Tesla/EV: Chilly reality?

[dominattorney]

3 hours ago, SCgarman said:

The "unplanned spirited" part will likely not work with an EV. Lack of a charging station infrastructure throughout the US means you either plan an itinerary and stick to it like glue, or you'll likely be on a flatbed truck paying the driver your disposable $$$ 😁.

We are in warm Myrtle Beach, SC. Still no EV's in my stable. I refuse to buy into the "sham". 

I don't think it's a sham, necessarily. But I do believe that it's something that would ultimately be more useful in bigger cities, where people mostly use their vehicles within city limits and can charge them at home every day. That's what I feel we don't hear enough about--the limited niche of usefulness where owning one would make sense. 

[jazzboypro]

1 hour ago, SCgarman said:

The "unplanned spirited" part will likely not work with an EV. Lack of a charging station infrastructure throughout the US means you either plan an itinerary and stick to it like glue, or you'll likely be on a flatbed truck paying the driver your disposable $$$ 😁.

We are in warm Myrtle Beach, SC. Still no EV's in my stable. I refuse to buy into the "sham". 

There is no "sham" in EV's. They might not fulfill your needs (and the needs of many) but definitely no sham there.

[Hammer Smokin']

Our company has a fleet of 350 EV's up here in Canada. 

As much as employees wished they would fail (so they could stay home), unfortunately for them, they work just fine in our climate. 

[PartagasIV]

2 hours ago, dominattorney said:

Serious question, does it depend where you live? While I've been kicking the tires on an ultrafast EV, I'm nervous that my driving use will get in the way of fully enjoying it. I frequently travel to rural areas with low infrastructure and enjoy unplanned spirited road trips through and along the rockies. Winters also create potential problems for me. 

In New England, there's a healthy amount of Supercharger stations (150kW-250kW)--in my experience, never had an issue or wait time. Use the OEM DC charging adapter (50kW limit) to use non-Tesla fast chargers. You'd just need to look at maps of stations in your area to figure out if it's viable for you. There's a bunch of spending to spur EV charger construction, but I've had mediocre ex-Tesla charging experiences. Would recommend buying the full adapter kit and a non-OEM 240V extension (dryer circuit) cord; they live in my car full time as backup. Normal exterior outlets can only add 4 miles of range per hour, a 240V outlet adds 20-35 miles of range per hour. About $1k to add the 240V hardware to my home, all in.

I'll never give up on gas/manual/tracking cars, it's just a fun option to have. Happy to answer any other Q's you have by DM if you'd like.

[raggie]

A few of my pals have no troubles with their EVs here (low of -18°F on Saturday), albeit they are city commuters. Like others mentioned, gas is still far too convenient to give up, but this dillydallying on EVs help nothing. Either commit or stop completely! Oh, and let’s build some more nuclear plants while we’re at it ⚡

[madandana]

On 1/17/2024 at 10:02 AM, Chas.Alpha said:

While cold batteries produce less cranking amps, I think the bigger (unthought of) problem is that lubricants can also freeze, or at least thicken to the point that whatever amperage you send to the starter will not overcome the mechanical resistance.

@madandana and @Chibearsv can certainly chime in, as they see fit. 🥶

I have 2 comments, number 1 I leave MN in the winter and number 2 is a whole political statement and I don’t want my brothers John and Fuzz to ban me so I’ll shut up 🤫 

[Fuzz]

5 hours ago, madandana said:

I have 2 comments, number 1 I leave MN in the winter and number 2 is a whole political statement and I don’t want my brothers John and Fuzz to ban me so I’ll shut up 🤫