Cold Weather Range

Discussion in 'Hyundai Kona Electric' started by Boston Charger, Dec 18, 2019.

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  1. Boston Charger

    Boston Charger New Member

    Well the cold weather has begun in earnest in New England and frankly I'm a little disappointed in how much having the heater on affects range. I was wondering if anyone had any cold weather tips. Also, does using the the heated seat and/or the heated steering wheel affect rage? TIA!
     
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  3. nigels

    nigels Active Member

    I'm on Boston as well and the range really took a hit as soon as it got below freezing. I'm seeing approximately 200 miles on the GOM now (a far cry from the ~300 miles I was getting in warmer weather when I didn't need heat or AC).

    There are a few things you can do:
    https://insideevs.com/features/378569/cold-winter-electric-car-tips/

    Pre-warming the car, while it's plugged in, is a good way to get the car to a comfortable temperature before setting off. The initial power consumption of the electric heater is very high when the car is cold and will take a lot out of your range.

    The heated steering wheel and seats pull power from the 12V battery and they have a minimal impact on range compared to using the heater. They definitely will help you feel more comfortable even if the cabin is still on the cool side.

    Select "Driver Only" mode, if you're the only one in the car.

    If you can handle the reduced heater effectiveness, Eco drive mode reduces energy consumption by the heater.

    Raise the tire pressures above the normal pressure.

    My recipe is:
    1. Always pre-condition the car to a comfortable level (it's a great de-icer!) with the charger connected
    2. Turn on seat heat and heated steering wheel on getting into the car (I wish pre-conditioning would do this!)
    3. Select Driver only mode
    4. Select recirculate mode
    5. Only use Eco drive mode unless the car isn't staying warm enough. In that case, switch to Normal and then back to Eco.
    6. Drive less aggressively, lower your highway cruising speed, and regenerate as much as you can
    7. Wear a warm coat!

    Although I don't need the full range for my usage, I've taken to charging more frequently just so I'm not dealing with a surprise reduction in range when I really need the heat.

    Does the sunroof have a shade? That might reduce heat loss a little.

    I suppose you could fill the car with passengers - humans bodies are hot :)
     
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  4. SkookumPete

    SkookumPete Well-Known Member

    FWIW, the steering wheel and seats are categorized as electronics, not climate, for purposes of the energy usage screen. It’s easy to determine how much they're drawing.
     
  5. nigels

    nigels Active Member

    That’s good to know! Are the heated mirrors, rear defroster, heater fan also classified as electronics?
     
  6. yes, everything that's off the 12V.
     
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  8. SkookumPete

    SkookumPete Well-Known Member

    So the heater and a/c aren't on 12v?
     
  9. Only the fan and control , the HVAC components are fed directly from the pack.
     
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  10. Boston Charger

    Boston Charger New Member

    Fantastic response nigels. Thanks for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully. Couple of thoughts. I don't charge at home so pre-conditioning
    is out of the question, but fortunately I have a garage. Also, I could swear that somewhere I read that the recirculate mode should not be used.
    Doesn't make sense to me to bring in outside air, but it kind of stuck in my mind.
    I will try your other tips, but the ultimate solution is a move to a warm climate (like Florida, sigh)!
     
  11. Ev050

    Ev050 New Member

    I use the heat on “driver only” setting and use the heated seats and steering wheel when I am commuting alone. That seems to help on saving some juice. I always preheat my car like 10 minutes before I start my commute based on what I have been reading here.


    Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
     
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  13. nigels

    nigels Active Member

    Recirculate mode will increase the likelihood of the windows fogging up, so it’s only a temporary measure. You’ll definitely notice the ingress of nice cold fresh air when the recirculate mode times out ;)

    Ideally, you want a place without hills and moderate temperatures where you don’t need AC or heat. Range is awesome then. Florida is too hot in the summer.
     
  14. Alexstd

    Alexstd New Member

    Hey,
    This is my consumption this morning from home to work. I live in Montreal, this is with winter mode ON, no steering wheel heat, only driver seat heat level 1 and heat on auto set to 21°c driver only. Drained 6% of my battery. IMG_20200209_060728.jpg
     
  15. You actually did pretty good at -20 with consumption average of 25Kw/100 km . I find at -32C that consumption goes up to 28-33 Kw/100 and the range on a full charge is only around 250 km or 150 miles. Short trips( less than 10 km) are brutal on consumption. The restive heater at that temp its drawing 6+Kw/hr all the time. I find preheating helps alot if the car has been sitting outside for several hours. If your going on a longer trip and its -30C or colder its worth preheating up to 30 minutes which will consume around 2-3 Kw of shore power, at that temp the default 10 minutes on bluelink app won't do enough as the car is still quite cold soaked. Basically i have found if you preheat appropriately you can reduce your consumption from 30 to 25 kw/hr in extreme cold. If your trip is at least 30+ minutes in duration its worth burning up the 2+kw/hr of shore power to get better consumption as your PTC heater won't have to work as hard once you are on the road. If the trip is short I probably wouldn't even bother with preheat other than for initial comfort as your consumption is kinda screwed no matter what. One more cold tip is to make sure you empty any snow, water or ice that has collected on you all weather mats, that stuff eventually evaporates in your cabin and your constantly getting your HVAC to deal with freezing interior window condensation.
     
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  16. FloridaSun

    FloridaSun Well-Known Member

    I'm in Florida and never run the heater in winter. However, if the temperature is below 70's, the car's range drops. On my morning commute in summer at around 78 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit (25 to 26C) I consistently get 5.7 to 6 mi/kwh.
    On a cold morning in winter after a cold front at around 40 to 50 F (5 to 10 C), I'm only getting about 4.5 to 4.7 mi/kwh and that's without heater or AC use.. At 40 to 50F outside, my garage temp is about 50 to 60F
    The difference is battery temperature.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2020
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  17. So your getting 360-380 miles per 100% charge at 79F (26C)? That is some wicked hypermiling vs my paltry 150 mile per full charge at -32C(-25F).
     
  18. My 160 mile roundtrip across the central MA hills typically means wind and freezing temps even when it's much warmer in the eastern part of the state . I've developed a few tricks to keep my range as high as possible.

    First I carry a blanket in the Kona and I cover my legs with it. That way the heat from the seat forms a nice warm pocket of heat. I also use the cabin heat minimally. I set the temp at about 62 degrees. That's positively balmy compared to outside temps and it uses way less power to get there. I'm wearing winter clothing anyway so a cool temp like that feels about right. I turn the cabin heat off completely when on uphill sections of the commute and I turn it back on on downhill runs (these are 10-15 mile sections of road)**. I turn the cabin recirculation ON (closing the fresh air intake) when I have the heat on to prevent cold air from undoing my heating efforts. And...interesting thing to note. When fresh air is allowed into the car it defaults to the floor level which will numb your feet quickly. By setting the air flow to mid-level you can close off the dash vents and actually prevent ice cold air from blowing on you, plus your feet will be much warmer.

    If conditions are bad enough requiring defrosting you just have to bite the bullet. It's going to suck a lot of power.

    I routinely start my trip with approx. 250-258 miles of range right now (I charge in a unheated garage). I consume about 90 miles worth of charge on my east-bound trip and 90 miles on the return west-bound. I get home with about 70-75 miles of charge. This is with temps ranging between 20 to 40°F and clear conditions. If's it's dark, raining/snowing and wipers and headlights are required it will cut my reserve range down to around 50 miles.

    I know I could use that extra power to keep the climate control on more, but this is a rural, no-services at all road. There is nowhere to get off and top-off a charge. It's either get home, or get towed.

    All in all it's not really all that bad. I think of it like winter camping! As long as you're really prepared, you can be comfortable.

    **I know this may not actually make any difference, but psychologically the fact that I'm consuming power for heat only while getting lots of regen makes me feel better. There's something about seeing 4 and 5 bars of power being consumed while hill climbing with the heat on, versus 1 or 2 bars of regen while going downhill. I'll take extra on the downhill please...
     
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  19. FloridaSun

    FloridaSun Well-Known Member

    Yes, I'm getting consistently over 330 mile range except for road trips. No crazy hypermiling. I'm going about 65 mph on the highway on my way to work, mostly driving behind other cars or trucks.
    During city driving at warm temps, I always get between 5.2 and 5.8 mi/kwh.
    On road trips, range drops to 250 miles at 70mph and 275 miles at 65 mph..
     
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  20. XtsKonaTrooper

    XtsKonaTrooper Well-Known Member

    I bought a 12v electric blanket. Hehehe
    My only issue when its extremely cold is my legs getting cold. This should solve it.
     
  21. FloridaSun

    FloridaSun Well-Known Member

    I'm getting incredible range right now this winter.. I'm at 270 miles range at 78%.. That's some of the best i have ever gotten..Mild mornings and hot days are contributing factors..
    Screenshot_20200214-175357_MyHyundai.jpg
    20200214_180320.jpg
     

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    Last edited: Feb 14, 2020
  22. Boston Charger

    Boston Charger New Member

    Is there a setting for winter mode??
     
  23. ericy

    ericy Well-Known Member

    I just ordered one - my legs get really cold when the outdoor temps are below 50. In another 6 weeks or so, I would likely no longer need it until the fall.
     
    XtsKonaTrooper likes this.

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