Electric Cars in Severe Cold?

[R S Steven]

"Truth of the matter is that there were plenty of problems with the early internal combustion engines.  To constantly poo-poo the current EV cars and the related tech is probably done by the same folks mindset all those years ago when complaining that the internal combustion engine was too noisy, dripped oil everywhere

You gotta start somewhere."


People act like electric cars are something new.  The first pratical electric car was built in 1850's (From Wikipedia).  In the early 20th century the electrical car were fairly popular, they had 38% of the market (From Wikipedia).  Clair Ford, Henry Ford I wife, had an electric car - 1914 Detroit Electric. 

https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/209957/

Throughout the 20th century electric cars tried to make a revival, but they weren't practical or cost effective.  IMHO I still don't think they are practical or cost effective to replace the majority of ICE vehicles. 

I don't want the government telling me that my only choice in a vehicles, is an electric vehicle. Because if and when that happens we all loose.

[fishnjim]

Wikipedia is not a legitimate source of bona fide data or info.   Anyone can edit the content -that's what a Wiki is.   If you monitor over time, it changes frequently to suit whomever is referring to it.   

[R S Steven]

Wikipedia is not a legitimate source of bona fide data or info.   Anyone can edit the content -that's what a Wiki is.   If you monitor over time, it changes frequently to suit whomever is referring to it.

Here is another sources, the U.S. Department of Energy?

https://www.energy.gov/articles/history-electric-car

1828 â€" 1835
First Small-Scale Electric Cars

Horse and buggies are the primary mode of transportation, but innovators in Hungary, the Netherlands and the U.S. think to the future, creating some of the first small-scale electric cars.

1832
First Crude Electric Vehicle Is Developed

Around 1832, Robert Anderson develops the first crude electric vehicle, but it isn't until the 1870s or later that electric cars become practical.


1900 â€" 1912
Electric Cars Reach Their Heyday

By the turn of the century, electric vehicles are all the rage in the U.S., accounting for around a third of all vehicles on the road.

So electric vehicles are not new, they have been around for 187+ years and had a 1/3 of the market a hundred plus years ago, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

[Jim Stamper]

     People have been using electrics well over 100 years. They were successful 100 years ago and are today. It is a matter of tailoring the vehicle to ones needs be it gas or electric. Electrics are great city cars, no bother with gas stations.

      Folks living in minus 40 degrees or 120 above have special problems that aren't limited to their automobile. Life can be on the edge in such circumstances tailor the vehicle to fit them.

      Which has the most room for improvement gas or electric cars? Hard to say, neither are sitting still and both are now far beyond my mechanical comprehension.
                                                                                                  Jim Stamper CLC#13470

[tozerco]

"... Electrics are great city cars, no bother with gas stations...."

                              Jim Stamper CLC#13470

[tozerco]

Don't know what happened there but....

Don't get too excited about not bothering with gas stations yet. Have had a bit of experience with the re-charging stations for these things (or, more correctly, the task of incorporating them into a building.... in my case, into a large office building with over six hundred car parking spaces.... and a dealership for a large English car brand that is new to all this but planning for BIG things.)

Have you ever seen the size of the electrical submains that you need to run for these things? ...and then there is the switchboard you need.... and then there is all the questions about who owns what parts...

Don't think you will see the gas (or "service") station concept just yet awhile...!

[LaSalle5019]

I think its the Volt I read about that only has heated seats and steering wheel when its in electric mode.  If you want to heat the cabin you have to run the gas engine.   I wonder if when you do that its using the coolant for heat?  Or is it just generating enough power to run an electric heater?

I have heard the same thing about the hybrids,  you only get the decent mileage if you are not running the heat or ac.  Darn wanting to be comfortable.  Maybe you can get a SpaceX Mars spacesuit as an option for your Tesla so you don't have to condition the whole cabin?

I wonder if you average out the whole USA how many days a year would it be reasonable to go with no climate control in the car?   I would think its not that many days so the climate control is a real issue.

The Volt will heat in either pure electric or when the range extender (engine) is running. It has four independant cooling systems between the batteries, inverters, engine, drive motor, etc.

Like any EV, you can get some heat from the electronics you are trying to cool but in really cold weather you have to create additional heat for the cabin which comes from the batteries and decreases your range.

[camelot]

 WOW! this thread took off like discussions on which oil oil is best! I've been driving a hybrid for 5 years now. Getting 37mpg  city in winter. 44 -46 summer. I've gotten so used to not hearing the ICE run that I feel it tugging on my wallet when it does. I am so disgusted with Ford discontinuing the CMAX. But the CEO stated there are a number of full electric Ford vehicles coming out. Being retired and having the 220v in the garage I can charge at home. Range? after 4 hrs. (250 miles?) of driving I'm definitely ready for a pit stop and coffee or food. There's already talk of 15 minute charge times.  The tesla is a good car from people that I know have them. But other car companies with active battery cooling are coming along also. I watch a lot of YouTube videos by Bjorn Nyland who tests EV's in Norway. He even sleeps in them in winter with the climate control on in parking lots. EV'S have a "utility mode" Not my choice....I'm at a Marriott or something. He really works the cars. Elon, bought Maxwell battery recently For a number of reasons I believe. The super capacitor development as well as the DBE technology which is "dry battery electrode" It should help him immensely. Just hope he survives. March 1st is just around the corner. Investors are shorting him I hear. BTW if gas keeps dropping in price EV'S will be a hard cell for those long commuters.  33.7 KW per gallon of gas. Best ev I've seen is 4.5 - 5 miles per kwh. Home charging if you have Solar is a no brainer. Otherwise at 27 cents a kw (my area) delivered all in (delivery, taxes etc.). A car with 30mpg is very tight in cost. the only thing that saves you are the maintenance costs of the ICE. belts , pumps, oil changes and if you blow a transmission you need a loan nowadays. Battery in an EV? As technology drives the production costs down, The cost per kwh will drop to below $100.00 pretty soon, like in a couple years. Add in people reconditioning them that is already underway, and it will bring the cost down greatly. Its just a matter of time. Remember the stories of people rejecting cars due to them scaring the horses?

[Jim Stamper]

    Friends visiting last fall from Philadelphia in their Volt realized while here they hadn't put gas in it since visiting the year before. It is used daily as any other urban car, and charges overnight in their garage. They think it is great, no problems over the several years they have owned it.

    They just bought another for their daughter, who is well acquainted with Volt of course. One sees electrics or hybrids everywhere, ordinary people using the things as if in their right minds.

          Jim Stamper CLC#13470