I used the car for a 30 km round trip on Sunday, which as it turns out is quite well past the car's practical range in early winter weather (let's say 1*C, or just above freezing).
For the first time since installing the new-to-us Hallowe'en 2008 pack, I had to baby the accelerator on a good portion of the return leg, 4-way flashers on. Didn't obstruct any traffic, but I had to keep a close eye on the LED pack monitor to keep from dipping any battery into danger voltage territory. So it earned a self-administered dope slap.
I'm sure the pack was very happy to slurp down some juice last night.
303 wh/mile for the excursion, which is pretty high given the low speed & "non-stop" nature of the drive. Batteries don't like the cold. Drivetrain & tires don't like the cold. (I don't like the cold!)
For comparison, in warm weather the car would easily go close to 40 km in similar use.
Plan is to keep the car licenced and insured for the winter, but only use it if the roads are dry to minimize salt damage to the body.
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