Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are an emerging technology that holds great promise for a greener and more sustainable future. However, there is one significant challenge that is yet to be fully addressed: making BEVs work efficiently in very cold conditions. In countries like India, where winters can be harsh, this becomes even more crucial.
Extreme cold temperatures have a detrimental effect on battery performance. The chemical reactions that power the battery slow down, reducing its overall efficiency. This leads to a decrease in driving range, which can be a cause for concern, especially on longer journeys.
In very cold conditions, BEVs require additional energy to heat the cabin and defrost the windows. This extra energy demand puts further strain on the battery and reduces its available power for driving. The heating needs of BEVs can significantly impact their performance in cold weather.
Cold regions often have limited charging infrastructure, which can make it challenging to find charging stations when needed. This limitation adds anxiety for BEV owners, as they have to plan their journeys more carefully to ensure they have access to charging facilities.
Cold weather accelerates the natural degradation of batteries over time. The freezing temperatures can cause the battery to lose its capacity permanently, leading to a decline in overall performance. This can result in reduced driving range and the need for more frequent battery replacements, increasing the cost and environmental impact of owning a BEV.
The Uber driver expresses concern over the necessity of spending an entire day charging his electric vehicle in frigid weather conditions.
An Uber driver in Chicago tells The New York Times [ a] that he’s being forced to charge his electric Chevy Bolt practically all day because sub-zero temperatures in recent days have been sapping his car battery, and he isn’t the only driver struggling.
[a] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/17/business/tesla-charging-chicago-cold-weather.htmlWhile Tesla drivers have been in the news for dead cars at charging stations [b] , drivers of other electric vehicles have also been bedeviled by the same problem, the NYT reports, adding to the bottleneck.
[b] https://www.npr.org/2024/01/16/1224913698/teslas-chicago-charging-extreme-cold“When it’s cold like this, cars aren’t functioning well, chargers aren’t functioning well, and people don’t function so well either,” the Uber driver, Javed Spencer, told the NYT.
This past weekend, Spencer was headed to a charging station in his Chevy Bolt, which had about 30 miles remaining. But as soon as he set out on his trip, the car died and he had it towed to the charging station.
But he confronted more problems at the station because at first it wouldn’t charge after he plugged it in, the NYT reports. Now, he says, it takes five hours to charge versus an hour when it’s not freezing.
Diss Road
It’s a bind. Electric vehicles are a better environmental choice, but they come with irritating tradeoffs.
All vehicles perform less efficiently in the cold [c], but electric vehicles are uniquely vulnerable due to the fact that cold temperatures can slow down chemical reactions within electric batteries, the NYT reports.
[c] https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/fuel-economy-cold-weather“It ends up being very difficult to make battery electric vehicles work in very cold conditions,” University of California, Irvine professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the Clean Energy Institute Jack Brouwer told the NYT. “You cannot charge a battery as fast or discharge a battery as fast if it’s cold. There’s no physical way of getting around.”
Cold yet highly electrified places like Norway don’t have as many problems with stranded drivers at charging stations, according to the NYT, but that country has more charging stations and many more people power up their vehicles at home.
For now, headaches will persist for drivers of electric vehicles in places like Chicago as large swaths of the nation brace for more cold weather for the rest of the week [d] . All we can say to drivers of electric vehicles is good luck and stay warm.
[d] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/us/freezing-temperatures-cold-weather-map.htmlAn EV battery explosion has claimed one life and left two others injured in Hyderabad.
Ref: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/companies/ev-battery-explosion-in-hyderabad-1-dies-2-others-injured-8387931.html
A Bill Gates-Backed Electric Vehicle Battery Developer Is The Latest Firm To Publicize Its Acquisition
Ref: https://evupdatemedia.com/a-bill-gates-backed-electric-vehicle-battery-developer-is-the-latest-firm-to-publicize-its-acquisition/
Source: Futurism, Wikipedia
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