Will electric cars be reliable in wintery conditions?

Question

I just read up on some exciting new electric cars that will be coming out in the next 3 years that match my budget and will have up to 300 mpg!!!

But I was wondering, how these cars would handle on a street after a ice storm? The car would be great for me, but i live in the midwest and require a car that can get around ice and snow.

The information I would like to have is the typical weight an electric car, front/rear wheel drive, and inside space.

Answer 1

It will be a big failure in icy land. The car will become heavy with the equipments

To save your Dk and As when it is a short circuit.

like fire extinguisher, If required a Shovel to throw ice on the fire.   Bla bla bla............

Do not forget the good and bad conductors of electricity.

All the best........

Answer 2

I think you need to wait till the actual models are announced. They may be talking right now of prototypes. They need to do a lot of testing before bringing them on the road.

Best wishes.

Answer 3

oo nmn

Answer 4

In fact electric car will be much better that IC engine.Electric car will be needing only Battery to power up the electric motor used  as a substitute for IC engine .Rest of the parts could be same like any other car with little bit modification .Actually In the patrol pump charged battery should available instead of patrol.A fully enclosed motor will have no effecf of climate ..there are many motors work in side the water .In fact if you have a aopproprite  motor and suitable battery available ,It will be great all the way.Even pollution problem can be controlled. Actually it will be better  to have less weight than more as it will be more millage efficient .how ever it should have good stability on speed for which you can adjust the with body building materials.Use metal having approprite weight to build the car in a way to get equilibrium.

Answer 5

probably not that great..........but just have a car for the winter and one for the summer lol

Answer 6

If they are designed like the gas powered cars, I would say they would handle well on wintry conditions.  but the question would lie in how the batteries would handle the cold weather more.  I would check on the hybrids with someone who has used one in the cold weather to get possible ideas of what to expect.  I know it is not of equal comparison but a thought on on it.

Answer 7

well no because the ice and snow can freeze it!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

Zenn

http://zenncars.com/

Dynasty

http://www.itiselectric.com/

electric cars reliable in winter?

everything would appear the same to the driver, yet weight would be an issue with amount of batteries used, and then offset by the new metals used, weights still will vary from 1 thousand pounds to 1500 k , and more if sized to hold more passengers, so alot of the weight loss from gallons of fuel will be regained by battery packs, and not mentioned is the method of disposal of these tons of battery toxins as is, recyclable would be wise,

~also the massive increase in hydro  needed to charge all the cars would increase greatly, requiring newer sources of input and converting factories to supply and demand as well for batteries,

~ and another issue would be temperature as it is now, cold (-20) and wet (damp) weather combined with electrical components don't blend well yet, but improvements in modern batteries like lithium and nicad type power sources, and rechargeable along with solar cells and perpetual generators, it may be as easy to convert to electric power vehicles as it was from horse to steam to gas, eventually ☼ power,

so if the prices are good, and enough charge stations are available in your area, may be worth the effort,

..

Answer 9

not useful at all

Answer 10

Next three years I thought Chevy was coming out with one in 08 09 or something the Chevy Jolt.

Answer 11

Yes since it does not use petrol

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 12

They probably have already gone through that, and have been tested and passed the test to function in any foreseable conditions, otherwise they would still be on the drafting table.

I heard that externally they look the same as every other car, and can operate on gas in case you cannot find a recharging station, they probably look and weigh the same as any old car since these manufacturers are not necesarily redesigning the wheel.

Answer 13

I think traction would be as good as a traditional car. I wonder if cold temperature will affect battery power and range.

Answer 14

probably wouldn't hurt to have an electric car, and with the money you save on gas you could buy an old beat up truck to drive in the snow and ice during the winter

Answer 15

That is a very good question. I saw my first one up close and i think it is a good idea but as we know electricity and water doesn't really mix.   This thought alone scares me.

Answer 16

I have wondered about this for years...what about overheat if you get stuck or deep snow.....how about on ice...how jerky is it.....how will they hold up(batteries) in the winter -20.......If you get stuck how long will heat last before you freeze.........????

Answer 17

simple q.   simple ans, ew have highway safety engineers that have this problem all figgured out , so sit back and enjoy your ride friend .......!!!

Answer 18

it really depends on what kind of car you want. the aptera electric (the 300 mpg one) would need the right kind of tires and have proper brakes to ensure maximum traction control in icy or wintry conditions. but since the max is 9 mph, i doubt it should be a serious concern.

Answer 19

they problably do fine and is better for the enviroment

i hope global warming never happen.

Answer 20

i think that the cars might have the solar powered which saves the energy inside and should have battery powered or rechargeable battery.

Answer 21

Most electrical car does not use lead acid battery, so that the temperature is not that important.  The Ni-HM battery does not like high temperature.

Answer 22

What about the duel feul cars? I am not sure if any car is good in ice,

Answer 23

Don't batteries lose power in the cold? Probably just have to be a summer car, that's just gonna be great...It'll be a reliable big money-maker for the auto industry, that's for sure, gotta have a summer car and a winter car, nice,,,{In Michigan, we only have two seasons, Winter and July, we will definitely be screwed}

Answer 24

Possibly Shockingly.

I wouldn't stand in water to plug it in.

Answer 25

You would have to consider three issues.

First,  electric motors have a lot of torque.  When the streets are dry,  that is not a problem but when they are covered in snow or ice,  you could easily spin the tires if you are too hard on the "gas."  

Second,  cold batteries do not have near the power of the warm batteries.  If you leave the vehicle outside in the cold it will still be able to move but your power would be quit a bit lower when you first start out until the battery pack warms up. That could be a problem if you try to go right onto a freeway before the batteries warm up to full power.  

(They do have battery heaters right now for the standard 12 volt battery in cars right now and the charger for the electric car could also keep those batteries warm but what about when you park the car at work all day long?)

Third,  you would have to make sure the batteries are designed for cold weather.   A battery that would do great in Florida in the summer may freeze up in Minnesota in the winter.   One frozen battery is a mess,   a frozen battery pack would be a disaster.

Answer 26

electric cars have a simpler transmission of power from the power source to the wheels, since instead of mechanical transmission they use cables, this allows a 4X4 drive and high agility

protecting electric cars from water is not a big issue, and electric generators & motors are much less sensitive to cold temperatures.

The main problem with electric cars are batteries, which are heavy, and take substantial volume, and can not produce an equal amount of energy that could be produced from fuels.

Answer 27

Most electric cars do not do well in crash tests, the batteries are extremely expensive (in some cases almost as much as the car and must be replaced every few years), the power to pull or haul is much less than gasoline engines, the pollution expended to create the vehicle and dispose of the batteries is very high and many still have gasoline engines in them to supplement the cars need to charge.

Electric cars are not yet at a place that they are of much use for most people.  Gasoline powered vehicles will be the main vehicle of choice, at least for Americans, for many decades or longer.

In addition, there need to be additional coal & nuclear power plants built to help our growing economy and any needs for mass electric cars in the future.  Currently our power plant problems are severe and there is not much movement by our inept politicians to fix it.

Careful of your "investment" in an electric car.  It will more than likely cost you much more over its' life span than any savings you will receive from buying gas.

Answer 28

Look at the Tesla skating through the snow,that will give you some idea .

Answer 29

as long as the sun is still shining it will. They made sure to sell a car with no flaws.

Answer 30

Electric cars have very few moving components and are less complex then a conventional ICE car , so they require less maintenance except from battery.

Any person trying to sell vehicle in your area will have to test it for the conditions there so obviously they will be able to give you more precise answers instead of people on yahoo.

Good batteries last long and have no problems, except for temperature variations.

Why dont you send an email and ask the manufacturer about your the tech specs of the car you are interested in especially pointing to the climate in your area.

Answer 31

WATCH OUT!  High Voltage wet icy ground people do not know Technicians and first responders to an accident have to be able to power down that car and its braking system in order to remove accident victims. So far about 30 people have been killed working on Hybrids Full electric there better be some standards soon. Or just even recharging the A/C system can be fatal if the wrong A/C oil is used. I think your only moving the pollution to another place full electric cars have to be plugged in some where.