To say I was dreading opening the car and checking its battery status, is an understatement. Basically, I came out of hospital 2 weeks ago after being ill since the 12th Feb. Not being able to walk properly, and living on the 2nd floor of my building, it took a while, and some pig headedness, to eventually get fit enough to get downstairs and touch my beautiful Mini again. (sorry if that sounds odd Well, after 2 months, I opened the car and waited. I couldn't believe the status? (See photos) It was actually on 89% but a trip to MacDonalds got the better of me before the photo. True, the weather hasn't been too bad. Few mornings/nights about minus 1 or 2, but nothing drastic. So for a temperate climate I'm impressed. On the other foot, those of you who live in severe weather conditions for a good part of the year, I'm sure the battery would have suffered far worse? It would be interesting to know if anyone has left their car in -10 to -20 for a few months or more, and how their battery performed?
I don't think leaving the car in cold should be an issue. Cold temperature slows down chemical reaction, and about the only power draw from the SE when not being used is keeping the 12 V battery charged. I think the common wisdom about cold weather and batteries comes from 12 V batteries losing their cranking ability (due to slowed chemical reaction, not to mention thickening of oil), and once a battery is "weak" it's easy to drain it while trying to crank the starter. Since BEVs don't need cranking power to start I don't think any of that applies.
In the UK, they recalled the power cable and the emergency call system, SOS, was also recalled because it didn't include that the car is electric. Again, this is in the UK, not the US.
That was the other thing on my mind, but that was on 13.4 volts, which is pretty good. I have a compact jumper pack I could have connected to the battery if the worse came to the worse, just to get power and then to a charge point, but as things are, very pleased indeed. As time goes on, there are so many benefits and likes about this car, I just seem to enjoy it more and more each time I drive it
It was the same recall for me in Sweden. The SOS needed an update to say that the car is electric and can not be towed with the wheels on the road.
In -20F to -30F weather, the SoC holds up just fine and there is minimal discharging. However I've seen cold weather eat away at the mileage in the 2.0-2.2mi/kWh range for -30F weather which is comparable to range losses in ICE vehicles during a polar vortex. The real advantage is being able to precondition the cabin in a -20F garage without having to worry about fumes from an ICE vehicle.
My below-zero no-heat test shows it's really the cabin heating that eats the range, not the cold on the batteries themselves. I got 4.8 mi/kWh at -3 ºF after driving almost 40 miles. Maybe next winter I'll try again when it's more like -20 ºF, but I ran out of polar vortex this winter.
Came to say the same — very happy to hear you’re on the mend, @Akanaten! And I share your fondness for the SE, too…still loving every time I get behind the wheel. Can only imagine the smile your SE put on your face as you got back onto the road after two long months away. Thanks for sharing that experience with us, and be well!
