# How Do Electric Cars Provide Climate Control? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 4, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-electric-cars-provide-climate-control/475693 "2008-12-04T16:59:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-electric-cars-provide-climate-control/475693/1 "2008-12-04T16:59:03Z")
I’m assuming that heat is provided by an electric heating coil, that air conditioning is done the same way (more or less) it is in a gasoline-powered car. But does powering a fan, a coil, and/or a compressor significantly drain the battery of power that would otherwise go toward powering the vehicle? Also, are current-generation electric vehicles amenable to cold climates? ---
**Author:** ![tallcoldone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9a140/32.png) [@tallcoldone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tallcoldone)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-electric-cars-provide-climate-control/475693/2 "2008-12-04T17:02:27Z")
Tangent - how do hybrids do this also? ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-electric-cars-provide-climate-control/475693/3 "2008-12-04T17:14:35Z")
That is one of the reasons the estimates for the range on charged electric cars is way off. When they estimate 50 or 60-mile range, I’m sure they don’t have on the heater or the A/C. Image how that range would be effected in Phoenix with our summers. What is needed is an entirely different, more powerful battery. The hybrids make more sense. My daughter who lives in Colorado has a Prius, and even in winter she gets 50 mph with the heater going. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-electric-cars-provide-climate-control/475693/4 "2008-12-04T17:26:49Z")
I imagine an electric car’s AC will have about the same impact on range that a gas powered car’s AC does. Heating is a different story, however, as there’s significantly less “free” heat off an electric motor than there is with an IC engine. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-electric-cars-provide-climate-control/475693/5 "2008-12-04T17:34:57Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Also, are current-generation electric vehicles amenable to cold climates? Straight electric? No, not at all. There is too great a drop in a battery’s capacity when it’s cold. A battery with 600 cranking amps at 70F has two-thirds that at 32F and it just keeps dropping along with the temperature. Remember that a battery stores and discharges electricty through a chemical reaction and those things slow way down when cold. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-electric-cars-provide-climate-control/475693/6 "2008-12-04T18:08:17Z")
The Prius heating system is convetional (off the engine oil or whatever) but I’ve heard rumors there is some sort of electric boost heater [Prius Heater | PriusChat](http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/11202-prius-heater.html) In the '03 and older designs the A/C compressor ran off the gas engine so it would have to run for cooling. In '04 or later the compressor pump is electric. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-electric-cars-provide-climate-control/475693/7 "2008-12-04T19:03:04Z")
> [@tallcoldone](#): > > Tangent - how do hybrids do this also? How should I know? 😕 😉 ---
**Author:** ![silk1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@silk1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silk1976)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-electric-cars-provide-climate-control/475693/8 "2008-12-05T03:42:42Z")
Slight tangent - Compressed air cars get free A/C due to the expanding gas and the joule-thompson coefficient. Side thought: In the winter, you could put in helium instead of air and get free heat - as helium is one of the few gases that actually warms up when it expands. Unfortunately, this is not practical unless you are a travelling clown 😃