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>3. Does the lifespan decrease with prolonged usage in -40F or 150F weather? Does vibration break it?

That doesn't seem like an important consideration for the vast majority of drivers.




More about available energy than lifespan, but here's a "tale of woe" from a test driver in colder weather. I am surprised that the writer equates the effects of 10F (-12C) weather on battery chemistry with someone siphoning fuel from the tank, but so it goes.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-11/tesla-falls-after-n...

I have seen hotels in cold climates (Finland) provide electrical receptacles for block heaters for IC engined vehicles - which might be adequate for a slow charge, or at least for maintaining a better working temperature for a battery pack - too bad the writer didn't have access to something like that.

My takeaway is that colder regions will need denser charging station networks to serve long-distance travelers, and that all-electric vehicles will be less popular for long-range multi-charge trips in colder climates, but still good for daily commutes and any "out-and-back" trips where the vehicle can be charged at the destination while the travelers are doing something else. (meal, meeting, entertainment, overnight stay, whatever).


That really depends on the local climate. Many locations will see temperatures below 0F and above 100F in the same year, and hotter weather can result in much higher temperatures near the road surface than measured by weather stations.


Next time, on a hottest day in the year, put your hand on the roof of your car, after 5 minutes your hand will be cooked like an overdone steak. Combine this with the fact that the driver may be racing to work on the hottest day, while running the AC on full. And 150F is something that happens to the battery every day for a month in many parts of America. And the battery has to handle spike temperatures up to 200F. Racing the car up a hill in the Southern texas sun? The Internal combustion engine can take it no problem because it's made of metal and plastics that can survive 200F. The battery maybe not.


150F, yes. But -40F isn't going to happen almost anywhere. Your car will get hotter than the weather outside, but not colder.




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