Three months ago, I got three EVs in a row to real-world test drive – in terms of how far they actually go as opposed to how quickly they can get going (the thing most other test drivers focus on). We all know EVs are quick. Many would like to find out about the other things that matter. A top fuel dragster is extremely quick – even quicker than a Tesla Plaid.
But not for long . . . just like the Tesla Plaid.
At least, that’s how it was back in December. The indicated range (as on the dash display) was about 20 percent less than the actual and in one case – that of the Ford F150 Lightning – about 50 percent less, when it was tasked with towing. Most of this reduction was a consequence of the cold, by the way – which is hard on batteries, as anyone who has lived through a Minnesota or Chicago winter already knows. It is why people keep their non-electric cars plugged in overnight – so that the battery will have enough power (hopefully) to crank the engine. It’s similar with EVs, but worse – because they rely solely on their battery packs.
Once you get a non-electric car’s engine started, you no longer have to worry about power – that is, about electricity. Or the battery that holds it. The engine – via the alternator – recharges it and the engine is powering the vehicle. It is unaffected by cold or hot; once running, it will take you about the same distance on a gallon of gas in the summer as it would in the winter.
But with EVs, the battery powers everything – including the heater and the AC – and in the cold, the power it stores is less and dissipates more quickly. Since an EV does not carry around its own charger (as a hybrid car does, which is what its engine does) you can only go as far as the charge you have allows.
Since most EVs only have about 300 miles of best-case (indicated) range on a full charge, the loss of even 20 percent of that in terms of actual driving range is compounding problem because of the time and hassle it takes to recharge. A non-EV with only a gallon of gas left in its tank won’t go very far, either. But it does not take very long at all to fill its tank, which will take you as far as you need to go, probably – and then some.
That brings up one of the most deceptive things about the ways EV range-efficiency is advertised. This “MPGe” business. For example, the ’23 Mercedes EQS500 I am going to be test driving this week carries an MPGe rating of 121 MPGe – which sounds fantastic. It’s about twice the EPA mileage (sans the “e”) of a Toyota Prius hybrid.
The catch lies in the details.
“MPGe” is a kind of equivalence for how far the electricity equivalent of the energy in a gallon of gas would take you. But it’s not functionally equivalent because an EV battery pack can only store the electricity equivalent of about 4-5 gallons of gas, depending on the model. That is why most EVs – including the EQE – have fully-charged, best-case (indicated) ranges of about 300 miles – and often less. And even that requires an enormous battery pack, which is why even a mid-sized car like the EQE (it’s about the same length as a Toyota Avalon) weighs an incredible 5,424 lbs. – which is almost three tons (and is, with two or three average sized passengers on board).
So, what you’re dealing with here is kind of like driving around in a really gas-thirsty car – one that runs out of gas very fast, at any rate – because it has a really small (or leaking) tank.
Back to the EQE – and the weather.
The car was just dropped off with 239 miles of range indicated. This is well shy of the advertised 305 miles of fully-charged range, but that has less to do
with the weather than the distance – from the place where the driver had to stop to charge it up before dropping it off at my house. When they drop off non-EVs, they leave them fully gassed up, which they can easily do because there’s a gas station five miles down the road. Very little range is lost driving from the gas station to my house.
But a significant percentage of the EV’s range is lost over the course of the roughly 30 mile drive (which includes a very steep elevation gain, “up the mountain” to about 3,000 feet from around 1,200 feet downtown) from where the “fast” charger is located to my place. Thus the car was left with 239 miles of indicated range remaining.
Tomorrow, we’ll see how far it actually goes. We’ll also find out whether it loses any range – and how much – sitting outside, unplugged. Some of you may recall that the last go ’round, during the cold snap in December, just leaving an EV parked outside in the cold unplugged ate up about 20 miles of range.
It’s not cold out now, so we’ll see.
Stay tuned!
. . .
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With a gas/diesel-powered vehicle, you only need to be concerned about the weather condition itself (rain, snow, ice, etc.). With an EV, now you have to focus on the TEMPERATURE as well. So even if it’s bright and sunny outside, you still won’t be going very far if it’s either below freezing or 95F+. Which means that unless you live in a consistently mild climate, an EV is only “practical” 4-5 months out of the year, if that. Which is EXACTLY how the satanic elites want it.
Having said that, I wonder if law enforcement will be required to drive EVs? If that’s the case, then it DEFINITELY behooves us to hold onto our old ICE cars, as I’m sure most officers wouldn’t dare risk being stranded over some petty misdemeanor.
“just leaving an EV parked outside in the cold unplugged ate up about 20 miles of range”.
This is kind of weird. It should be possible to turn this battery preheating off, since it is often not useful. For instance when going on a 14 days’ vacation, nobody would like to come home to a fully discharged battery.
Since my electrical car is barely proletarian standard, it does not even have battery preheating. I suppose that explains why the battery doesn’t lose capacity overnight, and just 1-2 % after two weeks.
Could there be other explanations to the phenomenon of the batteries losing significant capacity overnight – cooling for instance?
Hi Jone,
My understanding is it’s both. It takes heat to keep the battery warm and it takes energy to keep the battery cool. Either way, energy (electricity) is consumed. Not a huge amount – but a noticeable amount. Made more noticeable by the modest range you have, best-case. I’ll have more about this soon!
I have to use oil, so I visit websites that have information about engine oils.
A comment illustrated how regular refined crude oil is compared to synthetic engine oil.
Regular refined oil: OoooOooOOooooOoooOooO
Synthetic oil: oooooooooooooooooooooooo
All synthetic oils have metal additives that do function to increase the life of the oil and prevent serious engine wear.
If you want hydrogen gas, make anhydrous ammonia. You mix nitrogen from the air with methane, natural gas, a reaction results in anhydrous ammonia and copious amounts of hydrogen gas. The excess hydrogen gas is then recycled to yield more ammonia.
The Haber-Bosch process does all of the work.
Your wheat and corn and canola will be planted using an anhydrous tank so the anhydrous will flow through the plastic tube lines to the location of the knives on the implement.
There will be a air seeder in front of the anhydrous tank and will be seeding the wheat or barley or corn or canola.
Soybeans add nitrogen to the soil, so the next crop season you want to plant barley or field corn. The barley yield the next harvest will be more than 75 bushel per acre.
Lack of nitrogen, the plants will not be green, they’ll yellow.
The land has nitrogen from the atmosphere via knives mounted on implements driving the anhydrous into the soil.
The outside temp has to be less than 55 degrees F or you’ll lose some of it.
The British Petroleum Statistical Review has all the info about energy, they do it all. The Energy Bible.
“Fossil fuels accounted for 82% of primary energy use last year, down from 83% in 2019 and 85% five years ago.”
Tons of them for agriculture. No say F words, hydrocarbons, the proper nomenclature.
Primary energy sources are being depleted, the oil, the coal, the minerals, the rare elements, humans have to stop abusing the earth.
Get a grip, everybody is going to die, so stop wasting everything.
Note to self: Shut the hell up.
The BP Statistical Review changed its name to The Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy.
… an air seeder …
I had a chance to rent and drive Nissan Leaf for a week. It came with 220v L2 charger and charges about 220 miles.
My commute is 45 miles each way on flat Southern California freeway in heavy traffic. I expected to have 175 miles but the car consistantly had 150 miles left when I got to my office. The same usage on its way back.
That is about 55% more usage than indicated. WTF!
Indeed, Jake –
I think you’ll be interested in the story I’m typing up right now… should be live here by the morning!
Can’t wait. I will be up early to read of your experiences today with the 100K+ EV on the road. Hope you gave a real world workout without getting stranded.
I don’t think EV’s started as a globalist control plot. Likely Elon started planning to sell a niche product to bored rich folks. But one the control aspects came to be appreciated by the psychopaths in charge, now he’s the richest guy on the planet. No hate on Elon (Ok a little), hate the game, not the playa. Clearly the bullshit environment has nothing to do with it. If you cared about that stop the Phillipines from dumping miliions of tons of plastic garbage into the ocean.
Mark you may be right. Elon’s original idea that got him started was online payment (paypal) I believe. He is jumping from one boat to the next. A sharp guy, I think he is riding the wave.
He has more children than I do which is saying something. So he does know what’s important to the future and survival of mankind, unlike the alphabet people.
Back to the Future. Reminds me of my brothers truck, back in the 70s he had a Chevy Pickup with a 454 LS engine…when he was towing a horse trailer at 75-80 on the interstate you could watch the gas gauge go down as he was driving.. But then he had a side tank so there was plenty of range.
I’m trying to get rid of the COVID lockdown weight. To kick it off I went on a potato fast for lent. Basically I eat an unlimited amount of potatoes that are baked, boiled or steamed. Can’t deep fry. About half way through I added blueberries to my sweet potatoes, onion and mushrooms to the yellow and Russets. Spices are OK but need to limit salt. Lost 20 pounds so far on track to drop 30 by Easter Sunday. After this I plan on keeping it up but adding other vegatables and some meat once or twice a week until I get down to my high school weight again, and picking up the workouts to at least an hour a day of mixed activities, monitoring closely for overindulgence.
I read an article about gastric bypass surgery earlier this week. Seems like it really is a radical procedure and makes your life pretty terrible…
After gastric bypass, Michelle’s and Johnnie’s stomachs are about the size of an egg. They had to essentially re-learn how to eat. Too much food, as Johnnie found out early in his recovery, quickly led to vomiting. Things they once enjoyed — spicy Mexican food, for instance — are now off the table.
A typical meal might include a credit-card sized amount of meat and a quarter cup of vegetables. They eat slowly, chewing their food over and over so that it digests more easily.
https://coloradosun.com/2023/03/27/bariatric-weight-loss-surgery-study-benefits/
If you physically cannot eat more than a few calories per day you’re seriously going to limit your ability to move. Or you’re going to eat constantly and be obsessed with your next meal. Either way eating a big meal ahead of a long hike or extended period of fast is not an option. No wonder suicide is 2.5X more likely.
Now apply that same idea to your car.
Or your sex organs.
What a cluster that’s going to be in a few years. The idea of removing working organs for LARPing… yikes! Not to mention all the medical issues they’re going to have to live with forever as the body tries to repair itself.
Lose weight by eating a starchy high carb vegetable? Looks like would be better for your body to go to medium to high protein. Not too high protein—kidneys. But then again, a well balanced meal with smaller portions would also work. Of course don’t add any ‘Lent’ to your food, very high in calories.
Everyone I know (all females) that had any type of weight loss surgery ended up gaining the weight they lost back plus more. And everyone of them had hair loss issues. Very, very thin hair. And….they all looked like they had died and no one had told them. All of that sudden weight loss caused baggy loose skin, wrinkles everywhere, gaunt sunken sallow faces. Not something I would recommend.
Potatoes aren’t “high carb” they’re high fiber.
They’re both in paleo terms. ironically if you cool them after cooking them they form something called resistant starch and reduces they’re glycemic index.
All those MPGe “equivalent” calculations are nothing more than comparing apples to oranges, pure BS.
I still want to know what happens to these batteries if left dead or almost dead, overnight when it’s 20F outside.? Or for a few days or a week?
They obviously use power to keep the battery relatively warm overnight, so what happens when the power runs out?
Hi Chris,
I’m about to head out in the EQE to find out! It’s been sitting outside since they dropped it off yesterday afternoon, with 239 miles of indicated range showing. Stay tuned…!
So if an EV just sits outside, does the battery lose range unless it is plugged in? What if it was sitting outside like that in the dead of Winter at -40 below? Would it need a battery blanket like our ICE vehicles have up here? I do not know EV’s work in that respects…
Most evs have the electric blankets built in to the battery pack. If you left your ev out in Siberia, it would automatically heat those batteries till it runs out of battery power.
There are several types of lithium batteries tho. LFP are the best for budget vehicles as they are cheaper to produce and more stable. Those can discharge at temperature as low as -20°c but they can’t charge below 0°c temps
Some of the NMC batteries work at -25°c and can charge at -10°c
There’s also LTO batteries which would be great for a hybrid as they operate with as low as -50 to 60°c depending on manufacturer. They also support a 10C charge rate so they can fully recharge in 6 minutes but they have lower energy density so not practical for a long range pure ev. What would be really cool is a hybrid with a 10KWH LTO pack and an efficient petrol engine. Could have great performance, mpg and low emissions in extreme weather.
My reasonably priced EV does not have the function of preheating the batteries. Hence the charge and stipulated range stay the same for many days.
I wonder if it on more expensive models is possible to turn off the preheating function, since this is not always needed or useful. Nobody would for instance want to return to a completely empty battery, after being a couple of weeks on vacation.
I read this today, hoping this is the beginning of sanity;
Europe Abandons All-Electric Car Mandate. Stupidity of the CO2 Transition
Stupidity of “switch to electric” while killing power generation.
Here’s the link:
https://www.globalresearch.ca/europe-abandons-all-electric-car-mandate/5814038
But IC cars will have to run on “e-fuels” only, i.e., “fuels made from captured carbon or renewable energy.”
So the plan remains to outlaw petroleum. However, your “beginning of sanity” description is apt. At least the capability to manufacture IC vehicles will remain intact, so if further sanity breaks out they can more easily revert to gas and diesel.
It’s all a SCAM, but in a good way. Trust me….this is how it is going to play-out…and it will be similar to the ethanol fiasco we have to deal with. A percentage of eFuel will be blended with regular gasoline and probably some “carbon offset” indulgences and presto chango you have new and improved Green Fuel. Everyone is happy; the refineries make money, the car companies don’t go broke, the greens have a “win” and regular people can continue to drive ICE cars.
When I read about this Porsche invented eFuel process, I did a little research. The have a plant in Chile where the “strip” the O from water and combine it with carbon dioxide using wind energy and there they magically produce C8H18. Which is…..wait for it……gasoline. Now the long term plan is to upscale production in Saudi Arabia…lots of solar energy. I am sure the eFuel plants will be conveniently located next to existing refineries….duel use of of existing resources is so environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, somehow I don’t think they will be able to differentiate between the good eFuel and the bad gasoline when it goes to market….so they will just slap an eFuel sticker on everything…yeah we saved the planet…. Isn’t progress wonderful.”
Mark Twain once said that “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.”
Interesting take. I’ve heard that all gas and motor oil is synthetic these days and has been for decades. All chemicals and no organic matter. People associate Rockefeller with oil but his empire quickly became a chemical concern and morphed into Big Pharma. It’s odd that the Saudis seem strangely unconcerned about all of this “transitioning” and even mouth some green platitudes. Perhaps under your theory they know nothing really changes except probably more profits because the e-gas will be more expensive.
Still, this wink and lie type of behavior sickens me. It became the norm during the renamed flu scam. Why should anyone live the life of the lie to give the “greens” or any other phony eco-fascists a “win.” To do this is to legitimize their primary premise, that we must accept less as humans to save the planet or keep the climate from “changing” or whatever. Goddamn those lying, anti-human scumbags!
I don’t believe anything an “expert” says, they all lie.
Electric vehicles in their present state are “not ready for prime time” and are being “pushed” on an unsuspecting, largely ignorant, gullible public by insane government edict.
From a scientific and technical standpoint, today’s electric vehicles are “playthings for the rich”.
From a political standpoint, the elites HATE the masses as the “elites” HATE the fact that today’s ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles allow the masses (us) to go where they (we) want, when they (we) want at any time with few, if little restrictions. Unrestricted mobility for the masses is something that the elites HATE. It’s about CONTROL. It’s ALWAYS about CONTROL.
Let’s look at the technical side of electric vehicles vs. ICE vehicles. Range is a large factor in the desirability of ICE vehicles vs. today’s electric vehicles. One can fuel up an ICE vehicle in approximately five minutes and be on his way.
Not so for electric vehicles. Quite often electric vehicle charging stations are few and far between, which contributes to “range anxiety”. The situation will improve as time goes on, but in today’s world, electric vehicles are impractical. For short hops and city driving, electric vehicles can be an ideal solution, but for extended “road trips” forget it.
Electric vehicle batteries lose power even when the vehicle is not in use. Add to that, cold weather and the use of accessories (air conditioning, lights, etc) will reduce range considerably. Electric vehicles may be somewhat suitable for a California climate, but will fail in sub-zero Michigan winter snow and ice.
Batteries can be charged only to 80% of full capacity as overcharging will reduce battery life considerably. “Fast charging” is also detrimental to battery life. It’s all about time and convenience vs. battery life.
Gasoline and diesel fuel has an large energy content (density) in a small package, something that, in their present stages of development, electrical vehicles cannot achieve.
Let’s make a comparison…gasoline contains approximately 33.7 kwh per gallon. A gallon of gasoline weighs approximately 6.1 lbs. The typical ICE vehicle can hold about 15 gallons of gasoline with a weight of approximately 90 lbs. total, with a total energy content of approximately 500 kwh.
Keep in mind that high-end electric vehicles have an energy capacity of approximately 120 kwh. This is equal to less than four gallons of gasoline. The typical electric vehicle has a 75 kwh battery pack, equivalent to approximately 2 ½ gallons of gasoline.
Keep in mind that the battery pack weight is well over 2000 lbs (1 ton) and still has a limited energy capacity compared to gasoline. The typical electric vehicles weighs approximately 2 ½ tons (5000 lbs.), having to haul around a heavy battery pack. This also contributes to “wear and tear” on other automotive systems such as brakes and tires. (Yes, I am aware that regenerative braking exists and is a part of electric vehicle technology).
From an environmental standpoint, lithium is nasty stuff, reacts with water violently and is much more volatile than gasoline. Electric vehicle accidents are much more hazardous than those of ICE vehicles. Water cannot be used to put out a lithium battery pack fire.
Yes, gasoline is dangerous, but we have learned to control it and live with it for over 100 years successfully.
Oil, being abiotic, and NOT a “fossil fuel” is a renewable resource, constantly being created by yet-unknown process within the earth.
There may come a time with battery technology “breakthroughs” but just not now.
Governments should never “push” unproven technologies.
So I just googled the price of a 2023 Mercedes EQS 500. It starts at $105,000! Yikes.
I would hate to be driving a regular, ICE vehicle, and then get hit by one of those three-ton EV’s flying through a red light or a stop sign. Your ICE vehicle would be totaled, and if you are lucky, you would not be totaled, as well. As I have said before, those EV’s are going to be worthless up here in the Great White North. -40 below Winters for months on end? Yeah, we do not want to freeze ’cause the damned thing cannot handle driving in the cold, and then having the heater run at the same time. But I cannot wait for your review, Eric. Is it particularly cold (your guys’ version that is?) Put the heater on to keep comfortably warm, and see how much more range you lose? That would make for an interesting review to say the least….
‘we do not want to freeze ’cause the damned thing cannot handle driving in the cold, and then having the heater run at the same time.’ — Shadow
Surely the aftermarket will create a window-mounted, propane-fueled bullet heater to keep your EeeVeeee toasty warm and preserve range … with the same form factor as vintage car coolers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_cooler#/media/File:Thermador_Car_Cooler.JPG
Fuzzy dice on the rearview mirror not included; sorry.
The thing is, if people are forced to buy these horribly expensive EV’s, with batteries that cost upwards of $20,000 dollars, that only last for 100,000 dollars, I damned well should not have to fork over extra money for a propane heater to keep myself warm, because the damned fools who built these things either did not think of such necessities, or simply did not care. I know that ultimately, they want us crammed into modern-day, Warsaw Ghettos, where we are going to walk everywhere, or be dead. No vehicle of any kind needed. But, before then, I can see the after market kicking in, and producing what people want. If Communism doesn’t end up taking over, first. LOL, and yeah, I remember having the fuzzy dice. Back in the day, I think mine were green….
not only do they not go far in the cold – they also dont go too far when you’re driving too fast – like this guy demonstrated with the Mercedes !! only 100 miles at autobahn speed ! 265 miles at motorway speed (70 mph). Again a fact which is never talked about – that the range is only when you’re driving like 30 or something….
https://youtu.be/6BSdq-MpPdg
Abolutely. I think that EV’s should be tested at 80 mph, which is the cruising speed on today’s rural interstate roads and show how long the thing will last. I have two honda products. The optimum speed for time efficiency and gas mileage is between 78 and 82 mph. I’m pretty sure if you are going 60, youll get maybe 2-3 mpg better. Tops.
On the Pilot, I get about 18 mpg highway (80-85 mph) and on the TL I am getting 27-29 mpg (80-85 as well).
My range on the pilot is 400 miles or so. On the TL, I can go up to 500 miles tank. My record is 520.
Again, EV’s should be tested at highway speeds. That kind of gives you a real idea of what you’re dealing with.
Hope you get one every season so we can see the weather effects
‘an EV battery pack can only store the electricity equivalent of about 4-5 gallons of gas’ — eric
This is a very good point, Eric, which I have not seen explained anywhere else.
Because EeeVees convert energy stored in the battery to shaft power at about 75% efficiency (versus around 30% efficiency for gasoline vehicles), EeeVees can use the energetic equivalent of a tiny (but ridiculously heavy) gas tank.
Bear in mind that for MPGe calculations, the inevitable combustion efficiency losses at the utility’s thermal power plant are excluded. If the same favor were extended to hydrocarbon-fueled vehicles, their efficiency (excluding combustion losses) would be in the 90% range, comprising only drive train friction losses downstream of the engine.
When apples-to-oranges MPG and artificially-jacked MPGe are combined into a manufacturer’s fleet average, this constitutes yet another ’tilted playing field’ subsidy to EeeVees. Whereas including electric power plant efficiency (typically in the 40% range) in the MPGe calculation would show that in terms of actual source fuel usage, EeeVees offer little or no energy conservation advantage.
This is the Big Lie underlying the global push by cliiiiiiiiiimate changers to outlaw hydrocarbon-fueled vehicles by 2035. If they manage to outlaw hydrocarbon-fueled power plants as well, we’ll be reduced to living in a world lit only by fire. And the ladies ain’t gonna like it:
https://tinyurl.com/3z3nd256
Are they on the Isle of Lesbos? Nah, that was Xenia the lezbo warrior
Wait till you see the wonky warriors of the Trans Day of Vengeance threatened for Washington DC on Saturday.
Sourced from the Daily Mail, so do your own due diligence. But I’m imagining rainbow-haired gladiators of 57 different genders, making J6 look like a senior center croquet match. Your score may vary …