Feel the Heat

“Electric motors provide smooth operation, strong acceleration, require less maintenance than internal combustion engines, and for many motorists offer a cost effective option,” said John Nielsen, managing director, AAA Automotive Engineering and Repair. “However, EV drivers need to carefully monitor driving range in hot and cold weather.”

This summer is going to kill me.

It's been 100 degrees here in Orlando for three days in a row with no relief in sight. Suspending any discussions leaning towards the political about climate change and global warming (long story short, it's happening), the fact is, extreme heat is not good for EV driving.

Extreme cold weather is not good for your EV either. However, here in Florida, this is not going to be a primary concern. We may get a few cool weather days in January and February where temps dip into the 40s. This is not what is meant by "extreme cold temperatures." Think more like Alaska.

So what can I do? Not much. Yesterday, when I left the house it was 82 degrees outside. I had 53 miles of EV range on my guessometer.

                               

This was great and all, but even with my 100% efficient driving...

I still ended up with only 50 miles this morning. Every time I park in the sun - and on campus, there is really no choice - it takes 3-4 EV miles to cool the car down to a reasonable 78 degrees. And let's not even discuss the late afternoon temps that get up to 102, like today... I might as well run on gas.

Well, it's not that bad really. Even with taking 32 miles EV to drive 26 road miles, I'm still saving quite a bit of money. But I'm longing for the fall, which is far off, when I can count on some really good EV mileage - 450mpg equivalent instead of 255 - and the chance to wear boots without sweating.