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>If nonsense like "Electric cars don't work in the cold" gains traction Well, isn't that kind of true? Obviously, EVs work, but the cold weather has a large im
by lotso 14y ago
>If nonsense like "Electric cars don't work in the cold" gains traction
Well, isn't that kind of true? Obviously, EVs work, but the cold weather has a large impact on batteries.
- PotatoEngineer 14y agoThat's the point - it's "kind of" true. But the takeaway from that NYT article is "you'll get stranded," which is much more painful than the truth: "be careful in the cold."
- lotso 14y agoI read the NYT article. The takeaway for me was that there are serious problems with the car in cold weather. Regardless of it is "kinda of" true, cold weather concerns aren't "nonsense."
- adestefan 14y agoEspecially since being stranded in 0F weather without working heat is a really big deal.
- dba7dba 14y agoNo, that's not kind of true. When something doesn't work, it doesn't work. But if something works but with lesser range, it still works some what. With the NYT's article, they gave the impression that driving tesla means you may end up calling tow truck often, which isn't entirely true.
- eksith 14y agoCold weather also has a large impact on diesel and aircraft fuel, yet somehow engines that utilise both fuels are still in use. The lesson here is that EVs need to be treated differently to gasoline engines. Once those habits kick in, I'm sure we'll see a few in Siberia. Misconceptions are quite harmful to progress.
- taligent 14y agoAnd downplaying legitimate issues are quite harmful to safety.
- niggler 14y ago"is", not "are"
- eksith 14y agoWho's downplaying? Cold weather takes preparation whether it's fossil fuel or electric. EV's take a different type of preparation and a different type of care, although Tesla has done a lot to make that transition smoother. The point here is the claim that EVs don't work in a cold climate, which is disingenuous at best.
- gopalv 14y agoThe drop in capacity of electric batteries are well tested (in airplanes, for instance). What came up was two other hidden factors which were usually ignored (at least by one person - me). The heater systems for the gasoline cars run on parasitic heating, so does the power brake vacuum generation. Both need to be artificially generated for EVs, which busts the "slow brake" traffic MPG gain myth that the hybrids perpetuated.
- sliverstorm 14y agoThe heater systems for the gasoline cars run on parasitic heating I think you mean waste heat
- MertsA 14y agoThe brake booster on the other hand is parasitic.
- sliverstorm 14y agoTechnically correct, however the brake booster only activates when you are braking, in which case the engine is either spinning down to idle or idling. I am not certain of this, but I think this means it is essentially "waste work", because the engine would be idling anyway, and the power drain of the brake booster is not significant enough to warrant feeding the engine extra gasoline. This is distinct from things like A/C, which place a non-trivial amount of load on the engine even at idle, and often require things like a higher idle speed while engaged.
- martythemaniak 14y agoA fair headline for that NYT review should have been "Like ICE cousins, EVs also affected by the cold". Obviously, a far more boring headline than "Stranded on The Electric Highway". Everyone knows your gas consumption goes up during winter, so everyone just puts gas in more often. Everyone who lives in colder climates know to plug in the block heater otherwise your car won't be moving anywhere in the morning. EVs have some great benefits, unfortunately they're not a silver buttlet and you still have to take care of them. You just take care of them in a different way than ICE cars.
- protomyth 14y agoMy range in my Kia Rio 2012 has not dropped more than a couple mpg (36 normal, 32 in the cold and wind) this whole winter in ND. EVs in -20°F seem to have a much larger drop off.