Best practices for driving in extreme cold

[good2go]

Yes, when you set up a new scheduled preconditioning time, there is a toggle at the bottom of the configuration page:

So it’s only on a scheduled charge? Is this so when you are driving down the road it does not precondition the battery? Basically wait until I plug in?

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[Jnz]

This thread is a perfect example of why many people don’t want an EV yet. “Just put a jacket on and drive in the cold in order to make it” is not a solution most people are willing to deal with.

Eh. I think this is very true, but I also think it's a lot of that sentiment is overblown and sensationalized. The truck has, say, 300 miles of range in ambient temps above freezing. Below freezing, it drops a bit, maybe 10-15%. Below -10 degrees it drops more. But if you're doing a 100 mile trip, it won't matter. And if you're doing a 200+ mile trip, it might mean you either need to make a charging stop or an extra stop or you can try some of the tricks suggested above to maximize range (stay below 70, use heated seats and blankets instead of cranking the heat, etc., pre-condition the cabin and battery). You can skip all of those tricks and just stop to charge more. We do a 225 mile round trip into the mountains regularly. The only time I needed to stop to charge was when it was -20 degrees on the way up into the mountains. Honestly, now that I have the NACS adapter for the truck, I don't worry about charging anymore.

 

[Jnz]

So it’s only on a scheduled charge? Is this so when you are driving down the road it does not precondition the battery? Basically wait until I plug in?

Yes, only on a scheduled charge. Some electric utilities have time of use pricing, so depending on when you schedule the vehicle to precondition, you might prefer to pull the energy from the battery vs. the grid.

 

[Billofaustin2]

I used those ChargePoint chargers in Durango several times in September and they work fine. They are power shared and can be busy at times. Even though they are rated at 200kw, the best I got was 180kw with my Hummer (800V).

Thank for the feedback. That is helpful.

 

[Billofaustin2]

Eh. I think this is very true, but I also think it's a lot of that sentiment is overblown and sensationalized. The truck has, say, 300 miles of range in ambient temps above freezing. Below freezing, it drops a bit, maybe 10-15%. Below -10 degrees it drops more. But if you're doing a 100 mile trip, it won't matter. And if you're doing a 200+ mile trip, it might mean you either need to make a charging stop or an extra stop or you can try some of the tricks suggested above to maximize range (stay below 70, use heated seats and blankets instead of cranking the heat, etc., pre-condition the cabin and battery). You can skip all of those tricks and just stop to charge more. We do a 225 mile round trip into the mountains regularly. The only time I needed to stop to charge was when it was -20 degrees on the way up into the mountains. Honestly, now that I have the NACS adapter for the truck, I don't worry about charging anymore.

Great tips. Thank you.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

So it’s only on a scheduled charge? Is this so when you are driving down the road it does not precondition the battery? Basically wait until I plug in?

It will precondition on your way to a fast charger as well, this is just a way to precondition your battery manually when plugged into shore power.

 

[Billofaustin2]

You might have considered this already. Plan out backup charger locations incase the first ones don't work out. If you don't have a spare tyre kit, consider getting a repair kit (search here for recommendations). This might be an overkill but get an emergency kit that has thermal blankets. Have a safe and enjoyable trip.

Thank you !

 

[Billofaustin2]

Plan, plan and then plan some more. Make sure you have 2 options for charging at each stop, one primary and one backup (even if slower). Use Plugshare to find charging locations and plan your route accordingly. Try to stay overnight in hotels that offer EV charging (even if you have to pay for it). Try to never let the charge fall under 20% at any stop, to ensure peace of mind. Try and charge between 20-80% at each stop and move on, unless you have time or you're plugged in overnight at an L2, in which case you could go up to 100%.

I'm not sure where in NM you're heading from, but I don't believe there are any Tesla "superchargers" in the Durango area that you can use. There's a Chargepoint DCFC at the Durango Transit Center that has 2 ports and does around 100kW from memory, but they tend to be in use, so be prepared to wait during peak travel season. That location has a bunch of slower L2 chargers though, if you have a few hours to kill.

Agree with previous comments on preconditioning off the grid whenever you can, and with stopping every 150 miles to charge. I've found that 150 miles (about a 3 hour drive) is when I'd want to take a break anyway. Just need to ensure you plan your charge stops (and backups) on your route accordingly.

Range will be a bit lower in the cold as others have said, but I've learned to just trust the estimate that Rivian provides, which is is typically spot on, or even a bit pessimistic, which is super helpful.

Thank you!

 

[Dave Cundiff]

Agree, but at the same time, such long distance road trip scenarios are only a sliver (<5% in my case) of driving life/miles for most people. For 95% of my driving, EV is still a vastly superior choice. Everyone's usage is different though, which is why we need choices (ICE, EV, Hybrid, RE), and let the market decide what it wants.

Good point, @gultin.

I believe the market should also incorporate enough incentives (of whatever type) to reflect the actual cost of fossil-fuel-related damage to people and to the planet. That cost isn't small!

Best wishes!

 

[Milk]

Eh. I think this is very true, but I also think it's a lot of that sentiment is overblown and sensationalized. The truck has, say, 300 miles of range in ambient temps above freezing. Below freezing, it drops a bit, maybe 10-15%. Below -10 degrees it drops more. But if you're doing a 100 mile trip, it won't matter. And if you're doing a 200+ mile trip, it might mean you either need to make a charging stop or an extra stop or you can try some of the tricks suggested above to maximize range (stay below 70, use heated seats and blankets instead of cranking the heat, etc., pre-condition the cabin and battery). You can skip all of those tricks and just stop to charge more. We do a 225 mile round trip into the mountains regularly. The only time I needed to stop to charge was when it was -20 degrees on the way up into the mountains. Honestly, now that I have the NACS adapter for the truck, I don't worry about charging anymore.

The issue is that most of the time when people do 'road trips' it's not just ambient temps that are impacting. It often involves speeds at 70mph or more, elevation changes, wind, etc. All things that ICE vehicles don't care about because of the convenience of gas literally everywhere.

 

[Doug]

The issue is that most of the time when people do 'road trips' it's not just ambient temps that are impacting. It often involves speeds at 70mph or more, elevation changes, wind, etc. All things that ICE vehicles don't care about because of the convenience of gas literally everywhere.

I agree with gas stations everywhere people do not think about how much fuel they are using to get from point A to point B. You nailed with it being simple physics of Temp, wind speed, ride height as the biggest resistance factors for efficiency.

EV's are not os different than ICE cars as people claim. Our Toyota Highlander Hybrid gets 40ish mpg in perfect conditions in the summer. In the winter with -20 F and 30 mile an hour head wind it is barely 20. Similar with EVS. If temp is cold and wind is against you it is going to take more power to get there.

I have two winters of driving in MN with some extreme cold and wind and I never drive with hat and gloves on. I do not think being cold while driving is worth the little bit of range you will gain. Similar to summer some chose not to run a/c because it will cut gas milage, is that worth it if it is hot outside?

We live in an area with very few EV's so peoples only knowledge is what they read. So I try to compare to an ICE car and that seems to help them understand the loss of efficiency in the winter.

 

[RealBillNye]

Be sure you keep an eye on the cold tire pressure. Once the pressure drops below 46, efficiency drops fast.

This. You will need to adjust tire pressure on the trip since it sounds like there is going to be a large temp swing during the drive.

 

[egar]

Another thing to keep in mind is what will be the charging options at your destination? If the remaining range after you reach or destination will not be sufficient to get you to a charger when you leave, you could be stranded.

A example of this is my Thanksgiving day trip to my wife's family's home. Though it was only 230 miles each way, their house is 65 miles from the nearest L2 or L3 charger. The outside temp was 18 degrees. I planned the trip to arrive at their house with 100 miles of range remaining. On our return trip, starting with 103 miles of range, we got to the charger with only 4% or about 10 miles or range remaining. To make sure we made it, we reduced speed and lowered the heating of the cabin.

Using the portable changer on 110v at their house would not have been of much use as we were only there 6 hours and much of that energy would have gone to overhead of keeping the battery warmer. I had been lucky, I might have been able to pick up 6 miles of range in that time.

I've only had my R1T for a few weeks, so my 100 mile range guess was just a guess and a bit too low. Nothing like learning on the fly!

 

[DeafPug]

A example of this is my Thanksgiving day trip to my wife's family's home. Though it was only 230 miles each way, their house is 65 miles from the nearest L2 or L3 charger.

I would offer to pay for an electrician to install an outlet for EV charging at their house; assuming that wouldn’t also require a whole house upgrade. You’ll likely be returning many times, so the added convenience of a 240V outlet there would be nice in the coming years.

 

[HopefullyR1S]

I would offer to pay for an electrician to install an outlet for EV charging at their house; assuming that wouldn’t also require a whole house upgrade. You’ll likely be returning many times, so the added convenience of a 240V outlet there would be nice in the coming years.

This is what I did at my parent’s house.

I got lucky and my BIL’s garage already has the 240v plug from the previous owner. This makes our trips to visit them so easy.

edit to add- ABC

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