EV Range degradation

I've owned 2011 and 2014 Volts, and now a Clarity for the past 6 weeks. Temperatures below 40F consistently dropped range by 30% or more, with up to a 50% loss if raining or freezing. Driving conditions (in Austin TX, so not extremely cold temps) were a mix of 70% highway and 30% street driving. The cars were stored, and charged, in my garage. I've read articles (I think on Insideevs) that most electric cars experience similar reductions in colder temperatures.

 

I have consistently gotten EV range estimates in the mid 60s all summer long with no passengers, all EV, and only AC as a non-motive drain on the battery. Now as the temps are in the 50s daytime and 40s at night, with no change in driving conditions, I’m only getting high 50s EV range estimates. I charge garaged and the charging temps went from 80s F to 60s F.
So temps alone make quite a difference in losing EV range and will only get worse as old man winter approaches.
Man, those 60s EV range have spoiled me. I assume that in the winter my EV range will go down to 40ish but the yearly average will still be at the EPA 47 mile range or better.

 

I went down from 88 to 65km, same thing in Toronto

 

I'm down to 55 km in Ottawa the past few days.

 

Are all people in Canada now keeps Engine ON first under HV mode as soon as u start the car before going to use EV mode ?
I try to do that within 3.5km

 

I don't do that and it is unclear to me what the benefit would be. For normal city driving, I always just stay in EV mode. The only time I switch to HV is when driving on the highway for extended distances.

Even if our EV range is decreasing with the cold, don't forget your gas mileage also suffers when it gets colder so all in all I believe things still balance out. Any EV range I can get in cold weather is still mileage that I'm not using gas for and is thus a win in my opinion!

 

Same here, EV first.

 

Here's some data on the Volt and Leaf that shows the big hit low temperature has on electric range consistent with what many of are starting to see. I wonder how our cars will behave when temperatures are consistently below freezing and especially during the coldest days of the year if it hits say -30C...brrr

 

Over the past couple of weeks, I are seeing the same drop off displayed EV range. In the summer months, my Clarity was displaying a range around 56 miles, but now in october the range displayed is about 42 miles. After reading the post in this forum it seems to me that this is all normal with no reason for alarm. That said, I hope that this is not something that I need to discuss with my Honda dealer - here in Burlington, NC.

 

I've been monitoring the weather effects on range using the Honda App and actual miles. I run multiple errands per day but I consistently do two identical in-town loops of 16.5 miles each per day. Over the course of the summer and early fall, the loop uses exactly 19% of battery, day in and day out. I did notice that it could be 20% or 21% with rain or if the A/C is on (up to 22% on the hottest days). Now that the weather is in the 50's to high 30's, it uses between 21% to 24% w/o heat (I have a heated garage so I haven't had to turn on the heat in the car). So, it's using 10 - 20% more power for the same loop.

 

This is what I'm finding with my Clarity as the temperature drops (I've had my car since early August)
In the Summer on a full charge and temps in the 80's with liberal use of AC I usually got between 58 and 62 miles of actual range. This far exceeded my expectations. Now as the temps are dropping into the low 40's I experience a sharp drop in miles of actual range that seem more related to climate control heating than outside temperature.

Last Saturday EV range was showing 50 as a full charge, outside temp was about 42. I set heat at 68 and only went 37 miles EV before ICE kicked in. Then this week I decided to go without climate control heating on my 50 mile daily round trip commute temps were in the upper 30's at departure and low 50's on return. Both days I did the round trip on EV with 3-5 EV miles of predicted range remaining. Will post more later observations later. Tomorrow will try the trip using climate control heating temps are going to be about the same.

Anyone else seeing something similar?

 

For 19 years I used the air conditioning in my gen-1 Insights only when I took my wife out for our August wedding anniversary dinner. The rest of the time I would use only the fan in an inadequate attempt to stay cool in hot weather. All for MPGs.

Now the same pattern is repeating--except in cold weather instead of hot--as I add layers to my clothing to stay warm without using the resistance heater in our Clarity PHEV. All for EV miles.

My willingness to endure cold temperatures inside a modern automobile makes my underlying "engine-anxiety" (driving unaggressively to always keep our Clarity's engine dormant) seem like a trivial affliction in contrast. Despite my unwarranted, compulsive sacrifice, our EV range has now dipped below 50 miles (80 km) and it's not even winter yet!

Guess I'll have to check out the Eddie Bauer catalog, er website (there I go, showing my age again), for some warmer layers. A pair of battery-heated gloves can simulate a heated steering wheel. A scarf wrapped around my nose and mouth will delay the fogging of the windshield from my breath...

 

Dude, you are hard core! If everyone was like you, we wouldn't have a climate change problem.

 

I too am seeing significantly lower EV range and it is not even that cold yet. (Last night it was in the upper 40 (F) , parking in the garage, and I was only able to charge to 38-39 mi. on my L2 charger at home. Car is 2 months old. Degradation happens within last 2 weeks.
THE UPDATES completd last week - 18-089(temp computer ), 18-090, and 18-091, 18-097.
Today the fully charged car showed 38 miles EV range, but ICE kicked off at 0 EV mark, after 36 miles only.

 

Same here. Used to be that I could drive to work and back (46 miles) and not have to use the ICE or plug in at work but now instead of starting with around 45-50 miles EV range I’m starting with 40-42 mile range and having to plug in at work. Costs me about 8 kWh for the 23 miles to work and $0.22/kWh whereas my home electricity is around $0.16/kWh (taxes included). Combined daily cost is about $0.18/kWh which is less than gas but not something I needed to do in March with about the same temperatures.


Sent from my iPad using Inside EVs

 

Was doing this for years inside my house which I keep at a toasty 63F during the heating season. With my 2012 Prius Plugin, the heater was run off the ICE so as long as I was taking short trips around town, I used only the seat heater to stop the engine from turning on.

 

Update on my use of climate control for today's commute (about 50 miles). Outdoor temp at departure 42 degrees and on return 52 degrees. HV predicted range on full charge at start was 54 miles. Climate set to auto 68 degrees. Actual range before ICE started was 49 miles so not as bad as I thought. I'm thinking my Saturday drive where I only got 37 miles was probably due to the high wind that day (25-30 mph winds). Will keep the forum posted as the temperatures go lower.

 

V8, just don't plan on driving your car if it gets to -30F

Sent from my SM-G955U using Inside EVs mobile app

 

You won't be driving at -30° Fahrenheit. The Clarity Owners Manual says on page 376
If the temperature of the High Voltage battery drops
below approximately –22°F (–30°C), the power
system will not start, the High Voltage battery will not
operate and, as a result, the vehicle will not start.

 

One of the main reasons I turned down purchase a Tesla* at this time was the degradation of batteries under cold conditions. Instead, I found the Clarity to be a nice compromise and a bridge until technology catches up with my desires: a vehicle with a 300 mile range in the winter here in New England. With technology changing so fast I’m hoping my three year lease will be the only Bridget I need.

* Oh. Also the fact that Elon’s $35,000 Model 3 promise felt like a bait-and-switch considering the car out the door is more than 50% higher.