-23 F ….. Leave the Lightning at home 🥶!?

[Pjlightning]

Forecast this weekend calls for temps to hit -23 F with a high of -2 F ……

150 miles from home to the next EA charging station……

Extended range Lariat may have met its match ?

Leaning towards leaving it plugged in at home and taking the wife’s Mazda ICE to be safe.

my 10 year old son wants to “go for it “ of course….

I don’t think it’s worth the risk ?

Sponsored

 

[Commodore]

Oh, to be 10 yo...

 

[TheBigBezo]

I imagine you're 100% already aware, but do keep in mind cold Temps also adversely affect ICE engines too. Plus side of Lightning is it will always start immediately and can keep you warm. When I used to live up north in the bitter cold getting my car to try and start was brutal, it was also a 40yr old clapped out jalopy so...

 

[Pod]

-23° leave everything, just stay home…brrrrr

 

[eRockBoon]

I imagine you're 100% already aware, but do keep in mind cold Temps also adversely affect ICE engines too.

Sure but I am sure there are dozens of gas stations along the way compared to one DCFC…

 

[Jer]

-23° leave everything, just stay home…brrrrr

Or take everything with you and move somewhere with a temperature.

 

[Aspesi4]

If you preheat, I'm thinking you'd make it. That's like 1.1 mi/kwhr. Are there any L2s or other options besides the EA station 150 miles away as a fall back?

 

[Replika]

I stand with the kid.

150 miles is doable. Time the charge to 100% before departure, pre-condition. Adjust speed if need be.

 

[Maquis]

At sub-zero, also consider that DCFC will be considerably slower.

 

[Pjlightning]

At sub-zero, also consider that DCFC will be considerably slower.

I hadn’t even considered that point.

EA could be backed up with people who are all getting a 50kw charge rate from a 350kw charger.

Plus the number of Vehicles needing a charge will be up due to the temps….

that could make for an ugly scene at an EA station in northern NH on a frigid Friday night.

So if I make it, which seems plausible given the feedback so far,
I could still kill a ton of time doing so….

vs simply burning some old fashioned fossil fuel on this one insanely cold weekend.

 

[Joneii]

Stay strong! I’ll be rolling an EV in northern Vermont this weekend. Unfortunately, it will be the Tesla because my Lightning is in pieces right now getting body repairs after someone hit it over Thanksgiving. The Tesla chargers are reliable, so you might have a bit more adventure than I this weekend.

 

[Replika]

So if I make it, which seems plausible given the feedback so far,
I could still kill a ton of time doing so….

Yep. I should caveat my response because my wife and I both love little adventures like this. We have an emergency kit (blankets, flares, 200 mile AAA towing, etc.) and time to spare in case things go south.

 

[Monkey]

I hadn’t even considered that point.

EA could be backed up with people who are all getting a 50kw charge rate from a 350kw charger.

That would be my biggest concern. I haven't had many good experiences with EA and it seems their customer support wants to blame many of the issues on "the cold" when it's been nowhere near -23F the times I've had trouble.

How much time do you have to burn? Bring thermal/survival gear, water, snacks. And a generator and some gas....

I think as others say, if you start at 100% and pre-conditioned, you will make that charge stop without any issues as long as you monitor consumption and keep speed in check. But from there on, it's hard to say. And what does the rest of the trip look like? And the trip back?

Severe cold seems to be the achilles heel of current EV tech. It was -7F here when my wife left for work this morning. 5F when she returned home this afternoon. Shel left with a 90% charge on our Model Y, all pre-conditioned in a warm garage. Her work is about 6 miles away and the day drained almost 60 miles of estimated range.

 

[TaxmanHog]

What is your route into NH?
Passing through South Nashua, top up at EA at the mall off RT3

 

[Pjlightning]

What is your route into NH?
Passing through South Nashua, top up at EA at the mall off RT3

Straight up 91 -
just crossing the river at
White River Junction
into NH for the Lebanon EA station,
then back over to VT.

Sponsored