Electric Vehicles aren't handling the cold for charging

[Lamb]

The US has gone through some frigid weather and people with electric vehicles are finding that their cars aren't fully charging properly due to the cold. If they want people to switch to electric vehicles, that type of things needs to be addressed. I wouldn't own one just yet.

 

[MoreCoffee]

The US has gone through some frigid weather and people with electric vehicles are finding that their cars aren't fully charging properly due to the cold. If they want people to switch to electric vehicles, that type of things needs to be addressed. I wouldn't own one just yet.

The environmental and social costs associated with Cobalt, Nickel, and Lithium mining, processing, and use in batteries makes electric vehicles a significant threat to the environment. But electric vehicles are good for air quality. They also are cheaper to fuel. So, the time for buying them is here but they do cost quite a lot more than a similar Internal Combustion Engine vehicle. I do not own one and I may not buy one for many years yet, but they are a solution to a good number of problems as well as being a potential source of a good number of problems.

 

[tango]

Doesn't matter if an electric vehicle doesn't meet your needs. If the market can't produce a product good enough for you to choose it, Nanny State takes away the choice.

 

[Josiah]

It is a fundamental problem with all batteries currently in production: They all become less effective as temps lower. Practical for Los Angeles CA, less so for Buffalo NY. The Government and the Libs simply choose to evade this reality.

But here in California, the love affair with electric vehicles has already past. Now, the love is with bicycles. There should be no cars or trucks or trains, electric or otherwise. Just bikes. So, the new state law is that apartments and condos and houses don't need to have any facilities for cars or trucks, just bikes. all over, street parking is being replaced with bike lanes. Taxes and bonds, specifically designated for roads, are being diverted (without approval from the voters) to bike paths. Everyone should ride a bike everywhere. So far, no mention of horses, just bikes. Now, to those who read this and think, "Yeah, that's The People's Republic of California!" well, just remember, what happens in California doens't stay in California (it just reveals what Liberals will do, given the power to do it) and well our governor may well be your next president. So there.



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[Forgiven1]

That is interesting about the cars not fully charging in these frigid temperatures. Another reason to not purchase one yet.

 

[tango]

It's not just electric vehicles that can be affected. My wife's car wouldn't start at all the other day, after being outside in temperatures hovering around zero with a wind chill about 20 degrees below zero.

Today it started just fine. Nothing changed, except it's not so cold outside any more. It started and ran just fine, warmed up quite quickly and didn't show any signs of anything wrong.

Batteries generally don't like being intensely cold.

 

[tango]

It is a fundamental problem with all batteries currently in production: They all become less effective as temps lower. Practical for Los Angeles CA, less so for Buffalo NY. The Government and the Libs simply choose to evade this reality.

But here in California, the love affair with electric vehicles has already past. Now, the love is with bicycles. There should be no cars or trucks or trains, electric or otherwise. Just bikes. So, the new state law is that apartments and condos and houses don't need to have any facilities for cars or trucks, just bikes. all over, street parking is being replaced with bike lanes. Taxes and bonds, specifically designated for roads, are being diverted (without approval from the voters) to bike paths. Everyone should ride a bike everywhere. So far, no mention of horses, just bikes. Now, to those who read this and think, "Yeah, that's The People's Republic of California!" well, just remember, what happens in California doens't stay in California (it just reveals what Liberals will do, given the power to do it) and well our governor may well be your next president. So there.



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Riding a bicycle is always fun. Especially when it's 20 below zero with a howling wind and you've got mountains between the start and end of your journey.

Two wheels are also fun when traction starts to suffer.

 

[Lamb]

It's not just electric vehicles that can be affected. My wife's car wouldn't start at all the other day, after being outside in temperatures hovering around zero with a wind chill about 20 degrees below zero.

Today it started just fine. Nothing changed, except it's not so cold outside any more. It started and ran just fine, warmed up quite quickly and didn't show any signs of anything wrong.

Batteries generally don't like being intensely cold.

But the difference is that when it warms up your wife can start driving...the electric vehicle might not be able to charge still.

 

[tango]

But the difference is that when it warms up your wife can start driving...the electric vehicle might not be able to charge still.

I'd guess (based on some knowledge of batteries and almost none of EVs specifically) that an EV would charge up OK when it warmed up although the range would be lower than during warmer weather. How much lower is another matter.

I read an article a while back about a guy who tested a Mustang Mach-E in icy weather, trying to simulate the kind of tailback you might get on a closed interstate. He came away pleasantly surprised - he literally sat in the car for multiple hours at a time, turning on heating when he needed to warm up, then taking an occasional drive around the block to simulate the concept of moving forward a few car lengths and stopping again. From what I recall the results were that everything was reduced but it wasn't as if the car became a paperweight overnight.