EVs work in the cold

Plus - when any vehicle, gas or EV is pushing through slush & snow, that's going to create more drag, couple that with ice buildup inside the wheels? More drag. Then, there's cold, and REALLY cold.



Thank the Lord it hardly ever gets this cold - well below zero, very often, but when it does? An EV or PHEV heat pump is useless, so cabin comfort and windshield defroster have to rely on resistance heating which further suck the life out of a pack - just like it sucks the life out of a gasser having to crank over a engine block &/or turn axle & transmission gears over that are dealing w/sub Sub-Zero temps.
.

 

That's why it's always nice to have a gasoline backup - especially if you end up behind a interstate pileup or long chain control lines. You can burn your battery down rather quickly using those resistant heaters. Better to just utilize the seat and steering wheel heaters, but then you'll have to deal with glass fogging.

 

Is it just me, but isn't preconditioning in an EV essentially the same thing as warming up a gasoline car? I mean, sure, the EV might have a timer set to come on automatically. But other than that, isn't the concept the same?

Don't all internal combustion engines reuse the waste heat?

I don't know. We get well below 0 °F daily during winter here in "the coldest town in Colorado" but we've had plenty of gasoline and diesel vehicles that have gone long past 200,000 miles without any major issues, From my grandpa's Honda Accord with over 400,000 miles on it, to our Ford Aerostar with over 300,000 miles on it, to our VW Golf diesel that had some 700,000 miles on it. The cold might be hard on them, but not enough to make that much of a difference. Just change the oil often and it'll be fine.

 

Not overall cost for most of us.

• Cheapest practical used EV: about $20,000
• Cheapest practical used ICE: about $1,000

That's over 20 years of driving to break even for me. For other EV owners who wouldn't consider a $1,000 car depreciation is killing them right now. Only in some cases are people actually able to make an EV cheaper overall. But if cost is really a concern, then ICEV wins for most people.

IF EVs are actually cheaper to own, then show me. But I can't make one work. Too expensive, even if the electricity were free.

• Engine wear is only a problem if the ICEV can't outlast an EV in longevity.
• Lower gas tank is only a problem if the ICEV can't still go farther than the EV.

Just going by the average car, it seems an average ICEV lasts some 200,000 miles, before any major issues, even in a place like here, "the coldest town in Colorado." If EVs are lasting longer than that, then I'm all ears. But I'm not yet convinced.

IF EVs are actually lasting longer than ICEVs, then show me. So far there seem to be too many stories of less-than 200,000 mile EVs needing battery replacements that cost tens of thousands of dollars, many times more than what the car is worth.

Remote start on ICEVs is also a thing you know. So again, not a reason to buy an EV.

BUT:

I can agree with you there. This is why I did try to go with an EV for a while. The EV didn't work out. But yes, as much as I feel that a lot of the reasons people say "EV's are better" are just part of the gimmicky propaganda to push EVs as if they were better, when there're not, I do feel that this is the reason they are better.

 

You exaggerate. With today's national average gas price a bit under $2.94/gal, that would imply an average electric price of $0.043 to $0.071 / kWh. While I do know of a very few electric utilities in my state charging that low (one even lower), they serve only a very small population. The national average is closer to $0.180 - 0.190, the cheapest state average is $0.124, and only two other states average under $0.13.

My area has among the nation's highest gas prices, coupled with below average electric prices, and home charging is much closer to 1/2 the cost of gasoline.

As public recharging consolidates, replacing formerly "free" amenity outlets around here with fee-based commercial networks, the away-from-home charging is now more expensive than gasoline. Yesterday I paid $0.39/kWh at a medical complex (plus a connection fee) to add a bit so that my PHEV could make the round trip all-EV. That is the lowest public rate I've seen in the past year, apart from the few remaining free spots.

 

I know a doctor that is a early adopter of the Tesla. Free charging for life; but he paid well over $100K for it. He was too cheap to install an L2 charger @ home and fast charged for free - well relatively free. A doctor's time is worth money, so twiddling your thumbs at a charger was costing him money. He thought he got a deal; when his battery pack replacement cost him $15K.
He knew I was a "car guy" and was raving about his Tesla. It was a status symbol and cult following back then. I was in a Prius C at the time and told him I don't see it. So I showed him on a bar napkin calculation that his breakeven was 30+ years, not counting the $15K wack and tire replacements; he just took. I believe my Prius C was around $15K out the door....

YMMV

BTW; I believe electricity cost will continue to increase; not because of more BEVs - but because of the power hungry AI data centers driving your devices. We don't have excess electricity generating capacity; unless we start building nukes - 10 years ago.....

 

Don't worry about power, the DOD/DOW is going to be using coal so that will take a load off the grid.

Not to mention that green house gasses are now officially clean and so no need for auto emissions regulations.

 

Don't forget to remove those expensive stack emissions scrubbers. Well just DOGE the EPA so they can't inspect or certify them. If the law is not enforced, is it really a law????? FWIW: That's a Bondi question.
Trying not to remember the Don's "clean" coal initiative. While Beijing's skies are turning blue; ours will be going grey soon.
I've almost forgotten about those oh so sweet sweet inversion layers we used to get here in the valley.

 

my ev works in winter, but there's nothing cheap about it. runs about the same as gas