Mark Abramowitz via EV wrote:
It’s the battery that impacts the range in BEVs. In an ICE, the battery is mainly important for starting, with the engine charging the battery. Sometimes you do need a better battery for starting in very extreme weather.
It is important for an EV to provide both heating and cooling for the batteries. Batteries like to be at the same temperatures that us humans do. If you don't, the range will be significantly worse when cold, and life will be significantly less when hot.
This is something I learned long ago! My homebuilt EVs all had insulated battery boxes with 1"-2" of styrafoam, and 100-200w electric heaters. (I've never lived in a hot climate, so cooling wasn't needed). That was enough to keep the batteries warm even in the coldest winters. The heater is only powered when parked and plugged in, and the batteries have enough thermal mass to stay warm for days without being plugged in.
But automakers still don't seem to have gotten the message. Many EVs have little or no insulation for the pack, and barely enough heating and cooling to accommodate relatively normal temperatures; not extremes.
Lee -- "#3 pencils and quadrille pads." -- Seymour Cray, when asked what CAD tools he used to design the Cray I supercomputer -- Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/
