Quote Originally Posted by Gman View Post
Tested: How Cold Weather Affects EV Range


How to Extend Your Electric Vehicle’s Range During the Winter

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So pretty close to the losses I mentioned which doesn't render the EV absolutely useless. Your post uses wording that makes it seem like for the average user (10-15 miles per day) the EV couldn't meet the most basic of needs due to running the heater and defrost. This is absurd if it's what was being said. There's tens of thousands of these things driven year round and the observed range decrease is fractional even in the coldest of climates.

Again, ALL types of vehicles suffer issues in these conditions and if you look at the overall picture from a neutral prospective (very difficult seemingly for some) you will see that EVs tend to have less issues than ICE vehicles. We've just become accustomed to the issues ICE vehicles tend to experience in cold climates to the point where we don't even consider it abnormal any longer. That's not to say EVs are perfect and without their flaws (I not only mentioned the downsides but even assigned approximate numbers to give readers a basic idea) it's just that the flaws may be less of an issue to the average user than the flaws ICE vehicles are known to have.

Personally, I'd rather have a vehicle who's maximum range goes from 350 miles down to about 300 miles or 300 down to 250 on the coldest of days rather than simply not start due to numerous known causes. This idea that an EV with a 250 mile range becomes useless 5 months out of the year in Colorado is not only wildly inaccurate but is the sort of thing that people read and take as fact without any further investigation. Not only would I take the 40-50 mile decrease in range (if that's even the severity which I don't agree with based on first hand numbers I've seen posted) I'd do so gladly to get the added bonus of getting into a 70 degree car after only a few minutes of heating. We're all "used" to running an ICE car for 15 minutes in cold conditions (assuming the battery functioned in the colder temps well enough to crank it over or the diesel didn't freeze up or any # of potential problems) just to get it to an operating temperature to where it can START heating the cabin. With an EV you pull up an app on your phone, set the temp to 70 degrees and within minutes your entire car is at a comfortable temperature without any gas engine burning.

I don't mind having the EV v. ICE conversation as it's one the interests me but I think it's important that we try to not present myths and urban legend as fact because the more reading I've done on EVs over the years the more I see that most of the FUD concerning EVs is complete BS. So if someone isn't willing to invest the time to fact check and research I can see why they think EVs aren't quite ready for prime time. Is it right for a pick-up truck for everyone's use? Probably not. Could an EV pick-up based on today's technology fit me? It sure would if they built it. I have a feeling that, like most EVs, the current technology would meet the needs of at least 75% of consumers even though most think they're a joke based on something they heard from someone who knows a guy.

This doesn't even account for future tech as things are changing quite rapidly in the EV segment. Where we are now is quite a bit different than even 5 years ago. There's a good chance that in 5 years these random 1% type unique situations will even be able to be met by a EV.