Quote:
Originally Posted by oil pan 4
I'm just saying the economy loss we see isn't all due to the internal combustion engine or battery being cold.
For me it takes more power to maintain speed when cold.
So cold tires, cold transaxle oil and increased air density would be shared between gas, hybrid and pure electric.
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Excerpts from a Battery University article below.
"All batteries achieve optimum service life if used at 20°C (68°F) or slightly below. If, for example, a battery operates at 30°C (86°F) instead of a more moderate lower room temperature, the cycle life is reduced by 20 percent. At 40°C (104°F), the loss jumps to a whopping 40 percent, and if charged and discharged at 45°C (113°F), the cycle life is only half of what can be expected if used at 20°C (68°F).
The performance of all batteries drops drastically at low temperatures; however, the elevated internal resistance will cause some warming effect by efficiency loss caused by voltage drop when applying a load current. At –20°C (–4°F) most batteries are at about 50 percent performance level. Although NiCd can go down to –40°C (–40°F), the permissible discharge is only 0.2C (5-hour rate). Specialty Li-ion can operate to a temperature of –40°C but only at a reduced discharge rate; charging at this temperature is out of the question.
The driving range of an electric vehicle between charges is calculated at ambient temperature. EV drivers are being made aware that frigid temperature reduces the available mileage. This loss is not only caused by heating the cabin electrically but by the inherent slowing of the battery’s electrochemical reaction, which reduces the capacity while cold."
Full article:
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...w_temperatures
So, how can we test how much range loss is from the batteries vs. the mechanics and higher air density at colder temperatures?
Maybe someone with a Chevy Volt can weigh in on their cold weather range reduction in EV mode only since those batteries have active cooling and heating. Although the 1500 watt heating element would likely cause some drop in range by itself.
JJ