Charging below freezing

[JPWhite]

It's certainly the PEV that seems to best fit my needs at the moment, assuming they did a proper job on the battery and didn't stick it in the cargo compartment like Ford did with the C-Max Energi.

Agreed. The C-Max cargo area is a big disappointment. I was all fired up to buy one until I opened the trunk.

Course, the problem is that it's a transitional technology,

BEV is not a one size fits all solution. I believe Fuel Cells may replace gas engines in hybrid vehicles as gas becomes uneconomic to utilize many years into the future.

A separate power plant is needed for high power applications such as heavy goods vehicles and towing applications. BEV's can't do it all.

 

[willingp]

Here is my $0.02 shout from a climate colder than Chicago:
I have 2012 model, upstate NY, 1000' elevation. I have to chuckle when I read about 32F as being "cold". Cold here is below 0F, which frequently happens in winter. I do not have a heated garage, but have had no problems with 2012 model in the cold:
--If I charge as soon as I get home, and it's below 0F the next morning, battery heater keeps it at 2 bars
--If I set timer to charge at 2am, I have 3 or 4 bars in the morning when it's below 0F
--as noted by others, regenerative braking does not work when battery is cold, like two bars
--using the cabin heater to keep it toasty warm, like 65F, uses a humongous amount of battery: WITH cabin heater, my commute takes 14KWH of charging, compared to 9 or 10 in warm weather. I don't use cabin heater any more.

My settings for using Leaf in the frozen north:
--I HAVE NOT FOUND THE NEED TO USE THE CABIN HEATER AT ALL, EVEN BELOW 0F.
--I pre-heat the car while plugged in, for 5-10 minutes.
--I use the front seat and steering wheel heater (I no longer need gloves driving to work at sub zero temperatures).
--I set the front defrost on, then turn off AC, then set to minimum fan and minimum temp (60F)
--during my 16 mile commute, the energy monitor screen shows that this defrost setting plus the seat and steering heater uses an average of about 0.5 to 0.75 KW.
--At below 0F, recharging after my commute takes 10-11 KWH instead of 9-10 KWH in warmer weather, using this setting; and window never fogs or ices up (not at sub 0F, nor even when raining and 33F).
--and, no, I am not particularly cold hardy; my regular heavy winter coat plus the above keeps me quite comfortable, at least for my 35min trip.

Paul

First, welcome to the forum! What part of upstate do you live in?

I'm a little surprised at your claim that setting the defrost to 60F draws less than 1kW. I have done this, and it always settles to about 1.5-2kW (defrost on, AC off, min fan, min temp). It's especially frustrating because it seems to heat the fluid but not the air blown into the cabin.

That IS a puzzle! My climate control meter always reads well below that first mark, which is 1.5KW---at least after that first 1 mile or so. If I preheat, it starts out that low. I'll see if I get closer to your observations by turning off Eco Mode.

[That "Other Systems" monitor is also always really low; something must be able to make it go up to that max position, 2KW, but I haven't figured out what that would be yet; high beams barely raises it]

I live southwest of Albany, in Helderberg "mountains", at 1000', and commute 15 miles to Schenectady, 250' or so elevation. Because of the downhill commute, I often don't get much regeneration until I'm half way there or more, especially when I start out with 2 temperature bars. If I set timer to charge at 2am or so, I start out with 4 bars when it's below 0 (F), and I get regeneration immediately. But I'm still not clear whether it is harmful to charge below 0 (F), so I charge as soon as I get home while the battery is still warm.

Paul

 

[Leffter]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBD0nbGjBfY[/youtube]

Here in Ukraine we have heavy snow couple of weeks every season. The difference with the States is that nobody really bothers about cleaning the roads especially in yards. Driving Leaf through snow uphills is always tricky. Leaf simply stops. Traction control simply shuts the motor down. Thus one have to switch off the traction control. It gives brutal force opportunity to drag through snow (and often ice beneath).

Another option is to have a set of studded tires. They are legal here on all roads. The drawback is higher energy loss comparing to regular snow tires. Switching tires several times a season does not truly entertain.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Try hard-compound stud-able (but not studded) snow tires. If you can find Pirelli Carving Edge tires, they have two features you want: aggressive tread for snow (they are mediocre on ice because of the harder rubber) and are reasonably efficient on dry roads. I experience a drop of about 0.1 - 0.2 M/KWH when using them. They are quite noisy, though...