If They Work In Norway Evs Can Handle Our Winters
To see if EVs work in cold weather, one can look at the example of Norway. Norways generous incentives for EVs has made electric vehicles popular in this Nordic country. Over 70,000 EVs have been sold in Norway, and EVs made up over 20% of all new cars sold in the first 9 months of 2015. Subsidies are a major reason for these high EV sales rates, but drivers wouldnt be picking these cars if they didnt work for their driving needs. Not only are Norwegians picking EVs, but also many of them are choosing shorter range EVs from Nissan and Volkswagen, despite the sub-freezing average winter temperatures. EVs are also working closer to home in colder climates like Canada and Vermont.
One Chevy dealer in Quebec has even moved his dealership to selling mostly Chevy Volt plug-in hybrids.
EV performance is impacted by cold weather, but an electric vehicle can be a good choice for many Americans, even those in the northern reaches of the country. And in the Northwest and Northeast states EV drivers can access some of the cleanest electricity in the country, greatly reducing emissions from driving . Affordable longer range EVs will make cold weather even less of an issuebut even todays EVs are working all-year round in every state in the nation.
Can You Use An Electric Vehicle If You Live In Cold Winter Weather
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The short answer is yes electric vehicles are good in the snow. With the constant evolution of electric vehicles and the new introduction of different models into the market, theyre getting better all the time. If you live in an area that is consistently cold and snow-covered, you might benefit from using winter tires.
For EVs releasing in 2022 and later, cold weather will affect them less and less. With each passing year comes more improvements, and most electric vehicles are cold-weather tested before production.
Do Electric Vehicles Work In Winter
Recent weather proved EVs can operate in extreme cold temperatures. My Bolt has started every single time for me between -40C and +35C. We passed many cars with their hoods up, getting a boost in the recent cold snap. – Jim Barnsley, Saskatoon, Chevrolet Bolt
EVs are great in the winter! EVs don’t have the engine parts that need to efficiently move and turn like all gas-powered vehicles do, which can cause them to stall at cold temperatures. Turning on an EV is just like turning on a light switch and it’s the same at -30C just as it is at 30C.- Malcolm Lucy, Saskatoon, Tesla Model 3
EVs dont really start. Theres no oil to warm up or crankshaft to turn they simply turn on like a smart phone or electric drill.- Tyler Krause, Saskatoon, Tesla Model 3
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Ev Pro: Ev Car Makers Are Wizening Up
With many reports of low battery conditions popping up, many EV car makers have tightened up their laces and have introduced cars with superior thermal packaging. This ensures that the battery of the car remains immune to the cold front so wreaked by winter on everything, and the charging time as well as the expend, does not happen that quickly either.
There have been cars before Tesla stormed on the scene that had superior thermal packaging like the Coda and winters simply seemed to not affect them or their performance, much.
Evs Dont Suddenly Shut Down
Contrary to popular beliefs, EVs dont just suddenly shut down when they run out of battery.The test shows that all the EVs give plenty of warnings before they run out of power, and youmaintain driving comfort and speed even after the first warning.
-The test shows that most EVs maintain speed until the last few kilometers. Then the drivers allexperienced a loss of acceleration and a limit on maximum speed. In some cars the heatingautomatically shut down.
-A fun fact worth knowing is that if you run completely out of power you can still drive a few more kilometers. Just shut the car down and leave it for a short while, maybe half an hour to an hour, and youll have power enough to drive even a few more kilometers. This is extremely practical if you happen to stop just a few hundred meters short of a charging station or your home, explains Sødal.
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Cold Weather Ev Range
Because both cabin climate and battery efficiency are affected by cold weather, some studies have suggested that EVs can lose up to around 40% of their driving range at 20 degrees versus 77 degrees. A more recent study conducted in Norway, however, showed that the average cold weather range loss for 20 popular EVs was only about 18.5%. This figure is far closer to the EPA-estimated 15% efficiency loss of gas-powered cars.
While that is already great news for EV drivers, it only gets better. EV battery-management systems are constantly improved to ensure that EVs exceed driver expectations. And while one knock against EVs is that they do not have the residual heat from combustion to help warm the cabin, gas-powered vehicles lose so much energy during combustion that EVs will always be more efficient, no matter the weather.
Use The Regenerative Braking Feature
Since electric vehicles run entirely on electric power, and their reliability depends on how long that power lasts, many come with the innovative regenerative braking feature.
If you didnt already know, regenerative braking is an energy-saving or recovery mechanism whereby the vehicle captures the energy released when the driver presses the brake and uses it to top up the battery. Isnt it amazing?
If your EV has this feature, it is worth using it to make your battery last longer, especially during winter when the charge drains faster.
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Q So Which Car Brands Last The Longest
A. As weve stated, thats somewhat hard to discern, but Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Acura, Lexus, and Ford all have reputations for dependability. There are some vehicles that are known to outlast others, i.e. the OG Toyota Land Cruiser, however, most car makers now offer consistent reliability and longevity.
Which Evs Handle Wintery Road Conditions The Best
Moving on from the battery for a moment, if you need your EV to cope with true winter conditions, then it will also be important to consider how itll handle.
The EV Association of Norway conducted a real world test of five EVs, taking them out on a serious Scandinavian winter circuit a 700-kilometer loop from Oslo to Hemsedal, a popular ski resort 3,000 meters above sea level, and back. All vehicles were equipped with winter tires to ensure a fair test.
The test results showed that the Nissan LEAF and Volkswagen e-Golf stood out from the crowd for their safe and steady handling in cold, slippery winter conditions.
Overall, electric motors and their digital controls give all EVs great traction and control, making for safe handling in winter conditions.
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Gas Car Or Electric Car Is It Cheaper To Drive An Ev
There are many costs to consider when comparing gas-powered cars and electric vehicles. Combustion engines come with varying engine sizes and fuel efficiency, and gas prices fluctuate too.
For a gas-powered car, lets assume an average fuel efficiency of36 miles per gallon and that the average gas tank holds12-15 gallons. For our example, lets say we drive 1,000 miles a month at a gas price of$4 per gallon with a 14-gallon tank automobile.
These figures mean we can drive 504 miles per tank. Well need to fill up twice per month at $56 per refill, or $112 a month, resulting in an annual spend of $1,344 on gas. That running cost is higher than all our EV examples, in some cases more than four times more.
However, electric vehicles tend to have ahigher sticker price than like-for-like combustion engine cars, by up to $10,000. Installation costs for a level 2 charger at home could reach a further $2,000+, depending on the work required.A Tesla level 2 charger costs around $750-1,500 to install.
But there are many tax incentives to help people buy electric vehicles, with up to $7,500 to help with purchase costs and extra for level 2 charge installation costs. The U.S. Department of Energy has anincentives checker you might even be able to get help with your homes energy bill to help charge your EV.
How Long Can An Electric Car Run The Heater
The answer depends upon the efficiency of the electric car heaters. The good news is that electric car heaters are very efficient and wonât use much power. Most EV heaters will only use about 1-2 kWh of energy per operation hour.
That means that, even in freezing temperatures, you should be able to run your EV heater for several hours before needing to recharge your battery.
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Ev Pro: More Efficient Than Gas Engines
In even the best of gasoline engines, only about 1/3rd of the fuel you put in goes to move the wheels of the car the rest gets lost in heat, friction and heating the car. Plus a gasoline engine takes a little time to get warmed up enough to melt the ice off the car to get it moving.
An electric engine has no such hang-ups it is ready and willing to get moving at the start of the button. While a lot of the battery power in an EV does go into warming the car, it responds far quicker than any gasoline engine.
California Banning Sale Of New Gas
The Golden State is the first in the nation to issue a phase-out of gas-powered vehicles. The new ruling is expected to speed up the transition to electric cars and cause other states to follow in California’s footsteps. So what does this all mean for automakers, drivers and the environment? AAA spokesman Robert Sinclair joins FOX Weather with more on the regulations and possible challenges ahead.
ARLINGTON, Va. – The new California bill that will ban gas-powered cars by 2035 will also apply to Virginia.
Virginia is currently on a path toward adopting Californias new, stringent rules for transitioning to zero-emission vehicles because of 2021 legislation that involved adopting the West Coast states emissions standards, attorneys and state officials said this week.
“I’m not convinced that batteries are any better for the environment versus the gas,” said Gayll Worsley.
The debate over gas versus electric cars is heating up.
“I like the initiative. I’m environmentally conscious, but I don’t think I can get the same mileage in a battery that I can get in a gas,” said Julian Sookhoop.
Sookhoop and other Virginia drivers have about 13 years to figure out what works for them. In 2035 Virginia will join California and other states in their clean car standards.
“If you already own a vehicle or you can buy a used vehicle, it would not be banned,” said Trip Pollard. He’s the senior attorney and leader of the land and community program at Southern Environmental Law Center.
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Why Electric Cars Struggle In The Coldand How To Help Them
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Lately, Tesla has been keen to emphasize the performance of its cars on snow and ice, tweeting out a video of the Model 3 swashbuckling about a winter proving grounds and running a promotion in which customers can win the chance to drive on a frozen sea in Finland. Elon Musk is right to show that electric motors and their digital controls can provide great traction and control, but EV drivers have other factors to consider in winter weather: How far they can go, and how long it will take them to recharge.
Cold temperatures can hurt both, especially when it gets as severe as Winter Storm Jaden, which has triggered states of emergency across the country and will subject more than 70 percent of the US population to subzero temperatures over the next few days. That’s because the lithium-ion batteries that power EVs are very temperature sensitive.
Modern cars are designed to take that into account, with battery thermal management systems that warm or cool a battery. But while an internal combustion engine generates its own heat, which warms the engine and the car occupants, an EV has to find that warmth somewhere else, either scavenging the small amount of heat that motors and inverters make or running a heater. That takes energy, meaning there’s less power available to move the wheels.
Hybrid Car Fuel Economy And Cold Weather
If you’re into green driving and track your fuel economy closely, you probably know that cold weather can cause your car to require a little more gas. There are a lot of reasons for this. The biggest is that cold temperatures cause gasoline to thicken. That makes it difficult for the gas to combine with the intake air and provide the proper air-fuel mixture that an internal combustion engine needs. Not only is it harder to generate the correct mix, but it’s also a little less powerful when the gas is cold. That means you end up using more gas to do less work.
The same factors are at play for hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles. While hybrids use their electric motors for slow-speed driving, their gasoline engines fire up when more power and speed are needed, and in cold weather, those engines are less efficient. What makes matters worse for hybrids is that because their engines aren’t in constant use, in cold weather, it can take them longer warm up.
Think about it: Regardless of where you live, there’s a good chance that you’ve gotten into a car on a cold morning. After a few miles of driving, even if those miles are driven slowly or in heavy traffic, the car gradually warms up. But in a hybrid, those few miles of driving may only use the gasoline engine part of the time, making it slower to warm up. That keeps the gasoline relatively cold and the engine running below maximum fuel efficiency.
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Maximize Your Cars Cold
Extending an electric cars operating range to achieve maximum miles on a charge can become an obsession with some electric car owners, and it becomes critical during the coldest months of the year. Proper planning is the key to tempering ones range anxiety under extreme climactic conditions.
Its best to keep an electric vehicle garaged when not in use to help shield it from the elements. If your garage at home and/or parking space at work is heated, so much the better. Keep the vehicle plugged in at all times to ensure the battery will maintain a full charge. If your vehicle has a pre-conditioning feature, engage it before hitting the road. This will heat both the interior and the battery pack while the vehicle is plugged into the charger, which will in turn help preserve battery capacity. Some models will warm the battery automatically in cold weather. If youre away from home, park the car in the sun to keep it a bit warmer.
Limit the use of the heater while driving. Set the temperature as low as you can comfortably stand, and instead rely on your cars heated seats and heated steering wheel , which consume less electricity. Wear warm clothes and a heavy coat so you can minimize engaging the climate control. In the aforementioned AAA study, the electric vehicles tested only lost an average of about 12 percent of range in the cold while running with their heaters switched off, compared to 41 percent with the climate control in use.
How Much Does It Cost To Replace An Electric Car Battery
Most electric car batteries will cost from$0 to $20,000 to replace, depending on the EV model, battery size, warranty availability, and labor costs.
Why free? Most manufacturers provide a warranty for the battery. You may be covered for a replacement if it fails or degrades during that warranty.
Depending on the model, anew battery in a Tesla electric vehicle may set someone back $12,000-$15,000. Fortunately, battery technology is always improving, and replacement prices should fall in the future.
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What Happens When Electric Cars Get Cold
Before we answer the question of what happens to electric vehicles, its only fair that we acknowledge the failings of internal combustion engine cars in the winter. Its much easier to point out the faults of EVs because all of us whove driven gas cars our entire lives accept the cold-weather annoyances of the latter as standard operating procedure. The slog of warming them up in the morning, frozen fluids, black ice slides, dead batteries we accept all of this as normal, even though theyre problems with the inherent design of modern gas-powered automobiles.
Speaking of dead batteries, is that what happens to electric cars in winter? Is it possible you could go back to your Tesla Model Y after leaving it out in the snow to find the battery is shot?
This is one of the biggest misconceptions about how EVs are impacted by cold temperatures. After studying the issue, Consumer Reports cleared this up, writing, Its important to note that EV batteries lose range not because of how the cold weather affects the physical battery but because of the added power demands that come from operating the car in cold weather. EVs dont have an engine producing heat to warm the car the battery powers other heating systems, and if those are working overtime, the battery will be affected, and in turn so will the range.
