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Unless the heat pump is in the car and can't run because the battery is frozen or died... I mean, real scenario here: It's the Yukon, it's -30C outside in Janu

Unless the heat pump is in the car and can't run because the battery is frozen or died... I mean, real scenario here: It's the Yukon, it's -30C outside in January. You run in for groceries and the battery is low. You get haggled a bit. You come back outside, your battery is dead because it's cold. You can't run your heat pump either, because the battery is dead. You can't use, say, a fire or a blowtorch either. Time for hundreds of feet of extension cords.

foogazi 3y ago
What % of the population of Earth falls under this “real” scenario? Most people won’t drive when it’s this cold anyway
PreInternet01 3y ago
You don't need to 'run the heat pump'. It is running already, whenever required, even if you're not around. And, because it is running, your batteries will not reach a temperature where they start degrading. And, yes, this means your driving range is reduced slightly, but because heat pumps are so efficient, and because the alternative is, as you so eloquently observe, "car is dead", it's... sort-of worth it? And the wonderful thing is: this works in both extreme cold and extreme heat, because heat pumps are reversible! So, for a little bit of battery power/range reduction (let's call it 20%?), you keep your EV (and the planet!) alive a little while longer. Now, I don't have any experience with 'the Yukon', but I can tell you from personal experience that: a Volkswagen Transporter, used for staff and goods movement in Greenland (so, short distances only: all serious travel is done by plane or boat), that in its fossil-powered incarnation would need to run 24/7 on diesel for a good 90 days a year, works perfectly fine year-round in its heat-pump-upgraded EV life.
soco 3y ago
Isn't this the exactly same problem you have with an ICE at -30?
gaganyaan 3y ago
My EV is doing just fine in -20C weather right now. Cold weather concerns are simply more FUD pushed by a dying industry that doesn't need help from people parroting them.
bryanlarsen 3y ago
At -30C or -50C people leave their ICE cars running to keep warm, too. I once ran a truck out of fuel doing that. (In my defence the fuel gauge was broken, but the logbook I was using instead was not well kept...)

foogazi 3y ago

What % of the population of Earth falls under this “real” scenario? Most people won’t drive when it’s this cold anyway

PreInternet01 3y ago

You don't need to 'run the heat pump'. It is running already, whenever required, even if you're not around. And, because it is running, your batteries will not reach a temperature where they start degrading. And, yes, this means your driving range is reduced slightly, but because heat pumps are so efficient, and because the alternative is, as you so eloquently observe, "car is dead", it's... sort-of worth it? And the wonderful thing is: this works in both extreme cold and extreme heat, because heat pumps are reversible! So, for a little bit of battery power/range reduction (let's call it 20%?), you keep your EV (and the planet!) alive a little while longer. Now, I don't have any experience with 'the Yukon', but I can tell you from personal experience that: a Volkswagen Transporter, used for staff and goods movement in Greenland (so, short distances only: all serious travel is done by plane or boat), that in its fossil-powered incarnation would need to run 24/7 on diesel for a good 90 days a year, works perfectly fine year-round in its heat-pump-upgraded EV life.

soco 3y ago

Isn't this the exactly same problem you have with an ICE at -30?

gaganyaan 3y ago

My EV is doing just fine in -20C weather right now. Cold weather concerns are simply more FUD pushed by a dying industry that doesn't need help from people parroting them.

bryanlarsen 3y ago

At -30C or -50C people leave their ICE cars running to keep warm, too. I once ran a truck out of fuel doing that. (In my defence the fuel gauge was broken, but the logbook I was using instead was not well kept...)