Jazz Shaw:
What’s being observed in Chicago and other places is that the EV batteries in many models lose up to 20 percent of their charging capacity when the thermometer falls below the freezing point. If the car’s heater is running on full blast (as you might expect in such weather), the capacity can drop by more than 40%. And that means the available range you can drive is reduced by that much as well, so you need to plan your trip around where the next charging station is.
Even if you manage to find one, you will further need to hope that it’s not backed up by frustrated drivers like the one mentioned in the linked report. Wait times of up to two hours were encountered and the cars were charging much more slowly than usual. At the Chicago charging station mentioned above, multiple vehicles wound up having to be hauled away by tow trucks. All of the waiting around was made all the more miserable by the frigid winds and snow.
# posted by Ranger @ 7:37 PM
