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The topic of this thread is kind of amusing. It's really easy to make a straw man thread highlighting a use case where EVs don't excel. An analogy would be to make a thread asking what vehicles can get 55 MPG, park easily in normal parking spots and also tow thousands of pounds? It looks like you've found a great solution having different vehicles for different needs.
No it isn't. The push for EV seems to be for those who work 9 to 5 in an office, in a warm climate with a drive way at home to charge their car and a charge point at work.
But my reality is, I need to tow cars and diggers and with winters in the UK, I need the heater to work. The van manufacturers for some reason do not do tow bars for their vans.
So my thread is, which EV is suitable for a construction worker in a cold climate?
No it isn't. The push for EV seems to be for those who work 9 to 5 in an office, in a warm climate with a drive way at home to charge their car and a charge point at work.
But my reality is, I need to tow cars and diggers and with winters in the UK, I need the heater to work. The van manufacturers for some reason do not do tow bars for their vans.
So my thread is, which EV is suitable for a construction worker in a cold climate?
Frankly, the cold temps don't make a big difference, strong wind and elevation changes makes a much bigger difference especially when towing due to the much worse aerodynamics and higher energy use.
Frankly, the cold temps don't make a big difference, strong wind and elevation changes makes a much bigger difference especially when towing due to the much worse aerodynamics and higher energy use.
All depends on how cold cold is. It doesn't matter what type of battery your car uses. Battery capacity is reduced when under extreme cold temperatures. I understand that EV batteries generate a lot of heat, too. But lest say that you are driving in Siberia, or the interior of Alaska, or maybe on the road on the North Slope of Alaska.
In such roads in the middle of the winter the motor of an ICE vehicle has to be kept running and the heater at full blast, even when you stop to take a break. Then when you turn the motor off, you have to plug the vehicle into an electrical outlet to keep the antifreeze from jelling while maintaining the motor just warm enough to start again the next time. The battery is also kept on a trickle charger or a battery electric blanket, while the engine oil slightly warmed with an oil pan heater. Some drivers add a transmission fluid heater, and even a power steering fluid heater. If you cannot plug it in, then you have to let it run all night or day.
I don't think that EV big rigs will be the norm any time soon, at least in places that have extreme cold temperatures.
All depends on how cold cold is. It doesn't matter what type of battery your car uses. Battery capacity is reduced when under extreme cold temperatures. I understand that EV batteries generate a lot of heat, too. But lest say that you are driving in Siberia, or the interior of Alaska, or maybe on the road on the North Slope of Alaska.
In such roads in the middle of the winter the motor of an ICE vehicle has to be kept running and the heater at full blast, even when you stop to take a break. Then when you turn the motor off, you have to plug the vehicle into an electrical outlet to keep the antifreeze from jelling while maintaining the motor just warm enough to start again the next time. The battery is also kept on a trickle charger or a battery electric blanket, while the engine oil slightly warmed with an oil pan heater. Some drivers add a transmission fluid heater, and even a power steering fluid heater. If you cannot plug it in, then you have to let it run all night or day.
I don't think that EV big rigs will be the norm any time soon, at least in places that have extreme cold temperatures.
Right on--batteries being very cold hurt their operating efficiency and in contrast to ICE vehicles, there isn't a large reserve of waste heat to harvest from for cabin heating so it's even worse in a comparison with ICE vehicles. When it comes to truly cold places like the interior of Alaska, I think EVs won't be a great value proposition for most use cases for at least several years to come. Of course, most of the US doesn't get the degree of or length of cold that the interior of the US gets and most of the people in the US live in warmer climates than that of the Alaskan interior.
Right on--batteries being very cold hurt their operating efficiency and in contrast to ICE vehicles, there isn't a large reserve of waste heat to harvest from for cabin heating so it's even worse in a comparison with ICE vehicles. When it comes to truly cold places like the interior of Alaska, I think EVs won't be a great value proposition for most use cases for at least several years to come. Of course, most of the US doesn't get the degree of or length of cold that the interior of the US gets and most of the people in the US live in warmer climates than that of the Alaskan interior.
Yes, the hundreds of people that live in interior Alaska may not be the right market for EVs.
Probably not a big market for new ICE vehicles either, I bet.
Yes, the hundreds of people that live in interior Alaska may not be the right market for EVs.
Probably not a big market for new ICE vehicles either, I bet.
I believe that during the winter months it gets very cold in the North central US, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Northwest NY. The question was about the use of an EV heater in places where it gets cold. In such places, the heater has to be used to keep the cabin warm, and also to remove moisture from your breath or from snow melting on the floor mats. It means that the heater has to be used all the time while driving.
Lest face it: EVs are probably great in places where it does not get very cold.
I believe that during the winter months it gets very cold in the North central US, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Northwest NY. The question was about the use of an EV heater in places where it gets cold. In such places, the heater has to be used to keep the cabin warm, and also to remove moisture from your breath or from snow melting on the floor mats. It means that the heater has to be used all the time while driving.
Lest face it: EVs are probably great in places where it does not get very cold.
Right, I think the northern bits of the interior contiguous US will also probably take longer as well, but those winters almost certainly a bit less severe in magnitude and duration so the problem would also be commensurately less of a drain.
For example, Montreal is quite cold compared to the vast majority of the contiguous US. However, Montreal and its surrounding actually does fairly well with EV sales and there's a sizable community of EV owners who are generally pretty happy with their vehicles even though they have a stronger winter cold weather penalty than most of the contiguous US. However, I don't think that's the same case for Fairbanks, AK, because as cold as Montreal is, its winters are still comparatively short and, uh, moderate compared to Fairbanks's winter. You can see that in their climate stats with Montreal's average low for its coldest month of January being a balmy 9.7F compared to Fairbanks's 16.9F and with Montreal's average monthly lows being above freezing for 7 months of the year versus 5 months of the year for Fairbanks. Sure, one is cold, but there is a substantial difference in just how cold and for how long and so EV owners seemingly being fine with their vehicles in and around the Montreal area isn't directly applicable to Fairbanks, Alaska just because for many, both would be considered cold.
I think there's probably a large swath of non-panhandle Alaska especially, but to a lesser but still significant degree northerly and high altitude interior Washington State, Idaho and Montana, North Dakota, northernmost Minnesota, Upper Peninsula Michigan and northern interior Maine that will probably take a good long while for EVs to make sense.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 02-15-2021 at 12:15 PM..
I'd be okay for an EV as one of the vehicles I'd own. Would love a Tesla Model 3 , or one of the future Cadillac offerings. I do need a truck though, and I don't see anything that would work for me, at least in the next few years.
Our rural cabin is 250 miles away. We travel there both in the winter to snowmobile, and summer to ride ATV's. Winter we usually tow a snowmobile trailer, roughly 5000 + lbs. Summer we tow a little lighter, just a SxS and an ATV , same trailer though so, maybe 4000lbs. Until I can transition from my ICE truck to an EV truck seamlessly, it isn't for me.
And with that being said, if I could afford the truck and another car, my other car would most likely be a 392 wide body Challenger.
I believe that during the winter months it gets very cold in the North central US, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Northwest NY. The question was about the use of an EV heater in places where it gets cold. In such places, the heater has to be used to keep the cabin warm, and also to remove moisture from your breath or from snow melting on the floor mats. It means that the heater has to be used all the time while driving.
Lest face it: EVs are probably great in places where it does not get very cold.
I drive an EV in the winter in the Colorado Rockies. The car works very well.
I'd be okay for an EV as one of the vehicles I'd own. Would love a Tesla Model 3 , or one of the future Cadillac offerings. I do need a truck though, and I don't see anything that would work for me, at least in the next few years.
Our rural cabin is 250 miles away. We travel there both in the winter to snowmobile, and summer to ride ATV's. Winter we usually tow a snowmobile trailer, roughly 5000 + lbs. Summer we tow a little lighter, just a SxS and an ATV , same trailer though so, maybe 4000lbs. Until I can transition from my ICE truck to an EV truck seamlessly, it isn't for me.
And with that being said, if I could afford the truck and another car, my other car would most likely be a 392 wide body Challenger.
This is our set up, a Model 3 and a 5.7L V8 Land Cruiser for towing and extended trips.
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