Crash
Member
So just passing along a cold weather experience that I had this morning. Weather was in the -10 to -15 Fahrenheit range this morning. I had a 155-mile trip to take. I had done this trip twice before on a 100% charge with the coldest around 25 F.
I knew it was going to be tight to make this trip on one charge (assumed it could not be done), but I had charging stations (one being a nice EA station) on the way so was not too worried.
Trip Distance: 155 miles
Temp: -10 to -15 F
Charge at start: 100%
Range stated at start: 225 miles
Range stated at state (when defrost turned on for a second): 160 miles
Climate/Heat: Maybe used the defrost or driver-only heating for 5 minutes total during the whole trip (was all bundled up in cold weather clothes but still was cold as sh*t)
Car: 2022 Niro has the cold weather package
Speed: 70 mph for almost all of trip (99% on interstate)
Memory: I was freezing during this whole time so my memory is a little hazy (even though I had planned to nicely document this trip)
About 90 miles into the trip there was an Electrify America station which I planned to use if needed. As I drove, I was doing the math in my head to see how the delta between advertised range (starting at 225) differed from my range to home (starting at 155). So from a starting delta of 70, it was ticking down (this was expected). Delta was maybe 20-30 miles at the time of nearing the EA station turn-off.
Decided to charge at the EA station. As I was freezing the details are a little dull, but I pulled into the EA station at around 50% charge. Sadly, even though EA stated all the chargers were operational, the charges would not start. I started to call EA, but after a minute on hold and expecting cold to be the issue (and hence nothing that EA could do) I gave up.
Then I drove to a hotel a couple miles away which had a level 2 charger. I charged there for maybe 20 minutes as I walked to a gas station and had a warm coffee. I recall I left there with really no change in charge (around 45-48%) from when I pulled off the interstate. I quickly realized when on the road, that I was not getting home with that charge.
I knew there was another level 3 charger at a car dealer 30 miles away, so I drove there (right on my path). All looked good as I powered up the charger, but it failed on a “isolation fault” (I think). A PlugShare user stated the charger worked just a day or 2 before.
Then I used the backup option of a level 2 charger at a hotel across the street. This time, I was smart and went inside to ask the hotel staff if I could stay inside as I charged. Maybe 30-40 minutes later I had stopped shivering. With 45 more miles to go, the stated range was 65 miles (as I recall). I thought that would be enough of a margin to get home.
As I now drove that last stretch, I saw that 20-mile buffer/delta slowly go down to around 3 miles. I could have pulled off for another level 2 charger about 6 miles (with a stated range of 9 miles or so) from home, but it seemed like I could make it home. Just after or before that decision, the car went to low power mode (might have that terminology wrong and that might have happened a mile or so earlier) and then quickly went to turtle mode (after my level 2 charger turn off).
Got off the interstate 4 miles from home. At 3 miles from home, the car could barely get up a small hill (like 10-15mph), so I quickly pulled off to a closed business which I hoped had an outside 120V outlet (it did). Plugged her in, called my kids who amazingly picked up. They rescued me from freezing 2 miles from home. Came back a couple hours later to putt home.
Not sure the point of my long-winded story, but I feel I had to tell someone
.
Lessons learning (maybe):
1) Rough guess is that my range at that temp (w/ no climate on) was about 130-145 miles.
2) Do not expect charging stations to work (even if the app says so) and especially in extreme cold.
3) Be patient when in a good situation (the second hotel) to let your car charge to the state of charge needed (with a GOOD buffer)
4) Definitely know the potential chargers along your trip (and all the backups). (At least I got this right.)
5) Be smarter than me
I knew it was going to be tight to make this trip on one charge (assumed it could not be done), but I had charging stations (one being a nice EA station) on the way so was not too worried.
Trip Distance: 155 miles
Temp: -10 to -15 F
Charge at start: 100%
Range stated at start: 225 miles
Range stated at state (when defrost turned on for a second): 160 miles
Climate/Heat: Maybe used the defrost or driver-only heating for 5 minutes total during the whole trip (was all bundled up in cold weather clothes but still was cold as sh*t)
Car: 2022 Niro has the cold weather package
Speed: 70 mph for almost all of trip (99% on interstate)
Memory: I was freezing during this whole time so my memory is a little hazy (even though I had planned to nicely document this trip)
About 90 miles into the trip there was an Electrify America station which I planned to use if needed. As I drove, I was doing the math in my head to see how the delta between advertised range (starting at 225) differed from my range to home (starting at 155). So from a starting delta of 70, it was ticking down (this was expected). Delta was maybe 20-30 miles at the time of nearing the EA station turn-off.
Decided to charge at the EA station. As I was freezing the details are a little dull, but I pulled into the EA station at around 50% charge. Sadly, even though EA stated all the chargers were operational, the charges would not start. I started to call EA, but after a minute on hold and expecting cold to be the issue (and hence nothing that EA could do) I gave up.
Then I drove to a hotel a couple miles away which had a level 2 charger. I charged there for maybe 20 minutes as I walked to a gas station and had a warm coffee. I recall I left there with really no change in charge (around 45-48%) from when I pulled off the interstate. I quickly realized when on the road, that I was not getting home with that charge.
I knew there was another level 3 charger at a car dealer 30 miles away, so I drove there (right on my path). All looked good as I powered up the charger, but it failed on a “isolation fault” (I think). A PlugShare user stated the charger worked just a day or 2 before.
Then I used the backup option of a level 2 charger at a hotel across the street. This time, I was smart and went inside to ask the hotel staff if I could stay inside as I charged. Maybe 30-40 minutes later I had stopped shivering. With 45 more miles to go, the stated range was 65 miles (as I recall). I thought that would be enough of a margin to get home.
As I now drove that last stretch, I saw that 20-mile buffer/delta slowly go down to around 3 miles. I could have pulled off for another level 2 charger about 6 miles (with a stated range of 9 miles or so) from home, but it seemed like I could make it home. Just after or before that decision, the car went to low power mode (might have that terminology wrong and that might have happened a mile or so earlier) and then quickly went to turtle mode (after my level 2 charger turn off).
Got off the interstate 4 miles from home. At 3 miles from home, the car could barely get up a small hill (like 10-15mph), so I quickly pulled off to a closed business which I hoped had an outside 120V outlet (it did). Plugged her in, called my kids who amazingly picked up. They rescued me from freezing 2 miles from home. Came back a couple hours later to putt home.
Not sure the point of my long-winded story, but I feel I had to tell someone

Lessons learning (maybe):
1) Rough guess is that my range at that temp (w/ no climate on) was about 130-145 miles.
2) Do not expect charging stations to work (even if the app says so) and especially in extreme cold.
3) Be patient when in a good situation (the second hotel) to let your car charge to the state of charge needed (with a GOOD buffer)
4) Definitely know the potential chargers along your trip (and all the backups). (At least I got this right.)
5) Be smarter than me