Impact of cold weather on EV range. Why high range is important to those in cold climates.

[generaltso]

Or simply use NFC on your cell phone.

Or your watch. I just tap my Apple Watch on the ChargePoint station at work, which works great.

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[TheLight75]

Hi JayTee, my post was to show the impact of real-world driving on EV battery range. It seems most folks tend to drive 70-75 mph on highways/freeways.

 

[JamieGeek]

When I had the Focus Electric my commute was (and would still be if we were commuting now) 20 miles (so 40 miles round trip).

Yes: 70 mile range Focus Electric drivng daily 40+ miles (if I'd go somewhere after work). Which means, from my post above: I'd get 35-40 miles in winter...

This means on those coldest days I'd either find a place to charge (no charging at work) or go to extreme measures to eek out those last 5 miles. I'd often arrive home with <5 miles of range left.

The extreme measures included:

• Preconditioning the car to its hottest temperature in the morning so that HVAC wasn't necessary for the entire morning's drive in.
• Cracking a window or two to prevent the windshield from fogging up
• Lots of winter coats, hats, blanket, etc.
• Taking a "slow" route to avoid the 70mph freeway

My coworker, who happened to have the exact same Focus Electric as I, went as far as getting a small 12V heater to use on the windshield (his commute was further than mine and he made it daily in the winter).

Also note since I couldn't plug in at work the car would cold soak all day until it was time to leave.

Thus if you really are on the hairy edge, it still can be done with a little perserverance LOL.

 

[TheLight75]

That too

 

[S.B.]

This is a concern of mine. I drive 75 miles to get to work and will have my vehicle exposed to the elements for 12 hours. The last thing I need after a hard day is to have to find a charger in order to just get home. I’m so hoping this concern does not prove to be the case as I would then need a new winter vehicle.
[/QUOTE

It'd be very doable if you could get your employer or their landlord to install a Level 2 charger so your car can charge up some while at work. My employer's landlord installed 2 basic ChargePoint stations in the parking lot last year. First 2 hours are free and after that the kWh rate is less than what I pay for electricity at home.

Thank you!! I was shot down the first time I asked but I may use this specific suggestion. I think it had something to do with them leasing the building so maybe the landlord will approve.

 

[PeeCee]

Why? All the recommendations I've seen leaving the car plugged in and ready to charge. Also, it is literally impossible to "always be charging". Once the car is charged to the maximum that you set in the car, the charging stops.

I don't know the details, but I just know I've read many times to not keep your things plugged even when at 100%. It has an effect on your batteries. Same thing with any electronics, you never want to always keep them plugged at 100%, it will drain your battery life somewhat.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/ev-lithium-ion-battery-life-tips-tricks-advice/

1. Minimize time spent at 100 percent state of charge—Try to resist the urge to plug in all night every night. If your daily travels consume 30 percent of the battery, using a middle-30-percent (like from 70 to 40 percent) is better for the battery than always using the top 30 percent. Smart chargers will eventually integrate with your calendar to anticipate daily driving needs and tailor charging to suit.

 

[shutterbug]

I don't know the details, but I just know I've read many times to not keep your things plugged even when at 100%. It has an effect on your batteries. Same thing with any electronics, you never want to always keep them plugged at 100%, it will drain your battery life somewhat.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/ev-lithium-ion-battery-life-tips-tricks-advice/

1. Minimize time spent at 100 percent state of charge—Try to resist the urge to plug in all night every night. If your daily travels consume 30 percent of the battery, using a middle-30-percent (like from 70 to 40 percent) is better for the battery than always using the top 30 percent. Smart chargers will eventually integrate with your calendar to anticipate daily driving needs and tailor charging to suit.

Again, having the car plugged in and charging to 100% are two different things. For example, Tesla recommends having the car plugged in frequently but limiting the charging to 90%. I've also seen recommendations to leave the car plugged in, even if you are not planning to drive for several days. When the car is plugged in, but not charging, there is no effect on the battery.

 

[timbop]

I don't know the details, but I just know I've read many times to not keep your things plugged even when at 100%. It has an effect on your batteries. Same thing with any electronics, you never want to always keep them plugged at 100%, it will drain your battery life somewhat.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/ev-lithium-ion-battery-life-tips-tricks-advice/

1. Minimize time spent at 100 percent state of charge—Try to resist the urge to plug in all night every night. If your daily travels consume 30 percent of the battery, using a middle-30-percent (like from 70 to 40 percent) is better for the battery than always using the top 30 percent. Smart chargers will eventually integrate with your calendar to anticipate daily driving needs and tailor charging to suit.

BEV's let you set a maximum charge level, and motortrend et al are referring to setting the max charge level below 100%. Leaving a BEV plugged in won't charge the car battery beyond that threshold; what it will do is allow the battery management software to draw grid power to keep the battery from getting too hot or too cold in extreme weather - which actually PROTECTS the battery.

The "always be charging" phrase is a misnomer; it should be "always plug in" but that doesn't have the clever acronym.

 

[dbsb3233]

Assuming a similar impact on the AWD Premium MME, then I'd be getting about 223 miles on a full charge @ 50F (or 189 miles @ 30F) if the EPA range comes in at the projected 270 miles. If EPA range only comes in at 250 miles, then I'm down to 206 miles @ 50F / 175 miles @ 30F, which isn't ideal if I want to go on any kind of a winter road trip. Assuming I keep my battery between 10%-80% on a road trip, that's a workable max distance between charging stops of 144 miles @ 50F / 122 miles @ 30F.

This is why BEVs will have a harder time catching on with consumers than many people are hoping/expecting. Advertising "EPA range" really does BEVs a disservice by setting unrealistic expectations, and set them up for disappointment. Leading many potential buyers to say "Wait, you mean I'm paying $15,000 more purchase price for something where the range is realistically way less that advertised??"

They should really ditch EPA (and worse, WLTP) "range" figures and come up with something more realistic. Especially for highway driving (70+ MPH), which is where range actually matters for 95% of people.

 

[dbsb3233]

Thank you!! I was shot down the first time I asked but I may use this specific suggestion. I think it had something to do with them leasing the building so maybe the landlord will approve.

A much cheaper option (and thus more likely to happen) is simply installing 240V outlets, and letting people use their own chargers. Might even be (relatively) cheap enough that the employer might just decide to eat the installation and electricity costs without adding expensive point-of-sale equipment.

This would be more for an employer that already has controlled access to their parking, so that random people off the street can't come in and steal what's intended for the company's employees.

 

[shutterbug]

This would be more for an employer that already has controlled access to their parking, so that random people off the street can't come in and steal what's intended for the company's employees.

More importantly, random people coming off the street and stealing the portable chargers. At one of my previous jobs there was an epidemic of stealing pickup tailgates and externally mounted spare wheels. Stealing a charger should be pretty easy, since no tools are required.

 

[noflipping]

When I had the Focus Electric my commute was (and would still be if we were commuting now) 20 miles (so 40 miles round trip).

Yes: 70 mile range Focus Electric drivng daily 40+ miles (if I'd go somewhere after work). Which means, from my post above: I'd get 35-40 miles in winter...

This means on those coldest days I'd either find a place to charge (no charging at work) or go to extreme measures to eek out those last 5 miles. I'd often arrive home with <5 miles of range left.

The extreme measures included:

• Preconditioning the car to its hottest temperature in the morning so that HVAC wasn't necessary for the entire morning's drive in.
• Cracking a window or two to prevent the windshield from fogging up
• Lots of winter coats, hats, blanket, etc.
• Taking a "slow" route to avoid the 70mph freeway

My coworker, who happened to have the exact same Focus Electric as I, went as far as getting a small 12V heater to use on the windshield (his commute was further than mine and he made it daily in the winter).

Also note since I couldn't plug in at work the car would cold soak all day until it was time to leave.

Thus if you really are on the hairy edge, it still can be done with a little perserverance LOL.

That was EVERY winter day of my life on my commute to Ann Arbor. Charged there to return. I've used each of those tricks, usually in combination. Now commuting to Detroit, my FFE will do both ways WITH heat!!! (but barely). Jim Hackett used to be my boss in A2 and I told him then that I'd never buy another gas car again. He was VERY into the EV's future. Looking forward to not having to worry! BTW - If your old FFE was blackish, I think I used to see you on the Lodge. Not many of us around here.

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