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Thank you for the information.

Would you say that battery powered cars will never be viable in cold weather?

I lived in rural Illiois where ther were lots of converted LP gas pickups, but gasoline was so cheap that it was not a worth it (early ‘90s).

I think that's pretty much the case, with anything considered "state of the art" in battery technology right now, and probably for the next decade or so. Some out of the blue techological improvment could make this argument look silly, but it's not right around the corner.

Consider the Chevy Volt - about to go on sale this year, or next. That's supposed to have cutting edge set of either NiCad or Lithium Ion batteries, [can't recall exactly right now] so one of the best weight to energy density ratios available. Far better ratio than even the most high-tech lead/acid batteries. It's still too expensive to sell, so it's apparently a "lease only" vehicle.

And it's only rated for about 40 miles per fully charged battery bank...which is an OPTIMUM rating. What's the range in Minneapolis or Detroit on a day when their winter temperature is "average"? If the heater in the car is on during your commute, I bet it's no more than 12-15 miles, and single digits wouldn't surprise me.

So who wants to take this car on an emergency run from Fargo to Minot, ND, with a hard blizzard threatening to move in?