Preconditioning as Major Way to Increase Winter Range

[Sloanhoo]

The CS Rep from Ford seems to hang his hat heavily on how preconditioning will be a great solution to get more range. That’s deflecting the issue to something else. Sure, it will help, but it’s not going to make up for a car rated at 300 miles getting 220 or less in the winter.

EPA does city and highway miles. They should do cold and warm weather miles.

Would it be better if the Sales and CS people would say something along the lines of, “due to physics, your EV will be less efficient in cold temperatures than in warm ones. The difference can be up to x%?” That way they have alerted you to the difference between using electricity and fossil fuel to power your vehicle means the two operate fundamentally differently and the numbers aren’t at all like EPA estimates.

 

[Landshark]

In short, the window sticker can only have results from the EPA test and advertising anything other than that can get the manufacturer in trouble under 15 USC 45 (Unfair Competition).

If I’m not missing another point, this seems to support my statement that a buyer who is shopping for a vehicle which has actually been manufactured and is available for sale, will be looking at EPA figures for that vehicle. Not hyped predictions or some foreign standard. It is the range or mileage that the vehicle achieved under the test conditions.

The loss of range experienced in an EV in cold temperatures is a separate matter, but is a well known phenomenon. Perhaps this information should be disclosed by the manufacturer or dealer. I doubt that will ever occur.

 

[insightman]

If I’m not missing another point, this seems to support my statement that a buyer who is shopping for a vehicle which has actually been manufactured and is available for sale, will be looking at EPA figures for that vehicle. Not hyped predictions or some foreign standard. It is the range or mileage that the vehicle achieved under the test conditions.

The loss of range experienced in an EV in cold temperatures is a separate matter, but is a well known phenomenon. Perhaps this information should be disclosed by the manufacturer or dealer. I doubt that will ever occur.

You got it!