Electric vehicles operate better in cold temperatures than gas-powered cars.

Question

Major outlets are publishing opposing claims re: EVs in very cold temperatures. Here is another article on the other end of the spectrum: https://nbc16.com/cold-temperatures-bring-headaches-for-electric-vehicle-owners-in-need-of-a-charge-lithium-ion-batteries-supercharging-tesla

Comments

This claim is misleading because it is spreading misinformation. The highly accredited American Automobile Association (AAA) directly disproves this claim in a study and states that  very low or high temperatures can reduce driving ranges by up to 41%. Battery operated automobiles are less efficient in below freezing temperatures as well as 90 degree Fahrenheit and above because the battery is drained faster. Additionally, these temperature ranges can also cost the traveler more money per every 1000 miles.

https://info.oregon.aaa.com/aaa-when-temperatures-drop-electric-vehicle-range-follows/

Answer 1

Looking at the article by the CBC, "Electric cars 'the best vehicle' in frigid temperatures, Sask. advocates say," by Hannah Spray, there is barely any evidence to back up the claim that suggest electric vehicles do better in colder temperatures compared to gas powered vehicles.  The only real numerical evidence in the article actually goes against the claim that electric vehicles are better as Tyler Krause, a board member of the Saskatchwen Electric Vehicle Association, states that his Tesla Model 3 usually can travel 500 kilometers, but in the cold it can only go 300 kilometers.  Otherwise, in the news article, Tyler Krause and Matthew Pointer, just state how much they love using their electric car, but people are blind to see that both of them have bias point of views being a part of the Saskatchwen Electric Vehicle Association.  If they advocate and mislead the public that electric vehicles are better in the winter, it can boost their goal for more people to adopt electric cars.  I also find it ironic how if you look at the Saskatchwen Electric Vehicle Association website, in their goal statement it states, "We focus our efforts on educating the general public about the benefit of Electric Vehicles," even though they provide zero information about how electric cars are better, but decide that if they say they are good, people will follow.  I found an article by CBS News called, "Why Teslas and other electric vehicles have problems in cold weather," in which they provide evidence on how electric vehicles are terrible in the winter.  They interview a man named Scott Case, who is the CEO of Recurrent as well as a Electric Vehicle Expert, who says that, "EVs definitely lose some of their driving range in extreme cold."  Recurrent also did some research finding out that 70% of 18 popular EV models have reduced driving range in colder temperatures.  If we also look at the Mercedes-Benz Of Chantilly website, they look at an AAA study in which they find out that, "At 20 degrees, the average driving range fell by 12 percent when the car's cabin heater was not used."         

Sources:

1) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/teslas-electric-vehicles-cold-weather/

2) https://www.mercedesbenzofchantilly.com/service/service-tips-and-tricks/electric-cars-in-winter/

Comments

I agree that this article relies on bias. The bias in this article is shown by a false claim that EVs are better than gas powered vehicles in the cold. The author presents barely any evidence to support his claim. The topic the author is writing about is not black and white and one option is not clearly superior to the other in cold weather.

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Were you able to find research about how the performance of gas-powered cars is affected in the cold? Perhaps they have a similar ratio to the 500:300 mileage difference you found with EVs?

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It seems like there is a lot of conflicting information when it comes to this topic. You did a good job of explaining everyone's different viewpoints. Do you know when those sources were published, maybe electric cars have improved to perform better in the winter since then.

Answer 2

In the cbc article you provided, Krause explains that the reason he likes using an electric car more in the winter is due to the fact he can warm it up from his phone. This however, has little to do with the actual operation ability of the vehicle. The same article also mentions that electric is not ideal for long distances. The other person in the article who is advocating for electric vehicles, Pointer, is a founder for the Saskatchewan Electric Vehicle Association, so his opinion could be biased.

On AAA's website, there is an article about facts and myths related to electric vehicles. The article claims that EV's lose range when it is colder out and that it can be difficult to charge an EV if the battery is not preconditioned.

https://cluballiance.aaa.com/the-extra-mile/articles/series/aaa-world/electric-vehicles-facts-and-myths

From what I can find online, it seems the opinion of this topic ranges person to person based on their personal experiences. Therefore, I would not say that electric vehicles operate better in cold temperatures than gas-powered vehicles, however they do operate differently. Better operation depends on the individual's routine and what they would consider to be an inconvenience or not.

Answer 3

After looking at the first article you linked (Cold Temperatures bring headaches for electric vehicle owners in need of a charge by Austin Denean) I noticed that they referenced a study done by AAA and Automobile Club of Southern California’s Automotive Research Center. I found an article by AAA that references the same percentages used in Denean’s article; however, I could not find the actual study that was done. While these numbers do seem compelling I find them to be misleading considering the fact that the study seems to be inaccessible to the public. The link to the AAA article is https://www.ace.aaa.com/automotive/advocacy/how-weather-temperature-affects-electric-vehicle-range-decrease.html. In the second article you referenced (Electric cars ‘the best vehicle’ in frigid temperatures, Sask. advocates say) takes quotes from Matthew Pointer and Tim Johnson but does not include many real statistics. This article advocates for EVs but it is important to note that Matthew Pointer who provides a lot of opinions is the founder and owner of SEVA, an electric vehicle company. This fact combined with the lack of statistical information leads me to believe it is largely opinion based. The other quotes in this article are taken from Tim Johnson who is a professor of the practice of energy and the environment at Duke. He also does not give any statistical information but he has been studying the way energy works with the environment, so he has background knowledge at least on the environmental factors. I would argue that the first article you linked does not have enough available information to be true. The second article is more of an opinion than a factual article. 

Comments

Electric cars will lose their battery quicker while in cold weather. The same is also true for hybrid cars.

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I liked how you did extra research into AAA to make sure the data in the original article was correct. That makes your argument stronger. You could discuss more information on Matthew Pointer and Tim Johnson as to who they are, why they are relevant, and their expertise.

Answer 4

In an article written by Jeff S. Bartlett and Devin Pratt for Consumer Reports, they discuss the truth behind electric cars compared to gas cars in cold weather. As noted in the article, "Driving range goes down in cold weather...Cold temperatures can slow down the chemical reaction inside the battery that allows it to create power" (Bartlett, Pratt). Depending on the distance and outside temperature, electric cars power may be lose 25-50% of power.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/how-much-do-cold-temperatures-affect-an-evs-driving-range-a5751769461/

Comments

This was good fact-checking. I think you could talk more about the authors and how they are important aspects of why the article is valid. Also, write more about Pratt Bartlett as to why his quote is meaningful. This could be who he is, what he does, and why his quote is important.

Answer 5

This article discusses the negative effects cold weather has had on electric cars that gas-powered cars have not experienced. 

"Fully electric vehicles, which run exclusively on battery packs, typically lose an average of 41% of their range when outdoor temperatures drop to 20 degrees Fahrenheit"

Scott Case, CEO of a company that measures electric vehicle performance states, "Around 10% of a gas engine vehicle’s energy is used for forward momentum, compared to 90% in EVs" 

Electric vehicles lose much of their battery solely for heating of interior of the car making it difficult to drive with low mileage.