www.realclearscience.com/blog/2022/08/13/a_common_situation_…
Here in the Upper Midwest, our interstates are fast and our winters are cold. Speeds north of 70 miles per hour combined with near-zero (F) temperatures wreak havoc on an electric vehicle’s range. While a typical internal combustion engine (ICE) car might suffer only a 10-15% reduction in highway driving range under these conditions, a typical EV currently on the market will have its range dip 30-50 percent!
Elevated power output from the motor coupled with electric heating for the cabin increase energy draw from a cold – and thus reduced-capacity – lithium battery. This means that a 274-mile rated Kia EV6 might mange just 160 miles of range in bone-chilling cold.
…fast charging in cold temperatures can take twice as long at freezing (32°F) and three times longer closer to zero compared to when temperatures are in the seventies. The reason? According to the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, “cold temperatures impact the electrochemical reactions within the cell, and onboard battery management systems limit the charging rate to avoid damage to the battery.” For most EVs, this delay translates to about an hour and a half or even a two-hour ‘fill-up’ to 80% battery capacity.
Should we infer that you see hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as the future in the colder climates?
Or will they hold onto fossil fuels as long as they can?
Fuel cells seem likely for heavy vehicles like trucks and locomotives. Maybe airplanes. Ocean ships?
I think it will be easier and more cost effective to cold-adapt the EVs as opposed to going to hydrogen. There are some fairly easy steps to take that could make a big difference, like insulating the battery pack along with a heating/cooling system, and then using a little bit of energy to warm up the pack before you go driving. This can be done by timer or remote control. If you have access to a plug where you park, it’s a good idea to plug in overnight so that the juice to warm the battery can come from the grid rather than a cold-soaked battery.
Many EVs come with a heat pump, and with advanced tech they can operate down to quite low temperatures to heat the cabin and potentially the battery much more efficiently than electric resistance heating. Having and aggressively using heated seats and steering wheel instead of heating the cabin to a high temperature can save a lot of energy in very cold weather.
Or a simple ‘hybrid’ would be extremely effective to cold adapt EVs in areas with extreme winters: build in a small fuel tank to be used strictly for heating the battery and the cabin: thermal efficiency could be extremely high, no problem with cold temps, very dense energy storage widely available quick to refuel.
All of these are vastly easier and cheaper to implement than a hydrogen fuel cell car and fueling network.
Should we infer that you see hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as the future in the colder climates? Or will they hold onto fossil fuels as long as they can?
The latter, I would think. Another disadvantage I discovered with my Volt is the tires. The high-milage cars often have high milage tires that don’t grip the road as well. Not an advantage in the winter.
Does anybody know about the tires on, say, the Leaf?
Even with ICE cars many people that live in colder climates have a set of winter tires.
As for charging speed in cold weather…probably not an issue home charging overnight. Certainly in this case you can also pre-heat the cabin, as needed.
For long distance driving, in a Tesla when you schedule a supercharger stop via the GPS, rather than just driving there, the battery is “pre-conditioned” (which means heated or cooled as needed) 10 or 20 miles or so before you arrive.
If you arrive at a supercharger and did not enter it as a GPS location the car pops up a suggestion for you to “do it right” the next time for better results.
Also, using seat heaters during the cold reduces the energy requirements for feeling comfortably warm.
Even with ICE cars many people that live in colder climates have a set of winter tires.
Of all the cars I’ve owned over the past 45 years here in the upper Midwest, only the Volt was inadequate with respect to tires and driving in the winter. Just another barrier to entry.
Elevated power output from the motor coupled with electric heating for the cabin increase energy draw from a cold – and thus reduced-capacity – lithium battery. This means that a 274-mile rated Kia EV6 might mange just 160 miles of range in bone-chilling cold.
In Juneau, Alaska the record low temperature is only -6°F with an average winter temp of 33°F. And yet…
www.juneauempire.com/news/charge-pending-on-electric-bus-fle…
Currently, Capital Transit only owns one electric bus — which has been in service since April 2021 and is the state’s first municipally operated electric bus — out of its 18 bus fleet.
The 40-foot Proterra bus has experienced mechanical problems since its launch and was not holding battery charges long enough to complete an entire route during this winter’s cold weather, but Koch said the city is looking at different electric bus manufacturers for the new buses.