Slate vs other EVs in extreme cold temperatures

[OldGoat]

For me, the announcement of 210 range was very welcome. On the coldest days we have that still leaves me 150 miles. Which is plenty on 90% of my drives.

 

[cadblu]

The Slate is a great vehicle, but not without some shortcomings that would be welcome in extreme cold conditions:

1- no heated seats
2- no heated steering wheel
3- no heated defroster in the rear glass window (SUV)
4- no rear wiper (SUV)

We've heard that heated seat elements might be coming soon via third party, but I still have some concerns about rear outward visibility when bad weather strikes.

 

[007]

The Slate is a great vehicle, but not without some shortcomings that would be welcome in extreme cold conditions:

1- no heated seats
2- no heated steering wheel
3- no heated defroster in the rear glass window (SUV)
4- no rear wiper (SUV)

We've heard that heated seat elements might be coming soon via third party, but I still have some concerns about rear outward visibility when bad weather strikes.

Perhaps you should consider a Lexus.

 

[KevinRS]

The Slate is a great vehicle, but not without some shortcomings that would be welcome in extreme cold conditions:

1- no heated seats
2- no heated steering wheel
3- no heated defroster in the rear glass window (SUV)
4- no rear wiper (SUV)

We've heard that heated seat elements might be coming soon via third party, but I still have some concerns about rear outward visibility when bad weather strikes.

1 - likely add on
2 - never had a car where that was even an option. Overhot steering wheel is more of a concern for me.
3 - that would complicate conversion. I guess pickups don't have it because air from the vents is close enough?
4 - also complicates conversion.
When did 3 and 4 become standard anyway? Many cars don't have the rear wiper to this day, and I'm pretty sure I was riding around in my parent's station wiper without the defroster back in the 80s.

 

[EVfun]

I haven't seen a thread about the extreme cold effects yet, but as a guy who goes by Frozen North, you can guess I'm real curious. We routinely see temperatures between -10 and -30 up here.
Those temps are why I've never bought an EV up here.
And yes I know buying a two-wheel drive isn't optimal in a climate that has nearly 6 months of winter.
Snow tires and common sense can overcome most winter hazards.
I would love to hear from someone who has experience living in an environment with winters as harsh as we get in Northern Montana ,North Dakota, and Minnesota.

I had a question to that effect from my western Washington perspective. I asked about battery heating because LFP shouldn't be charged when too cold (typically below about 0C to -5C). I asked if the Slate pack had heating, as I had heard elsewhere that the heat pump could be used to cool the pack. The response was a vague non-answer, "our team has explored the possibilities and provided solutions." That reply was in early July of this year.

I would be less concerned about using the pack in the cold. The cold increases their internal resistance, which in turn increases pack internal heating. I did some work related testing of LFP battery packs and didn't notice this causing a capacity loss, but since the work centered around indoor tools there was only limited cold testing.

 

[Daemoch]

1- no heated seats
2- no heated steering wheel
3- no heated defroster in the rear glass window (SUV)
4- no rear wiper (SUV)

1 - already exist. Amazon all day. You can get them with massage, too.
2 - already exists as a cover, but I'd suggest against it as they suck generally. As an OEM option: I know a lady that just had her original OEM heated steering wheel replaced in her Cadillac last spring because it stopped heating right and it cost her $600 just for the junkyard-pulled steering wheel (so not even new), plus more for the labor. How bad do you want that?
3 - meh, we could debate on how much that matters. But Id like one, sure. But I'd rather use the rear camera if we are making requests.
4 - I just drove down to Florida and back (WI) in a Subaru Ascent last week through rain, had one, and never turned it on. I don't think I really ever use them on any of my cars, no need. Those are solutions looking for problems.

 

[Kopsis]

Depends. With heating you can do a heat pump or a resistive heater. Heat pumps are way more efficient than a resistive heater.

Only within a certain temperature range. That's why most residential heat pumps have resistive or gas supplemental heating. At freezing and below their efficiency drops below that of the "less efficient" alternatives.

 

[Daemoch]

Thanks for the correction. I'll have to look into why I've got that flipped in my brain it seems.

 

[Daemoch]

This was a good/easy read re our subject:
https://www.large-battery.com/blog/nmc-vs-lifepo4-battery-low-temperature/

 

[rekamyenom]

The Slate uses a PTC Heater vs Heat Pump. In extreme cold temperatures, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater will work faster and more reliably than a heat pump, but it will consume significantly more battery power. Draining range. A PTC heater uses direct resistive heat, acting like a giant hair dryer, whereas heat pumps struggle to draw warmth from the freezing outside air....

 

[Daemoch]

The Slate uses a PTC Heater vs Heat Pump. In extreme cold temperatures, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater will work faster and more reliably than a heat pump, but it will consume significantly more battery power. Draining range. A PTC heater uses direct resistive heat, acting like a giant hair dryer, whereas heat pumps struggle to draw warmth from the freezing outside air....

iirc, most the EVs running heatpumps use the battery packs as the/part-of-the heat source.