00:00 Here's your Forbes daily briefing for Saturday, January 20th.
00:05 Today on Forbes, how to keep electric vehicles charged in extreme cold.
00:11 The Arctic blast of frigid air, putting much of the nation in a deep freeze this week,
00:16 is reportedly icing out some battery electric cars from charging or holding a charge, leaving
00:22 a number of EV owners fuming and frustrated.
00:26 In Chicago, where temperatures dropped below zero, Tesla drivers reported long lines at
00:32 supercharger stations, complaining they were either slow or not working at all.
00:38 Tesla owner Brandon Wellborn told Chicago TV station CBS Chicago, "I've been here for
00:43 over five hours at this point, and I've still not started my charge.
00:47 Charging that should take 45 minutes has taken two hours."
00:52 The experience for Tesla owners is a window into the cold, hard truth about the susceptibility
00:58 of battery electric vehicles to the effects of very cold weather.
01:02 The simple answer to why this happens is chemistry and physics, according to a report by Recurrent,
01:08 which studies electric vehicles.
01:10 The report said, "Chemical and physical reactions in the battery occur more slowly in cold temperatures.
01:17 Cold temperatures inhibit chemical reactions and act as resistance that slows down the
01:22 physical processes.
01:24 This reduces the EV's available power."
01:28 The Recurrent report noted that EVs can lose up to around 30 percent of their available
01:32 power in cold weather, not only due to effects of the temperature on battery chemistry, but
01:37 from greater power demand when occupants turn up the heat.
01:41 That point was supported in a Consumer Reports story explaining the effects of cold weather
01:45 on EV batteries, which said, "Running the cabin heater, seat heaters, defroster, and
01:52 other accessories that combat the cold weather inside the car all sap range.
01:57 For cold temperatures, what we have found is that 20 degrees Fahrenheit and colder is
02:01 when the range really drops."
02:05 All EVs are alike when it comes to how much power they lose in cold weather.
02:09 Recurrent measured the range loss for a number of EVs and found extremes such as the range
02:14 for the Kia Kona EV drops 34 percent in freezing weather, while the loss for the Tesla Model
02:19 S was 28 percent.
02:21 A report on the vehicle shopping and research site Cars.com noted, "An EV with a rated
02:28 range of 250 miles would have only 150 miles of range when it's 20 degrees outside."
02:35 To combat the cold weather effect, EV owners are advised to conduct what's known as preconditioning
02:40 their vehicle's battery.
02:42 This means heating or cooling the battery dependent on the temperature.
02:46 This is generally accomplished by programming the vehicle's preconditioning system using
02:50 a smartphone app that will start the car at a set time before the anticipated departure
02:55 to heat or cool the battery in advance.
02:58 It's best to precondition when the vehicle is still plugged into the grid to save battery
03:02 power.
03:04 There appears to be little respite for those Tesla drivers in Chicago who are stuck waiting
03:08 for a charge in the frigid weather and other EV drivers steaming over power loss and slow
03:13 charges.
03:14 This weekend, much of the central and eastern part of the country, including the southern
03:18 U.S. as of yesterday, is experiencing a continuing Arctic blast.
03:23 The National Weather Service had posted on its website Thursday, "While not as cold
03:28 as the previous Arctic outbreak that produced numerous records across the plains and lower
03:33 Mississippi Valley last week, this next surge will result in high temperatures 20 to 25
03:38 degrees below average on Friday across much of the plains and Mississippi Valley.
03:43 These 20 to 25 degree below average temperatures will persist across most of the plains and
03:48 Mississippi again on Saturday, while also spreading east into the Tennessee and Ohio
03:53 valleys."
03:54 For full coverage, check out Ed Garstin's piece on Forbes.com.
04:00 This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes, thanks for tuning in.
04:04 [Music]
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