Power in cold weather

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JTQ

May 7, 2005
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It must be very worrying at present for people in the US that have EVs and no power as it seems millions are without power and no idea when power will be restored.

Of course, not just an EV issue, the fossil fuel service stations can't dispense their products from the sub ground storage tanks without power for the pumps.
 
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Jul 18, 2017
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Of course, not just an EV issue, the fossil fuel service stations can't dispense their products from the sub ground storage tanks without power for the pumps.
That is true, but many people probably already have fuel in the tanks plus I am sure that there is a way to pump the fuel out without electric like they did in the old days? Many small aircraft are fueled from 44 gallon drums using hand pumps.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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It must be very worrying at present for people in the US that have EVs and no power as it seems millions are without power and no idea when power will be restored...
There are several areas across Canada and the USA which are used to dealing with fairly extreme weather and whilst this may be colder than usual they have probably already got effective ways of dealing and continuing to live under these conditions. Its mainly the big cities in the USA which are not best set up for these conditions and yes it's dreadful to hear of deaths due to the weather.

Most EV drivers don't get home with a fully discharged battery, so their car will most likely still have some driving range left very much like ICE drivers (no pun intended).

In fact will more recent EV's with Vehicle to Grid or Vehicle to Load capability the fact the car may still have some charge left could help the owner power some of their home, where an ICE vehicle couldn't.

As others have pointed out with no power most Dino juice stations can't deliver fuel, and even if they had hand cranked pumps (and most don't) with no meterage and the power and telecoms down, most people couldn't pay for the fuel anyway.

The Artic Blast across N. America is likely to affect both EV and ICE vehicle owners very much the same.
 
Nov 16, 2015
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A friend of mine lives in Alaska and normally has snow from October until April, he has just fitted 38 solar panels to his home.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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There are several areas across Canada and the USA which are used to dealing with fairly extreme weather and whilst this may be colder than usual they have probably already got effective ways of dealing and continuing to live under these conditions. Its mainly the big cities in the USA which are not best set up for these conditions and yes it's dreadful to hear of deaths due to the weather.

Most EV drivers don't get home with a fully discharged battery, so their car will most likely still have some driving range left very much like ICE drivers (no pun intended).

In fact will more recent EV's with Vehicle to Grid or Vehicle to Load capability the fact the car may still have some charge left could help the owner power some of their home, where an ICE vehicle couldn't.

As others have pointed out with no power most Dino juice stations can't deliver fuel, and even if they had hand cranked pumps (and most don't) with no meterage and the power and telecoms down, most people couldn't pay for the fuel anyway.

The Artic Blast across N. America is likely to affect both EV and ICE vehicle owners very much the same.

As a matter of interest whether ICE or EV wouldn't the battery be affected by extreme cold?
 
Nov 11, 2009
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As a matter of interest whether ICE or EV wouldn't the battery be affected by extreme cold?
My CJ7 Jeep had no issues when I lived in Ottawa. It was a petrol engine model and slept outside. If I remembered I would connect the sump heater. Its only major problem was that in Ottawa and Ontario snow chains or studded tyres were not allowed on normal asphalt or surfaced roads. You could use them on loose surfaced roads. The Jeep didn’t have winter tyres and had last been retyred in Ohau/Hawaii so on occasions it would have a tendency to spin itself if given too much wellie. 😂

764F72BC-C27B-4136-A377-2C59319E02C6.jpeg
 
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Nov 6, 2005
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My CJ7 Jeep had no issues when I lived in Ottawa. It was a petrol engine model and slept outside. If I remembered I would connect the sump heater. Its only major problem was that in Ottawa and Ontario snow chains or studded tyres were not allowed on normal asphalt or surfaced roads. You could use them on loose surfaced roads. The Jeep didn’t have winter tyres and had last been retyred in Ohau/Hawaii so on occasions it would have a tendency to spin itself if given too much wellie. 😂

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Most car makers will specify bigger, or more, batteries on cars sold into cold climate markets - although some Japanese brands don't and can suffer in a British winter, let alone a cold one like Alaska and Canada.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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My CJ7 Jeep had no issues when I lived in Ottawa. It was a petrol engine model and slept outside. If I remembered I would connect the sump heater. Its only major problem was that in Ottawa and Ontario snow chains or studded tyres were not allowed on normal asphalt or surfaced roads. You could use them on loose surfaced roads. The Jeep didn’t have winter tyres and had last been retyred in Ohau/Hawaii so on occasions it would have a tendency to spin itself if given too much wellie. 😂

View attachment 4205
Didn't those Jeeps have two batteries? All my Jeeps have the facility for two batteries. Only car that I had where two batteries was standard was a Toyota Surf which is based on the Hi Lux and it was imported from Japan.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Most car makers will specify bigger, or more, batteries on cars sold into cold climate markets - although some Japanese brands don't and can suffer in a British winter, let alone a cold one like Alaska and Canada.
My 1995 Pajero 2.8 T D had two batteries fitted. It was a grey import. The CJ7 Jeep was petrol 4.2 litres.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Mar 14, 2005
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Oh dear this is not good news and hope it gets resolved soon. Not sure why so many are wanting to charge their vehicles all at once. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/worl...sedgntp&cvid=4b1bda708a944f6eab72660c7e24a9c1

There have been several occasions when for various reasons drivers have queued for Dino juice. Its simple a question of numbers of customers exceeding the availble outlets or the quantity of fuel available.

Unlike Dino Juice outlets, at least with EV's if you plan properly you can charge elsewhere and for most EV owners at present they can do it at home - chaeper than at fast charge points

Its just a question of planning.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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It was just sheer numbers of Teslas making their journeys at the same time. There were also queues for parking and fuel. But not as long as for Tesla charging. Just a bit unfortunate that so many were travelling on the same day.
Didn't think there were that many Teslas on the road however I am sure that there would have been other brands of EVs in the same queue. Wonder why they did not charge up at homem or perhasp their journey was that long they had to charge up anyway?
 
May 7, 2012
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The problem at the moment also seems to be down to maintenance of the charge points. It has been a regular problem reported in the media of them not working and this was confirmed in todays paper when it was revealed in todays paper that there were 8,000 complaints in a year in Scotland alone. The chances of there being a problem, particularly at services, does seem quite high and is certainly putting some people off although initial price is also is a barrier. The reports show that only three models cost under £30,000, while there is plenty of choice if you want an ICE model.
 
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There have been several occasions when for various reasons drivers have queued for Dino juice. Its simple a question of numbers of customers exceeding the availble outlets or the quantity of fuel available.

Unlike Dino Juice outlets, at least with EV's if you plan properly you can charge elsewhere and for most EV owners at present they can do it at home - chaeper than at fast charge points

Its just a question of planning.
I seem to recall not too long ago those with petrol or diesel vehicles were queuing country wide for fuel. Whilst EV owners just carried on motoring.

Wrt energy prices the price of natural gas has now dropped to levels last seen prior to the invasion of Ukraine. Hopefully the trend will continue to stabilise.
 
Nov 6, 2005
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It was just sheer numbers of Teslas making their journeys at the same time. There were also queues for parking and fuel. But not as long as for Tesla charging. Just a bit unfortunate that so many were travelling on the same day.
As the number of BEVs increases, this sort of thing will happen every holiday peak as more people undertake longer journeys - the number of drivers queueing for a 5 min refuel every 500 miles will always be much less than those queueing for a 45 min recharge every 200 miles.

Some of the advocates for BEVs deliberately use average journey lengths and avoid the inconvenience of recharging on occasional longer journeys.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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I seem to recall not too long ago those with petrol or diesel vehicles were queuing country wide for fuel. Whilst EV owners just carried on motoring.

Wrt energy prices the price of natural gas has now dropped to levels last seen prior to the invasion of Ukraine. Hopefully the trend will continue to stabilise.
That is true however it was because fuel was limited due to supply issues and not because of insufficient or not working pumps. We never had that issue in our area anyway as plenty of fuel was available at a price. (y)
 
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As the number of BEVs increases, this sort of thing will happen every holiday peak as more people undertake longer journeys - the number of drivers queueing for a 5 min refuel every 500 miles will always be much less than those queueing for a 45 min recharge every 200 miles.

Some of the advocates for BEVs deliberately use average journey lengths and avoid the inconvenience of recharging on occasional longer journeys.

Your post ignores the fact that BEV drivers may not need a 45 minute time as charging rates are increasing and for some newer models less than 20 minutes can give 100 miles. Also I would expect the number of charging points to continue to increase and there is the option of going off the motorway to recharge. Yes a slight inconvenience but one that some caravan and motorhome owners do to save a few bob rather than pay motorway prices.
 
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That is true however it was because fuel was limited due to supply issues and not because of insufficient or not working pumps. We never had that issue in our area anyway as plenty of fuel was available at a price. (y)

The fuel wasn’t limited due to supply issues it was because of panic buying by motorists caused by a spokesman for the Petrol Retailers Association advising on tv that motorists should ensure they have sufficient fuel for their journeys. Just one company , BP, had a glitch in supplies in one area. That wouldn’t happen with BEV.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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Yes a slight inconvenience but one that some caravan and motorhome owners do to save a few bob rather than pay motorway prices.
Seems a bit silly as probably costs you more in fuel to find the cheaper fuel? :unsure: We always make sure that the car is full before we start our journey. Our grandson waits until the light has been flashing showing empty before he tops up. Not good practice as all the crud could cause issues with the fuel filter.
 
Nov 6, 2005
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Your post ignores the fact that BEV drivers may not need a 45 minute time as charging rates are increasing and for some newer models less than 20 minutes can give 100 miles. Also I would expect the number of charging points to continue to increase and there is the option of going off the motorway to recharge. Yes a slight inconvenience but one that some caravan and motorhome owners do to save a few bob rather than pay motorway prices.
45 mins every 200 miles or 20 mins every 100 miles - what's the difference on a long journey?

My point was that holiday times do generate many more longer journeys than normal which will put increasing pressure on recharging points as the number of BEVs increases.

In this particular incident, I wonder if it's case of Tesla owners insisting on using a free Tesla charger rather than pay to recharge somewhere else?
 
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45 mins every 200 miles or 20 mins every 100 miles - what's the difference on a long journey?

My point was that holiday times do generate many more longer journeys than normal which will put increasing pressure on recharging points as the number of BEVs increases.

In this particular incident, I wonder if it's case of Tesla owners insisting on using a free Tesla charger rather than pay to recharge somewhere else?

Good point as I forgot that Tesla cars need their dedicated charging point which is why there are long queues for Tesla cars
 
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Seems a bit silly as probably costs you more in fuel to find the cheaper fuel? :unsure: We always make sure that the car is full before we start our journey. Our grandson waits until the light has been flashing showing empty before he tops up. Not good practice as all the crud could cause issues with the fuel filter.
I did the same as you with the car tank full for the journey but on some trips or with some of my cars particularly petrol a top up en route was unavoidable. But if on a motorway I’d always use their fuel but minimise the purchase to try and ensure I always had a quarter tank left for when I arrived.
 
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