Posted on 12/16/2013 12:58:09 PM PST by Impala64ssa
Engineering breakthroughs like the Tesla Model S may be burning up the electric car market (figuratively and literally), but they’re leaving drivers cold and under-powered in the face of Old Man Winter.
Cold temperatures have adverse effects on batteries, slowing down the incoming and outgoing flow of energy and inevitably losing some in the process. The 250-mile average range of an electric car in normal climate conditions can see its performance reduced by 70-miles on a single charge in average winter conditions. The colder it gets, the shorter than range.
Not only that, the average winter driver tends to turn up the heat — a function that also puts a draw on the battery uncommon during other seasons.
The combined effect is a significant reduction in the time between charges, and the miles you can drive comfortably warm before you get there. Drivers also feel a reduction in power, even in the formidable 400-horsepower Model S. As energy flow slows down or is diverted to heating functions, so does your acceleration, and so do you.
But solutions are in the works and some have already been implemented, though they’re imperfect at best. Nissan has taken to installing heaters to warm the battery, while Tesla uses heat runoff from the electric motor to warm the battery along with a regenerative braking system, which transfers energy momentum from stopping into the battery.
Unfortunately battery heaters still need power, and still need to draw it from said battery. Tesla has the best working solution yet, aside from the fact that the electric motor doesn’t generate very much heat, and the large amount of power taken in all at once from regenerative braking can damage the battery if it isn’t warm.
Proper solutions are still years away according to most engineers, and rely on improving battery technology through better conducting materials — materials that, as of now, have a short life expectancy and are slightly unstable.
If drivers can carefully plan their charge times and stops, the problem can largely be avoided. But many may be waiting awhile before charge stations become mainstream, possibly as long as it takes for battery technology to evolve.
For now, Tesla customers have taken to new December forums listed on an MIT Technology Review report with titles like “Winter driving warning” and “Another way to stay toasty on long trips without running heat,” where owners recommend winter motorcycle wear and snowmobile suits.
On the plus side, the winter weather traction is pretty unbeatable.
Only the stupid rich in California are buying them and it’s warm there.
Gasoline or diesel engine needed to solve problem
Electric cars impractical? Now who woulda thunk it.
Don’t go pointing out the obvious! Reality has no place in their minds!
Idiots!
I saw a report a couple years ago where they drove these cars in “real world” conditions ...
When driving in cold rainy/snowy weather with the heat, lights, wipers, and radio [for weather reports] on - these cars only get something like 35 MPGe [Miles Per Gallon equivalent] ...
When driving in hot weather with the AC and the radio on - MPGe is only in the mid-40s ...
Let's hope this system doesn't leak hot air in summer and overheat the battery...:^)
What??? People actually drive cars outside of Silicon Valley??
How quaint!!
“winter motorcycle wear and snowmobile suits. “
Oh sure! That’s a solution that only a tree hugger could suggest. And what about defrosters? You can’t be without them! And headlights - it’s gets dark at 4.30!!!!!
So here’s a scenario. December 21, 5 PM. 20 degrees. Snowing. Job is 20 miles from home. Lights on. Heat on. Defroster on. Your car was charged last night. No charge during the day. It’s not even a question of driving home in that situation! That’s putting your life in danger! No way at all is it reasonable.
So you would need two cars. One normal car for the winter and one electric car for the summer. How’s that for the environment?
However, none of the Environmental nuts haven't figured out that you have to have a GENERATING PLANT to create the electricity used to recharge the EV’s. Those plants run on either coal (bad), nuclear (worse), or gas (good). No matter what powers the plant, the Environmentalists are 100% opposed to the building of new power plants. So, we are full circle. If one cannot find some place that the EV can be recharge because there are fewer generating plants to produce the electricity, you very expensive Tesla Model S becomes an immobile paperweight.
There’s a reason they don’t test these in Baudette Minnesota.
http://blog.caranddriver.com/how-to-winter-test-an-acura-in-ridiculous-brain-freezing-temperatures/
“heaters to warm the battery”
I’m enjoying this. Where do they think the energy comes from to warm the battery? From the grid or from another battery. Then what warms the other battery?
Plenty of juice to keep you going.
That said, I'd never trust a pure electric only vehicle.
My preference would be for a turbine powered plug in hybrid that would burn just about anything (moon shine, wood gas, cooking oil), and could also act as an electric power plant in an emergency.
A small agriculture town could grow its own fuel, plug idle cars into the town grid, and dynamically draw power or deliver power as needed.
Because?
How do you jump start a electric vehicle?
Ya think?!
Of course, the solution a century ago was the internal combustion engine as both the prime mover and energy source for all the supporting systems.
Those engineers thought well!
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