How will I stay warm (and for how long) in an electric car if I get stuck in another snowstorm?
In: Technology
Depends on the car, and it’s battery capacity. Per car and driver magazine, using the environmental controls at a moderate level, with no heated seats, increases energy consumption by 17% of the energy used by the drive system for simply driving, at 70mph, in a Tesla model 3. So that at least suggests, to me, that you’d probably be able to get approximately ~5-6 times the driving duration, compared to battery duration at 70mph, if just using the environmental systems and NOT driving. So if the car normally drives 3 hours, at 70, you’d get ~15 hours just heating?
Take this with a grain of salt, however, as this is conjecture based on their fairly rudimentary testing procedures!
Personally, I’d count on not more than 8-10 hours, and pack accordingly for your locale.
That will depend on the car, the insulation and the clothes you are wearing.
But as another comment suggested, pack those chemical heat packs in the glovebox with a thick blanket and such.
I wouldn’t rely on anything electrical to heat you in case the battery of the car died or is damaged if you slide off the road.
If this is a chronic issue….pack your glovebox with hand warmers, tinder and matches. Should be fine.
Ok so this assumes the Worst situation and you have no/ barley any charge at all. This is one of thoes times where being preped will be a matter of life and death.
If you still have power, first shut down all functions of the vehicle. Get out and start shoveling. You are literally going to crate a barrier of snow around the car.
Cover the sides and gaps all the way up and bury your car. If you have somthing to mark your car with go ahead and place it (like a flag made from a shirt)
Make sure to leave aome air holes and a way to get into the car.
If you have a gas powered car, make sure to not block the exhaust or you will suffocate
Now use your heat and power sparingly and make it so you JUST stop shivering. Too much heat will be just as bad as not enough.
Through this technique, you can survive the cold. Now it is a matter of food and water
Get an aluminized mylar blanket. They cost less than ten bucks, they weigh less than an ounce, can fit in your pocket when folded, and can hold lots of heat.
Exactly the same way as you will in a petrol powered car.
Stuck in a petrol car, you have the option of running the engine to turn on the heaters and warm you up – but every time you do this you are using fuel, so the distance you will be able to drive before refuelling will decrease. The aim is to use you fuel supply sparingly enough that you still have enough to reach the nearest petrol pump.
In an electric car it is just the same, but swapping out the petrol tank for a battery. Every time you run the heater it uses some of your stored power, so in just the same way you need to be sparing using the heater (and other functions) in your car to allow you to keep enough power in the battery to drive to the nearest charger.
The heaters do work in slightly different ways – a petrol car’s engine naturally creates heat, so to warm the cabin all you need to do is funnel air around the hot engine to warm the air up and blow it into the cabin. With an electric car we lose this source of heat, so instead we just have to rely on an electric heater like you might use at home to warm the air. They work in different ways, but do the same thing – using the energy supply the car has available to warm the air.
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