storm bearing down on the Midwest, Triple A has some advice for motorists, including drivers of electric vehicles.
It’s common sense to a lot of drivers in the Chicago area, but it bears repeating: If you must venture out during a winter storm, keep an emergency kit in your car. It should include items like your cell phone, jumper cables, food, water, blankets, hats and kitty litter or sand in case you get stuck in snow and need traction.
And for owners of electric vehicles, says Molly Hart, spokesperson for AAA, the auto club group, be advised that cold weather decreases your driving range almost by half.
“When it dips to 20 degrees and the HVAC system is being used to heat the inside of the vehicle, the average driving range is decreased by 41 percent,” Hart says.
That means instead of getting 100 miles of combined urban and highway driving, the range at 20 degrees would be reduced to 59 miles.
OK. We’re expecting a high of 2 degrees fahrenheit on Friday, with a 25 mph wind—yes, I’ve always believed that wind chill affects cars, so why not EVs too? I wonder what the efficiency will be like in that weather?
Blessed Christmas one and all!
Li-ion is almost useless below freezing temperatures... Li (and variations) have individual computers as well as temp sensors and will pre-heat themselves as temps lower (hmmm, guess where that energy is depleted from...) so they can operate at all-(in fairness the computers help balance loads across multiple batts, charging management and etc.). Searching online about Li batts, even the highly regarded Li-Fe ones will likely scare a cautious person from using Electric vehicles in cold climates/cold times. Fancy Golf Carts batts, of which replacement alone is equal in cost to a new, complete cart model with 'standard' Lead-Acid batt or gas!
There are good benefits of Li- rechargeable vehicles: most of us don't play golf when it gets cold so don't care. If you depend on your car, however, it's a different, dangerous story.
Marooned at 2 degrees in a vehicle that can not provide heat, let alone go anywhere? Dangerous.
My favorite (and then I'm done) is Big-trucks being electric. I get it, in town etc. cleaner, quieter and so forth. I've around 4 million miles driving 40-52 ton GVW trucks that, well, battery operated simply just wouldn't cut it.
Thanks for reading my drivel... it's fun to enter into such discourse.
I hope for the very best Christmas for you all - from Idaho! Where, yes, it's cold but I'm gas powered... coupled with 4 wheel drive which also is a necessity. But I can go 400 miles on a 'charge' of gas in the tank and will stay warm with a flat tire or other, typical road incident... just sayin'!
The lithium batteries generate a lot of heat when they burn. Helps keep you warm on a cold Chicago night🤔