Posted on 02/09/2019 12:16:08 PM PST by Hojczyk
Are electric vehicles the wave of the future, or expensive toys? This shocking news story–shocking if you live in the North, anyway–suggests the latter *** Many owners discovered the range limitations last week when much of the country was in the grips of a polar vortex. Owners of vehicles made by manufacturers including Tesla, the top-selling electric vehicle company in the U.S., complained on social media about reduced range and frozen door handles during the cold snap.
Frozen door handles are an annoyance not unique to electric cars, but reduced range can be life-threatening.
At 20 degrees, the average driving range fell by 12 percent when the car’s cabin heater was not used. When the heater was turned on, the range dropped by 41 percent, AAA said.
Of course, at 20 degrees you pretty much have to turn the heater on. T
Also, AAA tested the vehicles at 20 degrees above zero, a balmy temperature that we haven’t seen for a while here in the Twin Cities. What happens at 20 below, a temperature we have seen several times in the last week or two? Or eleven below, which it is at this moment where I live? A car whose range is severely compromised at such temperatures could be a death trap.
Advocates of “green” energy say that giant batteries will overcome the intractable problem of the intermittency–i.e., unreliability–of wind and solar energy. Of course, while batteries can power my laptop for six or eight hours, or a vehicle for a relatively short distance, no batteries exist that can power a city for six months, nor is any such technology on the horizon. But I wonder whether green energy advocates who toss around the word “batteries” much as they might say “magic” have considered the impact of cold weather.
(Excerpt) Read more at powerlineblog.com ...
A bit OT:
We have a 4 kw solar grid tie on our house.
We also have 6 inches of snow.
We also have NO solar output to the grid. NONE.
Puget Sound area Washington State.
I know people who own toys. Corvettes that come out on weekends. Garage queens in showroom condition. They aren’t out on the street every day racking up miles like these Teslas are.
I just watched a tow truck haul away a Chevy Volt from my neighbors' house. Dead battery.
I mean like Arizona, Texas, or Florida August hot. The batteries don't like to be hot, and neither do the electronics.
“These guys have owned plenty of expensive cars, some a lot more expensive than the Tesla, so the subsidy wasn’t their reason for buying one.”
Agreed. But you have to admit that the purpose of the Model 3 is different. The difference between a Ferrari class and a Ford Focus. 2 vastly different market segments.
“Leaving aside the fact that 50% or so of all the electricity burned by electric cars is produced in coal fired base load plants, [Ooooh, bad!]”
You should probably bring that up with someone who is bothered by coal plants. Or is it you that is bothered by coal?
“do you ever turn on the AC [air conditioner] in your Tesla when you are stuck in rush hour in the heat and the smog? “
Well I don’t own a Tesla. Some of my friends do. One of them occasionally leaves his dog in the Tesla when it’s parked and runs the AC for the dog. That hasn’t yet caused him a problem. The dog enjoys it.
I’m one just like the group you describe. A Tesla is a great car for some people; for others, it’s not. If you live in Minot, or Nome, or any other place which is subzero all winter, an electric car is not going to work for you. I don’t have to wear a winter jacket unless I’m skiing, so a Tesla works for me.
I’ve done a lot of hunting in very cold climates. I am a long time Kindle user and I can tell you for certain that a battery that lasts a week at normal temperature dies overnight at -20 in a a tent. 41% loss in lithium battery is quite conservative, likely closer to 80%
Agreed.
There is a reason computer rooms/data rooms are a bit on the cold side. They don’t like heat.
Actually they’re alot like us, those circuits. Built more for cold, and can’t deal with heat much more than 15 degrees above base temp.
The Model 3 is smaller, with less acceleration, half the cargo space. But it’s still a very high tech car.
The Model S drivers I know think that the 3 compares favorably to their cars. In fact one of them bought a 3 for his son. Adult son, not a teen.
What in the world are you talking about? Why would you think that a Tesla can’t drive from Los Angeles to New York? Furthermore, what would make you think you couldn’t even make it to Palm Springs? L.A. to Palm Springs is only 100 miles or so—you’d arrive in Palm Springs at 70% battery remaining (varies a bit by model).
The only reason to own a Tesla is to impress your rich liberal friends, beyond that, they are useless.
65k miles and haven’t had an issue with parts, and the car has held up MUCH better than its Mercedes and BMW predecessors...no visible wear on the interior, no maintenance issues—nothing.
Physics and chemistry?
AOC needs to be told those things have already been invented.
They don’t teach those subjects where DemonRATS “study.”
The impact of A/C on the range is negligible, and varies by speed and OAT. I believe the computer usually calculates about 5% range cost.
Atomic batteries to power!
Welp, it’s obvious you’re writing from a position of authority. /s
Have you ever actually DRIVEN a Tesla?
What happens to your Tesla when you want to drive it to Buffalo NY to visit Aunt Mary over Christmas?
“Model 3s are selling for $44,000. Their target price is supposed to still be $35k.”
That’s a marketing disaster, missing your price-point by a margin like that. Tesla has some great technology, no doubt. But what they are really short on is a group of managers who know how to hit targets. Still better than Lockheed-Martin, I guess.
They still offer the block heaters, Pelham, though they’re usually not standard equipment anymore.
All this global warming has made people soft.
Forty below, actual temperature, yesterday morning southwest of Minot.
Fifty percent humidity too.
But if you had your car plugged in, like as not it was going to start.
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