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Virginia snowstorm

Virginia snowstorm

vegimite
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 686

vegimite
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 686

Virginia snowstorm
1/4/2022 at 3:48 PM

In light of the amount of time vehicles were stuck I wonder how the EV's fared, from the videos it did not seem overly cold, just snow and iced in traffic.
For anyone not having seen the news here is a link.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/virginia-traffic-jam-snow-1.6303780
I've looked around various news outlets but no details on how many towed vehicles were electric power only.
Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

EV
1/4/2022 at 4:07 PM

vegimite said "In light of the amount of time vehicles were stuck I wonder how the EV's fared, from the videos it did not seem overly cold, just snow and iced in traffic.
For anyone not having seen the news here is a link.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/virginia-traffic-jam-snow-1.6303780
I've looked around various news outlets but no details on how many towed vehicles were electric power only. "
Another one of those things that I think people want to make assumptions about that can be surprised once they rise above any pre-conceived notions and give it a try.
Not sure one can blanket EVs as not holding up. This one's too rich for my blood, but I feel like it's going to be the one doing the towing of my little gas SUV before the other way around:
https://www.gmc.com/electric/hummer-ev/pickup-trucks-suvs
I don't see this guy being a slouch either:
https://www.ford.ca/trucks/f150/f150-lightning/2022/
Was in passenger seat of a Tesla in Brandon a couple years ago on an insanely cold day very similar to today with roads that weren’t exactly clear. Especially for a sedan I was surprised at how well the ride went, driver not shy to make a creative (but safe ) turn or two.

Biggest thing that’s held me back, and this might factor into some of your concerns, are questions over range for highway trips. Not so much in summer but winter where I’m under impression you don’t get out of a charge what you get in the summer. I’d like to Winnipeg and back without spending more than a few min charging.
Barring something that happens to our ole gas chugging little SUV sooner than expecting, next vehicle for us should be an EV SUV as more and more models trickle out, prices moderate a little and hopefully that highway range improves just a little more.
Woody94
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 661

Woody94
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 661

-
1/4/2022 at 5:03 PM

A typical ev has a full charge of 50-80kwh. So a full charge runs 1000w heater for 50 hours to give an idea. I am quite sure in zero degree temps you need nowhere near 1000w running constantly to keep the car interior liveable. A lot would come down to what state of charge they were at. I don’t own an ev but I get the impression that you keep a full charge most of the time. Not like a gasser where lots of us drive around on 1/4 tank. I guess the next thing tow trucks need is a quick charger. If that many ev’s got stranded I would blame user error as much as anything.
Trevor B

Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8881

Trevor B
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8881

In this
1/4/2022 at 6:00 PM

Woody94 said "A typical ev has a full charge of 50-80kwh. So a full charge runs 1000w heater for 50 hours to give an idea. I am quite sure in zero degree temps you need nowhere near 1000w running constantly to keep the car interior liveable. A lot would come down to what state of charge they were at. I don’t own an ev but I get the impression that you keep a full charge most of the time. Not like a gasser where lots of us drive around on 1/4 tank. I guess the next thing tow trucks need is a quick charger. If that many ev’s got stranded I would blame user error as much as anything. "
situation the battery is just running the heater and the radio most likely. It's not burning gas to heat the engine coolant to run through the heater core, spin the alternator for power and other parasitic functions.

In the end weather it's internal combustion or EV, they both are going to run out of their fuel source eventually.
Woody94
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 661

Woody94
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 661

-
1/4/2022 at 6:29 PM

Ev’s don’t have gas, coolant or an alternator. Thanks for that though. Yep they both will run out. I would take the highest range Tesla against a lot of gassers.
Farmergeorge
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 1837

Farmergeorge
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 1837

.
1/4/2022 at 7:40 PM

I read somewhere that in current EV’s there is the main battery pack for propulsion and additionally there is a regular 12v battery to run the rest of the systems such as control units, radio, lighting and probably the heating and ac. I also read that if that 12v battery runs flat then most EV’s will not operate. Maybe this is where the problem is rather than the main battery pack.
T-Bee
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 31

T-Bee
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 31

Self driving
1/4/2022 at 8:09 PM

Not necessarily on the EV topic, but still related to the future of driving:

I've often wondered how well self driving cars handle poor road conditions with poor traction and no visibility, nevermind snow drifts.

If all of society eventually transitions to self driving cars, I imagine society as a whole will have pretty poor driving skills. Emergency responders would probably have to take courses for driving to keep up on skills, but would probably be comparably less skilled in driving through floods, down gravel and unplowed roads.

I don't see self driving cars being the dominant vehicles in rural areas, but I could see it happening in more urbanised areas like much of the States.
JessieJay
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 796

JessieJay
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 796

Pretty sure
1/4/2022 at 8:11 PM

The FB post about I-80 being shut down due to stranded EVs was nothing more than propaganda. All reports I heard said that I-80 was closed due to record snowfall amounts in the Lake Tahoe area. Other roads in the area were only partly open-one to commercial traffic only and another only to 4WD or vehicles with chains. There was nothing about EVs causing a problem.
GordonSchwindt
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 491

GordonSchwindt
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 491

Dinosaur Thinking
1/4/2022 at 11:06 PM

When I read posts about the unsuitability of EV I recall a discussion i took part in in the 70’s. I was visiting a friend in Detroit. His father was an engineer for GM. He said the cars of the future would be front wheel drive or all wheel drive.

We thought he was nuts. The universal joints would pound out especially when driven in mud for snow. Forty-five years later a traditional rear wheel drive is considered obsolete.

Yes EV do have challenges. Cold weather is hard on batteries. Our infrastructure needs to be upgraded to handle the electrical demand.

I have problems saying fuel burners will cease to exist. I am convinced that with further advances in technology, the EV will be a significant factor for transportation.
ronfay
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 654

ronfay
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 654

Still valid
1/7/2022 at 1:22 PM

three years later? Technology is moving fast.
Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Snowmobile suit
1/7/2022 at 2:46 PM

NiteHawk said "my snowmobile suit for awhile longer. Interesting read
https://www.consumerreports.org/hybrids-evs/buying-an-electric-car-for-a-cold-climate-double-down-on-range/ "
And if you can hold onto said suit for another about four years, you'll really be set
https://ir.brp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/brp-introduce-electric-models-each-its-product-lines-end-2026-0
ronfay
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 654

ronfay
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 654

Regarding range,
1/7/2022 at 4:00 PM

how is this different from ICE vehicles? i know my vehicle's fuel economy takes a nosedive as soon as we cross 5 C or so. I drive to the lake today in my truck, I fill up when I leave Brandon and on the way home (320 km one way). In an EV, using abetterrouteplanner, I leave with a full charge, charge in PLaP for 10 minutes there and back, and charge at the cottage. Difference? Not much.
JessieJay
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 796

JessieJay
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 796

Curious
1/7/2022 at 5:42 PM

The article refers to the testing the CR did in 0 to 10F, which is a lot warmer than the close to -40 temps we have had a few nights in the last 2 weeks. Does anyone have a link to any study results on these EVs in those extra-cold temps?

Right now I just don't see myself driving to town to get groceries in an EV and feeling 100% confident that I could get there and back on a single charge on a -38F morning. Not in the one that got only 74 miles on a 0*F day anyway-a longer range vehicle would likely still make it, but how warm would the ride be? I'd like to see the mileage test results in this morning's temperatures. (-36.5*F)
Woody94
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 661

Woody94
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 661

-
1/7/2022 at 6:29 PM

One thing to note is that it is the actual temperature not the windchill temperature that matters. 0f is -18c. So not far off our actual daytime temps at the moment. That being said no manufacturer cares about our extreme cold environment for ev’s. Since ev’s are still a very small market it is more important that the car work in California than Canada. Heat is just as harsh on electrics. So that is what they have focused on. Perhaps in the future there will be the Canadian battery package. I can see the battery hybrid being the best choice in our environment. The technology is improving very quickly though.