Featured Dead “robots” pack the Chicago Supercharger stations

And some are gleeful

 

Older Tesla Superchargers and 0 F, cold temperature problem was discovered last winter in Colorado:

1,105,707 views Dec 22, 2022 #ev #charging #dcfc​

Kyle finds out that the new Electrify America chargers that they co-developed with BTC don't work in cold temperatures. He also heads to ChargePoint, EVgo, and other EA chargers to see if they have similar issues in this cold snap.

1,131,634 views Dec 24, 2022 #tesla #cold #charging
Kyle and Alyssa deep freeze their Model 3 to see what happens when you try and Supercharge a frozen battery pack. Hope you find this interesting!

Fortunately, there are alternatives:

• More recent SuperChargers
• Home chargers
• L2 chargers (aka., J1772)
• CCS-1 chargers with adapter

LATE THOUGHT: Local weather predicted to be 0-6 F late Tuesday night. I have local access to both Gen 2, 150 kW, and Gen 3, 250 kW, Superchargers and will test them.

Bob Wilson

 

Gokhan:
Thank you for presenting another side of EV ownership that is never mentioned here.
Our Forum has a one sided view of EV's and a presentation of EV ownership problems are much needed here for a balanced view.
There have also been many issues with EV's during natural disasters and rolling blackouts.
In the United States another issue to soon present itself is going to be skyrocketing electric energy rates.
Recently you bought up the depreciation issues, insurance issues and repairability issues - all vital to making a financially balanced decisions to purchase an EV. Cold weather performance and deteriorating range is another vital issue. Imagine having to take a critical trip in this below 0 weather and finding your range had decreased by over 1/2.

I like EV's and own a PHEV but also like to make balanced and financially solid decisions.

The information you are providing is vital to making a balanced decision and I hope you continue your post on this subject. You will only get negative feedback on this forum - but- many do appreciate the information you are posting!

On another note: I visited a local Toyota Dealership Saturday and got to see Toyota's new bZ4 -man, what a nice car and a killer deal with manufacturer rebates for that vehicle. Probably only a Bolt could match the $/value of the bz4 right now in electric vehicles.

 

EVs are an applied IQ test. Not everyone is able to handle them.

Bob Wilson

 

Maybe the OP would prefer we all use lead acid in our EV or plugins for propulsion? Those too - can fail in extra cold ..... those too - self discharge just sitting there. Maybe the OP isn't disingenuousness - but accidentally makes it look like only EV's have issues during extreme cold weather - while ignoring the 90% of cars that are gassers that also end up not starting / undrivable due to extreme cold (might even blow a freeze plug with insufficient antifreeze).
Ignoring ? ... lead acid discharge around 5% per month. So - after 4 or 5 cold months - if it's just sitting there (because only whack jobs drive when it's -5 to -25°f below) - & presuming your lead acid is new & 100% charged (couple years old it's worse) you may only have a 75% or less capacity - turning on how old your battery is. In sub-Zero temperatures you may have less than 50% cranking power on a self discharged ride which means getting started? Kiss it off sometimes in Sub-Zero temperatures .... because now that capacity is even less.
Plug-in cars could have been built with only lead acid (never mind it's extra weight) ... but they're not. In other words no battery is downside free. But then - where's the drama in posting something like that.
Yea - issues in sub freezing weather for electric cars need to become as ubiquitous as gassers ... then people's hair won't catch on fire.

 

Maybe it's okay to watch/read/hear some details in the news and learn a few specifics about exactly what works (and doesn't) in cold weather?

 

The other side of EV ownership is plenty covered here.

Reports of dead chargers in the cold were posted here last year.

Now, were these chargers dead, or the Tesla batteries too cold? The cars will refuse DC charging at a certain point. Doing some laps could get the pack warm enough.

 

Other than fomenting drama - the OP's linked posts are pretty devoid of real substance. Odds are good that these Tesla owners never read the manual about preheating their packs - because if a supercharger destination is inputted - the car's screen will show if a supercharger stall or the entire location is dead.
In which case, like a power failure at a gas station, the pumps are useless to refuel your gas burner.
.

 

In Florida and South Carolina many gas stations along the evacuation routes have a Generator back up - you have no problems when evacuating finding gas. Don't know if this is specific to these areas or if it is common everywhere.

If you found an agreeable gas station owner and had a manual gas siphon pump refueling is very easy with no power: (Cost $10)
Amazon.com: GasTapper Fuel Transfer Pump - Gas Siphon Pro Pump for Gasoline, Oil, Diesel, Water, Liquid, Fluid w/ 9 Ft Hose - Portable Hand Gas Pump Includes Brass Tip Weight and Pinch Clip - 3.5 Gls/Min Automotive
+
Automatic shut off nozzel ($35)
Amazon.com: PANCYCW Red 3/4" Inch NPT Automatic Fuel Nozzle Auto Shut Off Nozzle Gas Pump Nozzle Max Flow Rate 16 GPM Max Pressure 15-50PSI 3-Notch Hold Open Clip13/16" Spout Used for Gasoline Kerosene Biodiesel : Automotive

The article does mention the point of it being necessary to prewarm the battery but implies this was a chagrining infrastructure outage and that the EV owners where hiring tow trucks to tow their vehicles to working chargers. The owners and the News Station were all trying to contact the Charging Station Operator Tesla but the Company was not taking calls or replying. Maybe more information forthcoming soon?

 

In cold climbs even gassers need engine block warmers.
"Climate change" means colder and warmer so batteries need to cope.
Maybe Cali will freeze over? I know Yosemite gets cold, I mean LA. .

 

15 in nashville, 35 in boston, go figure

 

Many stations were without power after Sandy. Outside areas that have regular power outages, expect stations to not have back up power.

I think you'll need more than 9ft of hose to get into an underground tank and reach the car's filler. It could be done, but I would think most stations would be hesitant over spill and safety concerns.

Tesla shouldn't have closed their public relations department.

 

Thought this was common in both Florida and South Carolina:

In the Know: Are all gas stations required to have backup generators? (naplesnews.com)
"Florida gas stations issued a certificate of occupancy after July 1, 2006, must be prewired with a transfer switch to enable emergency power after a prolonged power outage, but they are not required to have a backup generator actually on site.
The necessary wiring must be in place to transfer the electrical load from the utility company to an alternate generated power source no later than 36 hours after a major disaster causes a power failure, according to Florida Statute 526.143."

Believe some gas stations along the evacuation routes are specially designated for even more requirements to support the evacuation event, ideally before a blackout.

What are the state requirements to make sure EV's will have a back up power source available for charging them along the evacuation route? I am not aware of any. With a time element being critical on an evacuation what would be the time frame to get your vehicle charged up and how would you organize a mass charging event along a freeway?

 

I know of a few industrial operators who can stand up a 2MW diesel plant within 24 hours of arriving anywhere normal semi trucks can go, including basic distribution to loads. Probably a bit longer to do a row of charging stalls, but manageable.

If somebody has charger stalls/boxes fit to connect, you've got a way.

With decent storm prediction and the right purchase order, it can be done.

 

As I answered in a different post

EV owners from regions not knowing how to deal with extreme cold maybe? We don't hear about owners in western provinces in Canada which are experiencing even colder temperatures. Same for Icelandic regions.

It takes time to precondition a battery and going from home to the nearest Supercharger won't cut it. Another reason why home charging beats public charging.

 

Frozen pipes burst in our son’s condo (3 stories above his unit) day before yesterday. A real mess: him and his wife, and quite a few other in the same block, are staying at hotels while work and assessments happen, and it might be months for some.

it occurred to me it’s not just the frigid temps, but also frigid temps in areas not used to such. Building codes fall short, and shortcomings that were usually “good enough, weren’t, when the the mercury plunges, well below the norm.

 

when storms bring in sub zero farenheit temps (-10 to minus -30) lots of areas loose power. On top of that, some folks are running gas generators when power goes out, & now have to get fuel for both their backup system as well as their ride. Problem being bad weather often causes that big fuel truck to be delayed ... especially troublesome if gas stations have no backup power anyway. Oh, or if their backup generator runs out of fuel.
Our backup genset runs on either propane (200Lbs+ supply), natural gas or gasoline (4 jerry cans). If one's in short supply - there's hopefully an alternative. Backup to the backups - diesel motorhome's genset uses the main fuel tank of the rig (30gallon + 2 jerry cans) & the rig's 35Lb propane tank runs the rig's heat. After that ... we start shooting the zombies.

our nashville area home has several neighbors where the fire sprinkler systems blew out. The area hit a low of around 15° f which isn't very common. It pays to have the lines charged w/ antifreeze as it's much cheaper than flood damage. For the most part - our nation is NOT a nation of resilient people.
.

 

Could you please explain what is it that you mean by 90%? 90% of what?
Modern gasoline/petrol powered vehicles are very reliable in cold weather. (Diesels, not so much.) Antifreeze problems are just as much of a problem in an EV than in an ICE powered vehicle, which if you follow your manufacturer's recommended service intervals isn't going to be a problem unless it gets down to colder than -40 °F (-40 °C) where you plan on parking the car overnight.

Need? Define how cold. Modern gasoline powered cars will start at -40 °F (-40 °C) without a problem after being parked all night even without a block heater. Just use the right kind of gasoline and you'll be fine.

Lead acid also freezes when it's discharged since the acid is assorbed by the lead plates making pure water.