I live in northern Canada where it can get quite cold during the winters. As an example, I enclose a snapshot of today's weather forecast. I am wondering whether the Ariya will function on a day like today. Range is not important since all I am looking for is to drive downtown to the office and back - a distance of 10km. I am obviously not going to go any distance with weather like this so maximum mileage is not a concern. Assuming the Ariya gets me there, will it still start after being parked for 8 hours on the street? Thanks, a resident of Yukon Territory, Canada
Welcome to the forum. Starting doesn't appear to be as much of a concern as range and charging limitations in those conditions , so if the range reduction is not an issue for you and you have a warm place to charge, I don't foresee this as being a problem. "Recent weather proved EVs can operate in extreme cold temperatures. My Bolt has started every single time for me between -40C and +35C. We passed many cars with their hoods up, getting a boost in the recent cold snap. - Jim Barnsley, Saskatoon, Chevrolet Bolt" Source: https://www.saskpower.com/about-us/our-company/blog/2021/myth-electric-vehicles-cant-handle-our-cold-saskatchewan-winters Of course no indication as of yet to the 12V charging algorithm of Ariya
Thanks for that very informative response especially the inclusion of the link. So it looks like my fears of EV's being problematic in our Canadian winters are unfounded. Now if I could just get my hands on one but they're unavailable - at least for the models that I would want - the Nissan Ariya or the Kia EV6. Hopefully they will all be available in another year.
I think, it will depend a lot of the type of EV you get. Though, for sure, in cold weather driving (under 45 F), EVs take a hit, and get worse MPGe (until my 2020 Bolt Premier batteries warmed up), I lost about 20% on the Avg m/kWh. Also, this article on the recent cold weather test on the Volvo C40 Recharge, https://insideevs.com/news/560994/volvo-c40-winter-range-power/ , could cause problems. Though, after the recent pileup on the I-95, high SoC EVs faired better than their ICE cousins, https://insideevs.com/news/560870/tesla-model3/ and https://insideevs.com/features/559482/anti-ev-opinion-not-true/ Sadly, the Ariya is still about 9 months away. And, as others have written, here they're going to be 2023 models, with 2020 tech. May not bode well for them.
WOW! The coldest temps I've encountered with my 2018 Leaf so far have been around -22C. The car so far has been fully functional at the low temps albeit with a range loss of around 40% from summer conditions. With a temp of -43C I would expect to see a range loss of 50% at least. While your commute to work would be fine travelling outside this might be a problem as the charging infrastructure that far North is probably quite limited. For trip planning I wouldn't plan on more than 40% of the best range if there's no remote charger access. I wouldn't want to be heading home in the dark with less than 10% capacity showing at those temps.
I have no problems other than range in cold weather. I agree with Paul K on his range analysis. The coldest temperature that I have dealt width in my Kia Soul EV is 10F (-12C). The heat pump worked much better than expected. I have read other brands don't do as well in low temperatures. My biggest problem with the Kia is traction in icy conditions. The front wheel drive has too much torque for ice and snow and easily loses traction. I would expect any EV with 2-wheel drive will have traction issues since all EVs have a lot of low end torque. The AWD version of the Ariya is a must for me for wet and icy conditions. We'll have to see how efficient the heat pump in the Ariya. -40C is pretty cold, brrrrrrr!
It really depends on how the throttle is set up on your particular vehicle. I drive my Leaf in "eco" mode all the time which really softens accelerator response. Many modern vehicles have what I call a twitchy throttle. There is way too much response at the beginning of the pedal travel. I wonder if this is done to give the impression that the vehicle is more powerful than it really is. (just look how a little throttle propels you forward). I have no unusual problems with the Leaf breaking traction in the snow. I have more of a problem with a sibling's Hyundai Tucson. In normal mode the throttle is so quick that I would often find myself accidently squealing the tires from a dead stop in the summer. The throttle softens up quite a bit in eco mode but the damn tranny upshifts way to soon so you end up with not enough grunt to get through deep snow. You have to really push down on the throttle to get a downshift which is then so sudden you lose traction. Can't win. If your vehicle has an eco mode (and they just about all do) try driving with that. And with all due respect you may need to control that foot just a little more.
I have been driving in snow for over 40 years (damn, that makes me sound old), mostly with 2-wheel drive. I have tried every combination with my Kia Soul and found the best was with regen braking off, no traction control, no eco mode, and new tires. There is no "snow mode". I put my Kia Soul EV in your "twitchy throttle category". It looses traction going in a straight line on a flat road. The is just too much power to the right front wheel no matter how light the throttle is pressed. Since the Kia Soul EV+ is a 2016 and is in the same vintage as an early Leaf, I'll chalk it up to poor design of an early generation Kia EV. For snow, I put the Kia in "leave it in the garage" mode and drive my AWD ICE vehicle. Looking forward to a AWD EV.
Hi, and welcome to the forum. Sorry for the late reply. I'm not as far north as you are, but still in a pretty cold climate. I've had the Leaf Plus for almost 3 years now and have no issues in cold temperatures other than range decrease. We commonly have low -20's or -30's early on a winter morning and I actually find that the cabin of the Leaf heats up much quicker than my wife's ICE Suv because there is no waiting for the engine to warm up. I've never had an issue with the Leaf not starting after being parked outside for an extended period of time. Unlike your friends who have to plug in their cars or they won't start, ironically your electric car will be the only one without a cord hanging off the front bumper. For those of you in warmer climates I'm referring to a block heater, the winter driving necessity of the cold weather ICE driver. Like many Nissan owners I'm eagerly awaiting some news and real world reviews of the Ariya. Cheers.
I have seen this posted a couple times myself and as I am new to the EV game, I was wondering if someone could help me understand. I see the 800v charging on the I5, EV6, and Taycan, but the features and tech on the Ariya seem quite competitive. What am I missing?
