How To Keep Electric Vehicles Charged In Extreme Cold

Forbes

The Arctic blast of frigid air putting much of the nation in a deep freeze this week is reportedly icing out some battery electric cars from charging or holding a charge, leaving a number of EV owners fuming and frustrated.  In Chicago, where temperatures dropped below zero, Tesla drivers reported long lines at Supercharger stations, complaining they were either slow or not working at all. The experience for Tesla owners is a window into the cold, hard truth about the susceptibility of battery electric vehicles to the effects of very cold weather.  The simple answer to why this happens is chemistry and physics, according to a report by Recurrent, which studies electric vehicles.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/edgarsten/2024/01/17/how-to-keep-electric-vehicles-charged-in-extreme-cold/?sh=5eaebdab6b1c  Forbes Daily Briefing shares the best of Forbes reporting on wealth, business, entrepreneurship, leadership and more. Tune in every day, seven days a week, to hear a new story. Subscribe here: https://art19.com/shows/forbes-daily-briefing Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00 Here's your Forbes daily briefing for Saturday, January 20th.

00:05 Today on Forbes, how to keep electric vehicles charged in extreme cold.

00:11 The Arctic blast of frigid air, putting much of the nation in a deep freeze this week,

00:16 is reportedly icing out some battery electric cars from charging or holding a charge, leaving

00:22 a number of EV owners fuming and frustrated.

00:26 In Chicago, where temperatures dropped below zero, Tesla drivers reported long lines at

00:32 supercharger stations, complaining they were either slow or not working at all.

00:38 Tesla owner Brandon Wellborn told Chicago TV station CBS Chicago, "I've been here for

00:43 over five hours at this point, and I've still not started my charge.

00:47 Charging that should take 45 minutes has taken two hours."

00:52 The experience for Tesla owners is a window into the cold, hard truth about the susceptibility

00:58 of battery electric vehicles to the effects of very cold weather.

01:02 The simple answer to why this happens is chemistry and physics, according to a report by Recurrent,

01:08 which studies electric vehicles.

01:10 The report said, "Chemical and physical reactions in the battery occur more slowly in cold temperatures.

01:17 Cold temperatures inhibit chemical reactions and act as resistance that slows down the

01:22 physical processes.

01:24 This reduces the EV's available power."

01:28 The Recurrent report noted that EVs can lose up to around 30 percent of their available

01:32 power in cold weather, not only due to effects of the temperature on battery chemistry, but

01:37 from greater power demand when occupants turn up the heat.

01:41 That point was supported in a Consumer Reports story explaining the effects of cold weather

01:45 on EV batteries, which said, "Running the cabin heater, seat heaters, defroster, and

01:52 other accessories that combat the cold weather inside the car all sap range.

01:57 For cold temperatures, what we have found is that 20 degrees Fahrenheit and colder is

02:01 when the range really drops."

02:05 All EVs are alike when it comes to how much power they lose in cold weather.

02:09 Recurrent measured the range loss for a number of EVs and found extremes such as the range

02:14 for the Kia Kona EV drops 34 percent in freezing weather, while the loss for the Tesla Model

02:19 S was 28 percent.

02:21 A report on the vehicle shopping and research site Cars.com noted, "An EV with a rated

02:28 range of 250 miles would have only 150 miles of range when it's 20 degrees outside."

02:35 To combat the cold weather effect, EV owners are advised to conduct what's known as preconditioning

02:40 their vehicle's battery.

02:42 This means heating or cooling the battery dependent on the temperature.

02:46 This is generally accomplished by programming the vehicle's preconditioning system using

02:50 a smartphone app that will start the car at a set time before the anticipated departure

02:55 to heat or cool the battery in advance.

02:58 It's best to precondition when the vehicle is still plugged into the grid to save battery

03:02 power.

03:04 There appears to be little respite for those Tesla drivers in Chicago who are stuck waiting

03:08 for a charge in the frigid weather and other EV drivers steaming over power loss and slow

03:13 charges.

03:14 This weekend, much of the central and eastern part of the country, including the southern

03:18 U.S. as of yesterday, is experiencing a continuing Arctic blast.

03:23 The National Weather Service had posted on its website Thursday, "While not as cold

03:28 as the previous Arctic outbreak that produced numerous records across the plains and lower

03:33 Mississippi Valley last week, this next surge will result in high temperatures 20 to 25

03:38 degrees below average on Friday across much of the plains and Mississippi Valley.

03:43 These 20 to 25 degree below average temperatures will persist across most of the plains and

03:48 Mississippi again on Saturday, while also spreading east into the Tennessee and Ohio

03:53 valleys."

03:54 For full coverage, check out Ed Garstin's piece on Forbes.com.

04:00 This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes, thanks for tuning in.

04:04 [Music]

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