this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2024
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[Dormant] Electric Vehicles

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What happens to very cold but unused batteries? (lemmy.sdf.org)
submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org to c/evs@lemmy.world
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I'm considering buying an EV to replace my aging diesel. I live in a very cold country where temperatures regularly dip below -30C in the winter.

I understand that EVs lose range in cold temperatures and that they need heating to use and charge without damage.

My question is this: if I plan on not using my car for several weeks, can I leave it unplugged and/or tell it to stop managing the batteries' temperature to save energy and not damage the batteries?

I'm okay with spending half a day preheating it when I plan on using it again regularly, but I don't want it to draw current all the time for nothing when I'm away on long missions.

For some reason, I can't seem to find out if it's safe to keep a fully unpowered EV in the cold for a long time...

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[–] kalkulat@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This heat-pump article in Wired today (Jan 19) may be of some use to someone.

"How the Mighty Heat Pump Is Helping (but Not Solving) EVs’ Cold Weather Problem"

https://www.wired.com/story/heat-pump-helping-but-not-solving-ev-cold-weather-problem/

[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 10 months ago

Interesting, thanks.

But you know what? The main takeaway from this article from me is "EV cold weather problem": yeah, problem is right. The more I read about it, the clearer it becomes to me that owning and operating an electric car where I live is a constant uphill battle to keep something working that doesn't want to work.

And so the more I think about it, the more I think an EV isn't for me. For someone like me who doesn't drive much and only drives infrequently, below -5C for half of the year, it's just too much of a hassle. Not to mention that I'm not keep on getting a new vehicle that spies on me.

So I'm more and more thinking of getting my old diesel fixed and winterized some more, with heating elements where it counts, or getting an old gasoline car in good condition already equipped with winter equipment. That will solve all my problems at once, at the cost of missing out on free charging at work and extra maintenance.