Motor Mouth: The inconvenient truth about EVs in cold weather

Hoid

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Oct 15, 2017
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I Worked in a camp in northern alberta that didn't use it and it got exceptionally cold in January and the fuel turns to tapioca.

Here is what happens:

The diesel generator dies and takes like a day to get back working. IN that time the heat lamps under the propane tanks go out and the propane no longer works and you lose your heat.

Once you lose your heat all your plumbing freezes and now you are in trouble.
 

10larry

Electoral Member
Apr 6, 2010
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How was it heated?

Cold weather has always been an issue with batteries and with automobiles in general.

All these same problems will be solved just as they were with all other engines.

DO you think gas engines perform as well in cold weather? There are dozens of things done to ensure they still function properly in extreme weather - which they do - to a point.

Altitude was a much more difficult problem.

Actually they perform better as cold air is more dense, more oomph.
 

Curious Cdn

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Feb 22, 2015
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Hybrid makes the most sense in Canada.

This place is way too big for any other arrangement. I would never, ever consider buying an all electric vehicle. I drive 45,000 kms per year and that doesn't vary, much. I would, however, give due consideration to a plug-in hybrid, although the advantage of "cheap" household current will be going fast when everyone else is plugging in, too.
 

petros

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Nov 21, 2008
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Cold weather has always been an issue with batteries and with automobiles in general.

All these same problems will be solved just as they were with all other engines.

DO you think gas engines perform as well in cold weather? There are dozens of things done to ensure they still function properly in extreme weather - which they do - to a point.

Altitude was a much more difficult problem.

EF! and digital variable spark timing are awesome and standard equipment on all engines. Todays EFI automatically adjusts for ambient air temp MAP MAF and O2 sensors fora perfect mix every time.
-45C and my truck start flawlessly without the block heater.
 
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Jinentonix

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Oh yeah, it was so viable then.

Things are the same as 1884.

How did homes get electricity in 1884?
We're not talking about power generation on a commercial scale. And you're right, things aren't the same as they were in 1884. Gasoline powered cars are much more reliable and fuel efficient than the first ones were. Electric cars are still pretty much as efficient as they were 140 years ago. Yes I know, they are somewhat better now but compared to how far the ICE powered vehicle has come, it's not even close.

And don't bother with that "Big Oil blah blah blah" excuse. There were plenty of industrialized nations who had no reason to be beholden to the oil companies. If the electric car was a truly viable idea, any number of countries could have developed their own electric vehicle industry and told Big Oil to go pound salt long before WW2 even started.

EVs will also continue to have a significant power to weight ratio disadvantage simply because the more power you want to have available for the vehicle, the heavier the vehicle gets.
Outside of a/c, there's no other non-motive system in an ICE powered vehicle that affects gas consumption. The heat is free, all your lights are free, your stereo is free, window defrosters are free etc. In an EV, all of those draw on your "fuel" consumption. Probably not going to be an issue for city driving but if you want to go anywhere else it seems your only two options are cut back on cabin comforts or buy a heavier vehicle. Which brings up the issue of; how much more available power will you actually have once you factor in the extra total vehicle weight it has to drag around?

And of course don't forget that just like ICE powered vehicles, fuel consumption ratings for EVs are based on the optimal driving conditions, which rarely have anything to do with real world conditions.
 

Hoid

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Oct 15, 2017
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Electric cars are still pretty much as efficient as they were 140 years ago.

They remain 100% efficient if thats what you mean.

You must have had your head in the sand for the last 20 years if you've missed the revolution in battery technology.

Tesla can outperform any gas engine on the planet.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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They remain 100% efficient if thats what you mean.

You must have had your head in the sand for the last 20 years if you've missed the revolution in battery technology.

Tesla can outperform any gas engine on the planet.

Bullshit. To do so it needs to be fully charged. One run down the quarter mile and those results steadily diminish on concurrent runs.

Gas will be consistent all day.
 

10larry

Electoral Member
Apr 6, 2010
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Cold weather has always been an issue with batteries and with automobiles in general.

All these same problems will be solved just as they were with all other engines.

DO you think gas engines perform as well in cold weather? There are dozens of things done to ensure they still function properly in extreme weather - which they do - to a point.

Altitude was a much more difficult problem.

Why answer your question about cold influence on gas engines with a flippant untruth about batteries? ices leaves em' in the dust hot or cold.

yes I have had many experiences of batteries performing even better in cold weather.
 

Jinentonix

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Sep 6, 2015
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They remain 100% efficient if thats what you mean.

You must have had your head in the sand for the last 20 years if you've missed the revolution in battery technology.

Tesla can outperform any gas engine on the planet.
Well the "goofs" involved in Formula-E must be clueless then. Most racing series teams bring two cars in case one gets totaled during practice or qualifying. In Formula-E, they bring two cars because one car can only make it about halfway through the races that are 80-100 KMs long. These are the most advanced, high performance electric cars in the world. We're talking names like McLaren, Williams and Renault to name a few.
And no, they don't remain 100% efficient. They have a mileage rating like every other vehicle. And everything that requires electricity to operate draws power from your power supply thus reducing it's overall efficiency.
Turn the heat on in your EV while you're driving. What does it do to your estimated driving distance? It lowers it. Turn on some tunes, what happens? You lower it even more. Your fuel efficiency is directly affected by what cabin comforts you want and/or what safety features you need at the time. The only feature that affects fuel efficiency in an ICE powered car is a/c. I'd hate to see the kind of draw a/c has on an EV's power source.

And how are you charging that EV? Unless your power supply is 100% emissions-free, then the above brings efficiency into even greater question.
 

Hoid

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Oct 15, 2017
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Why answer your question about cold influence on gas engines with a flippant untruth about batteries? ices leaves em' in the dust hot or cold.

yes I have had many experiences of batteries performing even better in cold weather.
what planet were you on?

Well the "goofs" involved in Formula-E must be clueless then. Most racing series teams bring two cars in case one gets totaled during practice or qualifying. In Formula-E, they bring two cars because one car can only make it about halfway through the races that are 80-100 KMs long. These are the most advanced, high performance electric cars in the world. We're talking names like McLaren, Williams and Renault to name a few.
And no, they don't remain 100% efficient. They have a mileage rating like every other vehicle. And everything that requires electricity to operate draws power from your power supply thus reducing it's overall efficiency.
Turn the heat on in your EV while you're driving. What does it do to your estimated driving distance? It lowers it. Turn on some tunes, what happens? You lower it even more. Your fuel efficiency is directly affected by what cabin comforts you want and/or what safety features you need at the time. The only feature that affects fuel efficiency in an ICE powered car is a/c. I'd hate to see the kind of draw a/c has on an EV's power source.

And how are you charging that EV? Unless your power supply is 100% emissions-free, then the above brings efficiency into even greater question.

I guess that's why we have to phase out all carbon burning electrical generation.

If you want to talk about thermal efficiency read up on it first and understand why electric engines are theoretically 100% efficient.

If you put one unit of energy into an electric motor is will result in i unit of work being done. Whether is it propelling the vehicle or heating the vehicle or lighting the vehicle - every bit of the energy put in results in work being done.

No so a gas engine. I believe in the very best of them (which are generally electric hybrids) have about 45% efficiency - meaning when you put one unit of energy into one you get .45 units work out.

Normal gas engines are more along the lines of 30% - and that is when they are in top working condition using pure fuels.

They are intrinsically wasteful (heat being the big robber) and that is why the universal adoption of them has been so harmful.
 
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JamesBondo

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once you bring canadian winters into the equation it changes the rules about what is a good design and what is not a good design.

we've seen this in other examples, too. Coleman fuel is not a better fuel for camping than propane, yet when you are icefishing in -40C, propane is pretty much useless and naptha gas shines

wood isn't considered an efficient way to heat a house, but once you get the woodstove going there seems to be no shortage of heat. this is what most people love about wood.

people tend to think of a car as the economical choice, but not true when travelling to the mountains from calgary with an RV, boat, 3 ATVs and the whole fam damily. A pick up truck is the clear winner here. Even if you could move everything with a small car, the multiple trips would burn through many tanks of fuel.

clearly, heating the interior of a car with battery power will never be a good choice. it is dumb for hoid to defend this.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
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8 years equivelent of driving a gas vehicle goes into producing a Tesla battery that lasts 5 years.

Gasoline engines are technically more efficient.
 

Hoid

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 15, 2017
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once you bring canadian winters into the equation it changes the rules about what is a good design and what is not a good design.

we've seen this in other examples, too. Coleman fuel is not a better fuel for camping than propane, yet when you are icefishing in -40C, propane is pretty much useless and naptha gas shines

wood isn't considered an efficient way to heat a house, but once you get the woodstove going there seems to be no shortage of heat. this is what most people love about wood.

people tend to think of a car as the economical choice, but not true when travelling to the mountains from calgary with an RV, boat, 3 ATVs and the whole fam damily. A pick up truck is the clear winner here. Even if you could move everything with a small car, the multiple trips would burn through many tanks of fuel.

clearly, heating the interior of a car with battery power will never be a good choice. it is dumb for hoid to defend this.
it is dumb not to understand that the electric motor will replace the gas motor.

these batteries can propel a car at world record speeds.

heating a cabin is nothing.

the new tesla semi is claiming that it will take only 2 years of fuel savings to make up for the price difference.

<snip>

Haven't moved still the same one where gas power trumps battery power every time, plz expand on your experience(s) of battery power improving as the temperature drops.
literally trumps it in nothing.

it is cheaper - but that s only because of the money already spent on it. IN 5 years the e motor will also be cheaper to make - it is already better in every regard