Rav4 EV in Cold Weather

[Proto]

I live in Reno, NV and I am considering purchasing a Rav4 EV. We don't get winters like the midwest or northeast, but we are in the mountains. Reno is in a valley just east of the Sierra Nevadas, and our elevation on the valley floor is about 4500 ft, with north valley communities near Reno at about 5000 ft ASL. My commute is currently less than 1 mile, but after the company I work for moves in late Aug, I will be commuting 16 miles one way or 32 round trip.

I've been reading about lots of different electric cars including the Rav 4 EV (my top choice right now), and I came accross an interesting article about the Kia Soul EV in cold weather and how its range was affected by the cold.

https://blog.consumerguide.com/kia-soul-ev-long-term-update-7-cold-outside-toasty-inside/

This got me wondering about how the Rav4 EV will do around Reno during the winter. As you all know, most were sold in CA where it doesn't get that cold. Reno gets down to around 15 degrees F (usually) in winter, with some extremes at 8 degrees F, and lately not much below 25 degrees F. Hottest it gets for about 3 weeks in July is 100 degrees F (most extreme I've seen in 20 years is 104 F). Could those of you that have a Rav 4 EV in cold winter climates speak to your experiences during the winter?
How much was your range reduced?

 

[asavage]

I'm in the Seattle area. I have a 56 mi. commute. I keep the heat on, because I have plenty of range to "spend", plus I run the seat heaters. We don't get real cold here, in the 20s, and the GOM (which, because the car is pretty much dedicated to my commute, is quite accurate for me) is at 88 miles every morning (after pre-conditioning via the scheduled pre-climate: I get in to a thoroughly-warmed car every morning), this time of year. When I get home at the end of the day, the GOM is at about 30, so like I said, pretty accurate.

My 2014 has about 69k on it. In the summer, the GOM says 105, when I'm just running the A/C.

I don't think the reduced cold range is going to be an issue for your 32 mile commute, even with the heat blasting, unless your 32 miles takes hours and hours with the heater running.

The battery has reduced range when it's cold, and the battery heater draws juice too, so if you can't run scheduled pre-climate while connected to "shore power", then subtract some more range, just to get the battery up to temp. Still, I think you have plenty of margin.

 

[Alberta_Rav]

Hi Proto,

I have a RAV4 EV located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This will be our second winter with the RAV and it does very well. I have driven it as cold as -32c (-22f). At these temperatures the heater almost takes as much energy as the motor. The RAV has an excellent heater and along with the seat warmer you can be nice and toasty inside. As far as range, it basically gets cut in half. So 50-60 miles range. To help the situation, it is best to charge early morning so the RAV finishes charging just before you leave to work. In this way the battery is already warm from the charging process and this will save energy along with regen working right away. Parking in a garage is also a big plus.

Hope this helps.

I live in Reno, NV and I am considering purchasing a Rav4 EV. We don't get winters like the midwest or northeast, but we are in the mountains. Reno is in a valley just east of the Sierra Nevadas, and our elevation on the valley floor is about 4500 ft, with north valley communities near Reno at about 5000 ft ASL. My commute is currently less than 1 mile, but after the company I work for moves in late Aug, I will be commuting 16 miles one way or 32 round trip.

I've been reading about lots of different electric cars including the Rav 4 EV (my top choice right now), and I came accross an interesting article about the Kia Soul EV in cold weather and how its range was affected by the cold.

https://blog.consumerguide.com/kia-soul-ev-long-term-update-7-cold-outside-toasty-inside/

This got me wondering about how the Rav4 EV will do around Reno during the winter. As you all know, most were sold in CA where it doesn't get that cold. Reno gets down to around 15 degrees F (usually) in winter, with some extremes at 8 degrees F, and lately not much below 25 degrees F. Hottest it gets for about 3 weeks in July is 100 degrees F (most extreme I've seen in 20 years is 104 F). Could those of you that have a Rav 4 EV in cold winter climates speak to your experiences during the winter?
How much was your range reduced?

 

[asavage]

. . . it is best to charge early morning so the RAV finishes charging just before you leave to work. In this way the battery is already warm from the charging process and this will save energy . . .

Well . . . maybe not. There seem to be different schools of thought on this.

The battery cools overnight. When charging begins, the battery heater is turned on, to bring the pack well above 50°F (because charging is much slower at temps below that), and running the battery heater is not saving energy -- the battery heater is as voracious as the cabin heater! Whereas, charging immediately when arriving at home, no battery heating is required to charge.

OTOH, I like getting into a nice, pre-warmed RAV4 and I like morning regen -- I live at the top of a hill, 1.5 miles -- so I pay the cost by charging in early AM like many people. I don't have TOU electricity rates here (yet), so the trade-off is more expensive than in other areas.

I just wanted to point out that charging early AM doesn't necessarily save energy.

 

[Alberta_Rav]

Hi Asavage,

Ya, you are correct. Perhaps "energy" was not the best word I used as it will take more electrons from the wall. What I was getting at was "better range" in colder weather if the pack is warmed up before driving out into the extreme cold.

Cheers.

. . . it is best to charge early morning so the RAV finishes charging just before you leave to work. In this way the battery is already warm from the charging process and this will save energy . . .

Well . . . maybe not. There seem to be different schools of thought on this.

The battery cools overnight. When charging begins, the battery heater is turned on, to bring the pack well above 50°F (because charging is much slower at temps below that), and running the battery heater is not saving energy -- the battery heater is as voracious as the cabin heater! Whereas, charging immediately when arriving at home, no battery heating is required to charge.

OTOH, I like getting into a nice, pre-warmed RAV4 and I like morning regen -- I live at the top of a hill, 1.5 miles -- so I pay the cost by charging in early AM like many people. I don't have TOU electricity rates here (yet), so the trade-off is more expensive than in other areas.

I just wanted to point out that charging early AM doesn't necessarily save energy.

 

[n3ckf]

I use mine a lot here *especially* in the winter when its messy outside. (I try not to drive it on actual ice becuase thats scary but i have driven it in limited amounts of snow/slush).
I *dont* have winter tires on it but i use the CrossContact LXes which seem to be *ok* (but are not serious winter tires).

However it runs great.

Yeah, i use pre-climate to warm it up while attached to the charger in my garage.
(Interestingly, it doesnt actually use that much power when you do that, it looksl ike an extra 500-1000 watts. The Tesla when i do the same thing will initially pull something like 4000 watts while its warming up the cabin, but it does it really quickly...)

And pre-heating the battery is a godsend. I never drive more than about 30 miles in winter (and most often 15-20) so i never worry about range.
Usual temperature is 25-40 degrees. in the Sierra mountains. (other side of the hill from Carson City about about 3500 feet)