All of the issues you describe will mostly be the same for EV and ICE cars.
The biggest advantage that EVs have over ICE cars is the ability to preheat the car without worrying about puffing laws or enclosed spaces. After it’s snowed all day it’s nice to walk out to the car and the front and rear defrosters have already been running for 20 minutes.
I can already do that with my gas vehicle. No laws that regulate it, and I park outside (no garage), so I can just hit the remote start and it will run and heat up. That doesn’t mean that the problems I mention will not occur, even so, as -35 takes a lot of heat to overcome.
People who think we are overplaying the cold issue perhaps have hever been in real Canadian winter conditions where it can go to -30 to -40 for days on end. At those temperatures, frostbite occurs in just a few minutes. Even the quality of sound changes. Lubricants become molasses, tires become rock-hard, and parts can start breaking. I had a car with a pull-up doorhandle, and on one of those -35-ish days I went to open the car and the handle just snapped off in my hand.
So when a new type of car comes along with a radically new powertrain, a Canadian’s first thoughts are going to be around what happens in winter.
There is a challenge with EV batteries getting too hot. This can particularly be seen in early (2012 - 13) Nissan LEAF’s with early battery chemistry. Those cars that were in particularly hot climates like Arizona - the batteries got “cooked” and lost capacity fairly quickly. This was a particular problem when fast charging, as this heats up the battery even more.
Many other EV’s have Active Cooling of some sort - or at least some kind of thermal management system.
I didn’t mention that because I was focussing on the cabin temp, but the combination of square tires and frozen suspension is not fun for the first drive in the morning. Going over a speed bump is like there isn’t suspension.
Piffle. Southern Albertans talk a good game, but they have chinooks on a regular basis.
Albertans like Sam_Stone in Edmonton are a tougher breed.
Yeah, and it’s really hard on the suspension, too. And the tires. You need winter tires here, if for no reason than for the softer rubber in cold weather.
I’m originally from Lethbridge, which is why I walk with a 10 degree lean to the west. Chinooks are great, but the constant wind can drive you mad.
I actually don’t mind Edmonton winters that much. But then, I don’t have to work outdoors. Oil workers earn every penny they get.
Ah yes, square tires. I remember those.
The Tesla batteries are laced with a coolant pipe snaking through them. There is a small radiator in front. Overheating is not good for batteries. IIRC the earlier Model 3’s, like mine - simplicity was the rule. There is no heater core or use of coolant, just an electric heater. The circumstances where the battery gets hot and needs to be cooled by the coolant flowing through the radiator, would rarely coincide with the cabin needing additional heat due to extreme cold, so why add the complexity. The newer models with the heat pump - that was to make the heating arrangements more energy efficient.
You can find videos on Youtube of people running their Tesla on the Autobahn at 240km/hr. (145mph) After about 40 minutes or so, the vehicle automatically slows to about 90kph (55mph) to allow the coolant and radiator to cool off the battery pack - then, after a few minutes, it resumes high speed. This is the sort of aggressive battery management that helps ensure better battery life (unlike the Nissan Leaf).
The most annoying cold weather feature of the Model 3 is - like any car today - don’t wash it during an extended cold spell. Those pop-out handles are cute, but it can take a but of persuasion to open the door if the water gets behind the handle and freezes. Be sure to have a towel to dry out the handle sockets.
Both my Tesla and BMW have the window that pops down a half-inch to open the door, then when closed rolls up the half inch to lodge into the roof rubber strip. tesla apparently put out a software update for clod weather that did not allow the window to go as high during cold weather to avoid being frozen in or out of the car. (or worse, breaking the window) I just avoid washing the vehicles as much in winter.
I had that problem with my previous Pathfinder. But not door handles. It was the gas tank filler cover. I explained my problem the the person in the gas station/convenience store and got a cup of hot water to slosh on it and get it unfrozen.
Woo-hoo! Temperature has climbed to -20 C! Tires and suspension are warmer, so the ride is much smoother. Temperature gauges and the navi-screen are both working again, and the air bag indicator has gone off. Window is frozen, but in the “up” position, so I can handle that.
During a wind storm in December, we had a wind gust that pushed a cinder block around on the flat roof of the office building. That may have been the same wind gust that snapped off an antenna mast of ours on top of a local grain elevator.
Not too many years ago, one guy from the coast decided to bring his kids up to this area during their spring break. He had never been here and so he checked the weather and was horrified to see that the forecast was for wind in the 25 to 30 mile per hour range. He got on the Internet and asked if it was safe to take his kids outside in winds that high. Everyone around here who saw it was puzzled at the question. In the end, he brought the kids up and they had a good time in spite of the wind.
There was a recent news article about some guy having to have his Mustang Mach E towed and the tow truck driver did not know how to safely tow it. As a result, he damaged the batteries and the owner is now facing a $28,000 repair for new batteries.
Also I saw a post - I think it was British Columbia - where the Tesla owner found a pair of punctures underneath his battery pack. His best guess is some overenthusiastic tow truck operator tried to use a forklift device on his car, then gave up - probably because it wasn’t illegally parked. Unfortunately, by the time he discovered it was probably several months old and the sentry mode video there would have been from the time was overwritten.
Questions from someone who has only owned ICE’s up to this point:
What is this “camp mode” I keep seeing?
Are EV’s heavier than ICE’s of the same size?
Hi, Opal!
I don’t live in Canada, but even here in the Chicago area we have days when it gets down to -30 C. Since we don’t winterize to the extent that living in Canada requires things start shutting down because people simply can’t get their ICE’s started. I’ve started my vehicles and driven in such weather and it’s rough - you can get chilled to the bone cleaning off snow and ice even if you are wearing gloves and clothing deemed adequate for “warmer” below-freezing temperatures. As noted stuff breaks (most visibly, mirrors and windows spontaneously cracking in cold), stuff doesn’t turn as well (even before you get the engine started, the doors can be noticeably stiff when you open them), as mentioned upthread your suspension acts like it’s not there and every bump in the road is a punch to your backside, and I’ve never had a vehicle where the cabin heat can keep up with that - which is why I dress like an arctic explorer and might throw spare boots/clothing in the back seat because you do NOT want to get anything wet and if you do you have to get it off you immediately. Cold can kill you very quickly. Also, you might have to walk to get help and even a short distance in such cold - like from the road to a nearby house or business - can result in frostbite if you don’t have the proper gear. Even in this fairly urban area we get a few deaths a year from winter conditions.
So… not even Canadian but I worry about my car and my pickup this time of year, even with a short commute. If you haven’t had to deal with cold that severe, with some snow and ice on top of that, you may not grasp how crucial “how does this vehicle handle extreme cold?” might be.
In general, yes. It’s the battery, of course, but the weight distribution is different which makes EVs safer and with better handling.
ICEs have a big heavy engine up front (usually) which makes them front heavy as well as more top heavy than EVs. Batteries on EVs are heavier than internal combustion engines, but they put them low and in the center of the vehicle. It’s what they call a skateboard configuration. The battery is in a layer below the passenger compartment and between the axles. That moves the center of gravity of an EV really low, which means it’s really, really hard to flip an EV. It also moves the CoG to the middle of the vehicle, which gives them better handling.
Teslas have an outstanding safety record and I expect other EVs will have better than average records too. Especially SUV and pickup EVs should be lots safer, since ICE light trucks are notoriously prone to rollovers.
It’s a button you can engage when you park the car that will keep the heat on while you camp in the car overnight. I think without that feature, the car would go to sleep after a certain amount of time inactive.
We haven’t used it, but we do use “dog mode” frequently. It keeps your dog warm or cool, as needed, while he or she is left in the car. There is a message on the screen to the effect of “don’t worry, it’s 71 degrees in here and my owner will be back soon.”
Yeah, that’s it. It enables the climate control and entertainment systems to run for extended periods without a time-out, but shuts down the other things that come on when the vehicle powers up, like the running lights and etc. I see a lot of people car camping with Teslas because with the rear seats folded down, any of the models have a decently large space for an air mattress. There are companies selling specially fitted ones if you really want to maximize the space above a best-fit rectangle.
Are the batteries very susceptible to rocks?
I live on a caliche road. Driving up and down the road, the tires kick a lot of small rocks up into the bottom of the car. How likely is it that those rocks could affect the batteries?