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Even if the reporter fabricated parts of the story, aren't the concerns about driving in cold weather still relevant? Any Tesla owners want to weigh in?
by lotso 14y ago
Even if the reporter fabricated parts of the story, aren't the concerns about driving in cold weather still relevant? Any Tesla owners want to weigh in?
- jonknee 14y agoNo more so than the concerns of driving in warm weather (AC uses electricity). You get less than optimal mileage in less than optimal conditions. This is true for any vehicle. My gas powered car jumps around on its range calculation too.
- marvin 14y agoAs a Norwegian and Tesla investor, I must admit I'm a bit worried by this story. Isn't range also affected by the batteries performing worse in cold weather? If this effect is worse than Tesla had anticipated (weather this cold is routine where I live, Norway, and this is slated to become the second biggest Model S market after the US), I am worried that they might have missed other things as well. Tesla is located in California. It's a really hot and really dry climate. How about cabin fogging and moisture? How about the #1 killer of cars in wet and icy climates, rust? It seems elementary, and it should be. But like I said, I must admit I'm a bit worried.
- rayiner 14y agoRoad salt, etc. I'm rooting for Tesla, but it would be a hilarious testament to Californian hubris if the Model S was undone by failure to consider the fact that other places have weather.
- vilda 14y agoBatteries heats up during discharge. I wouldn't worry about that. Starting a gasoline engine in cold is a different story - there, the battery is required to provide energy far above their normal working conditions.
- analyst74 14y agoAccording to an owner's report(1), driving Nissan Leaf in cold winter (Canada) with aggressive heating reduces its range to about half of its claimed 160km optimal range. 1, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/green-driving/news-and-notes/living-with-the-leaf-part-3-fuel-bills-and-range-anxiety/article552460/?page=all http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/green-driving/new...
- WiseWeasel 14y agoOne big difference is that heat (and thus warm air) is a by-product of internal combustion, so a typical car's heater will ALWAYS work, which turns out to be critical for survival in certain climates. Having the A/C go down in extremely hot weather will leave you uncomfortable; having the heater go down in extremely cold weather can kill you.
- smackfu 14y agoYeah, it seems like "less than optimal conditions" for the Tesla are 2/3 of the year in the Northeast US. Which is not great.
- ricardobeat 14y agoIn both cases (electric and gas) the heater stops working when the fuel ends.
- WiseWeasel 14y agoThis is a good point, with a few caveats: 1) gasoline-fueled cars have a significantly higher range than their electric battery-fueled peers, 2) heat is "free" in a gas-fueled car where it's an added cost in electric battery-fueled cars, and 3) gas range is more predictable than battery capacity, the latter of which being more sensitive to ambient temperature. These factors contribute to a significant advantage for gasoline-fueled cars in colder climates.
- ceejayoz 14y ago> 1) gasoline-fueled cars have a significantly higher range than their electric battery-fueled peers, The Tesla's 300 mile range is pretty close to most of the gas-powered cars I've owned here in the US. > 2) heat is "free" in a gas-fueled car where it's an added cost in electric battery-fueled cars, and Yes, but idling an electric car is free, where it's an added cost in gasoline-fueled cars. If I slide into a ditch in winter and get stuck, I'm going to be depleting my fuel either way.
- 14y ago
- lotso 14y agoSure, but my gas powered car doesn't take hours to charge and the mileage does not fluctuate as much as an electronic car does due to weather.