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Has anyone seen the most recent ‘Long Way’ series on Apple TV... Long Way Up? We’ve seen all 3 Long Way treks and thought this one was really good. With the current bitter cold in Texas and much of the country, it got me thinking about the problems that they were having on the show with getting the bikes to take a charge when it was so cold at the start of their trip. Unless that was a Harley issue, it sure seems to me that electric vehicles might not be very practical in winter, especially where it gets very cold, unless you have a heated garage. Does anyone have any thoughts on that?
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It has been known for a few decades in Canada. It started with the hydrogen fuel cell which might be best suited for Vancouver, BC. Fuel cells have a water byproduct which can be problematic in sub-freezing climates.
As many know, battery chemistry is challenged in sub-freezing climates. Toronto, Ontario in winter is no exception. Sure you still see Teslas and old Chevy Volts, etc. and they run. However, their range is curtailed significantly not because of the battery warm-up overhead, but the passengers need heat too and it isn't coming from any dino-burnin' internal combustion engine.
Charging batteries are difficult at -25C daytime temperatures. In terms of technology, we have some ways to go.
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Electric cars leave me cold......
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(02-19-2021, 09:32 PM)Houtman_imp Wrote: Electric cars leave me cold......
I suppose if people have nowhere to go (e.g. a small land mass country, or an island), electric for most folks makes more sense.
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(02-19-2021, 11:59 PM)GoldOxide_imp Wrote: (02-19-2021, 09:32 PM)Houtman_imp Wrote: Electric cars leave me cold......
I suppose if people have nowhere to go (e.g. a small land mass country, or an island), electric for most folks makes more sense.
I suppose if people have nowhere to go (e.g. a small land mass country, or an island), electric for most folks makes more sense.
You mean in that situation they can just use a long extension cord when driving around ?
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I've often wondered about e-cars's heat. Do they have any kind of a/c for the summer? Don't own one and not shopping for one!
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it's funny, I was just thinking this morning, wonder how all the electric cars are doing amid the mid-west crisis...
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lol - "extension cords" - Houtman.
Yeah, heat and A/C are not free on an EV.
A/C is not free on a dino-burnin' cage either, but at least the engine can motivate the compressor and generate extra electricity, where needed.
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We have a Tesla Model 3 for 2 years now, and sure enough: it is not a perfect Canadian winter vehicle. Main limitation is its range during colder (sub-zero) days: basically it will drop in half. It still does fine for my wife's 75km (one-way) daily commute. In summer it is true to its claimed range, so A/C doesn't seem to use as much energy as heating.
So far I have not observed any issue with the charging in our (unheated) garage. Possibly it is slower but that doesn't bother me as we typically charge the car overnight.
All in all: we are very happy with the car, despite all the critical notes I read on the omniscient internet. It drives soooo smoothly!
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(02-20-2021, 04:00 AM)bioman_imp Wrote: We have a Tesla Model 3 for 2 years now, and sure enough: it is not a perfect Canadian winter vehicle. Main limitation is its range during colder (sub-zero) days: basically it will drop in half. It still does fine for my wife's 75km (one-way) daily commute. In summer it is true to its claimed range, so A/C doesn't seem to use as much energy as heating.
So far I have not observed any issue with the charging in our (unheated) garage. Possibly it is slower but that doesn't bother me as we typically charge the car overnight.
All in all: we are very happy with the car, despite all the critical notes I read on the omniscient internet. It drives soooo smoothly!
There is no doubt the implementation will improve with technology. It will just take time like anything else.
