EV charging in cold weather

[blwnsmoke]

A great story on EV charging.  This isn't a bash post on Tesla, just a great example of issues that will come up for cold climates.

 

https://insideevs.com/news/460919/canada-tesla-driver-failed-supercharge-30c-weather/

[AGR]

Fortunately, most don't face -30 Celsius (-22 F) very often...and not just for this issue!

[Ovaltine]

Give me the BTU's of 15 gallons of easily dispensed petrol, ANY day - esp. up here in the Great White North!  ? 

 

Btw, you can't do THIS with a 'Supercharger'!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWsm3w-G8i8    LOL  J/K 

 

 

-Ovaltine

 

[FR739]

On 12/22/2020 at 12:03 AM, Ovaltine said:

Give me the BTU's of 15 gallons of easily dispensed petrol, ANY day - esp. up here in the Great White North!  ? 

 

-Ovaltine

 

Yep.  110%
 

This is yet another perfect example as to why EVs are nowhere near ready for prime time.  They are compliance vehicles and fashion accessories.  

[akirby]

32 minutes ago, FR739 said:

Yep.  110%
 

This is yet another perfect example as to why EVs are nowhere near ready for prime time.  They are compliance vehicles and fashion accessories.  

Theyre perfectly viable as commuter vehicles even in cold weather with reduced range.  Most people don’t drive more than 100 miles per day assuming they have home charging.  I do agree most people won’t consider one as an only vehicle in cold weather until range and charging times improve.

[slemke]

On 12/26/2020 at 7:35 PM, akirby said:

Theyre perfectly viable as commuter vehicles even in cold weather with reduced range.  Most people don’t drive more than 100 miles per day assuming they have home charging.  I do agree most people won’t consider one as an only vehicle in cold weather until range and charging times improve.

Depends.  How much electricity does it take at -30F just to keep the battery warm to be functional?  Say you have a 10 hour overnight shift with no place to plug in.  Will there still be enough charge left to warm the car and get you home after a long night?

 

I remember in MN on the coldest days people going out to their cars to start them on breaks to charge the battery and keep the engine warm enough to turn over at the end of the day.  Some of that may have ended as synthetic oil became more prevalent.

 

10W30 would come out of the bottle in chunks when it was below 0.  There was no way that was making it to the oil pan on its own.

 

Electric cars serve a purpose.  But they aren’t ready for prime-time.  Cost needs to come down on the batteries, charging infrastructure improved dramatically, and cold weather issues worked out.  

[AGR]

Minnesota is hardly indicative of the country as a whole. I live in the state immediately south of Minnesota. In January of 2018, it got down to -22 F on one night. It hadn't been that cold here in 25 years. Extreme cold may be a concern in Alaska, Canada, and in some of the states bordering Canada. For most of the US, where the vast majority of Americans live, extreme cold doesn't happen often enough to be a major concern.