Who has experience in REAL cold... subzero temps for several days in a row?

[Mongcon]

Have seen posts about cold weather operation and performance when the cold weather was 40 degrees. Who out there lives in country that get subzero for weeks at a time and what is your experience, tips?

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[Donald Stanfield]

My experience is that it really sucks and you should move. I don't have any EV experience when it is that cold though but I did wind up moving and I like winter a lot better now.

 

[Dark-Fx]

No issues with the Rivian other than efficiency just being terrible. Cabin heater is completely adequate in sub zero temps.

 

[SSteveEV]

Not much sub 0 in winter last year but had some single digit cold days/weeks and other than efficiency tanking it performed well in storms, didn't freeze up, and could stay warm (if 72*+ on the HVAC controls because they are basically nonfunctional below that)

 

[Thedude]

Efficiency sucks until the battery warms up but the cabin heat and heated seats were more than adequate. A couple times the truck was in turtle mode because the battery was so cold from sitting outside all night. That wouldn’t be a problem if you have a heated garage or plug the truck in and let it charge for a bit to warm up the battery before driving.

 

[EVTrukHog]

Last winter during single digit temps, my suspension compressor struggled to keep up until it warmed up. This meant ride height changes were occasionally unavailable for the first 15 to 30 minutes of a drive.

 

[Budman]

Live in Minneapolis with a cabin in Northern WI we frequent in the winter. No issues at all. Efficiency drops about 35% on long drives at around 0 deg F. Cabin heater is plenty strong. 21" road tires are adequate (would do winters if there were available...). It's a great vehicle, just drive it and don't worry.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

Its a great question. While I have no experience with the Rivian in these temps I do have experience with other EVs. They all get awful efficiency in these temps. Below 20F even the cars with heat pumps don't have any significant efficiency advantage. My Tesla's really suffered when it was below 20F and they both had heat pumps.

An EV is still workable though range will obviously be reduced. How much daily driving do you do?

These temps are manageable though. If you have a heated garage that's obviously the most desirable storage location. Unheated still better than outside. If not and you have to leave it outdoors, leave it plugged in and schedule charging to occur as close to the time your leaving as possible. A good long charging session will help warm up the battery.

 

[Riviot]

Imperial or metric?

 

[Christopher]

Its a great question. While I have no experience with the Rivian in these temps I do have experience with other EVs. They all get awful efficiency in these temps. Below 20F even the cars with heat pumps don't have any significant efficiency advantage. My Tesla's really suffered when it was below 20F and they both had heat pumps.

An EV is still workable though range will obviously be reduced. How much daily driving do you do?

These temps are manageable though. If you have a heated garage that's obviously the most desirable storage location. Unheated still better than outside. If not and you have to leave it outdoors, leave it plugged in and schedule charging to occur as close to the time your leaving as possible. A good long charging session will help warm up the battery.

Wouldn't a heat pump be less effective the colder it is? And since the Rivian doesn't have one, the PTC heating element it does have would be better in sub-zero temperatures?

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

Wouldn't a heat pump be less effective the colder it is? And since the Rivian doesn't have one, the PTC heating element it does have would be better in sub-zero temperatures?

Yes heat pumps less effective at temps below freezing. Less heat to extract from the air and a higher heating demand.

 

[SparkyR1t]

I can share me experience with Tesla. in addition to my Rivian I have been driving Teslas since 2015. Some with resistance heat some with heat pumps experience is at -10 F

Comparison

EV always starts up where as the ICE vehicle may not
EV instant heat no waiting for long engine warm up
Tesla can precondition the cab using wall power saving the battery, Rivian uses the battery always. With an ICE vehicle not issue
ICE vehicle can usually keep the cabin very warm, EV keeps you warm not hot may also need to use seat heaters
EV in extreme cold you will want to fully charge battery and leave plugged in when not in use, not an issue with ICE
Range- figure you will lose up to 50% in extreme cold. So if you have a normal warm weather range of 300 miles figure 150 miles in extreme cold. ICE not an issue


Conclusion; I prefer not driving either vehicle in extreme cold. But other than reduced range and need to charge often I still vote for an EV. It’s just different and requires a bit more planning

 

[Hopper]

No issues with the Rivian other than efficiency just being terrible. Cabin heater is completely adequate in sub zero temps.

Agreed. My experience is the same. Pre-conditioning the cabin while on the charger helps.

 

[Hopper]

I can share me experience with Tesla. in addition to my Rivian I have been driving Teslas since 2015. Some with resistance heat some with heat pumps experience is at -10 F

Comparison

EV always starts up where as the ICE vehicle may not
EV instant heat no waiting for long engine warm up
Tesla can precondition the cab using wall power saving the battery, Rivian uses the battery always. With an ICE vehicle not issue
ICE vehicle can usually keep the cabin very warm, EV keeps you warm not hot may also need to use seat heaters
EV in extreme cold you will want to fully charge battery and leave plugged in when not in use, not an issue with ICE
Range- figure you will lose up to 50% in extreme cold. So if you have a normal warm weather range of 300 miles figure 150 miles in extreme cold. ICE not an issue


Conclusion; I prefer not driving either vehicle in extreme cold. But other than reduced range and need to charge often I still vote for an EV. It’s just different and requires a bit more planning

If the Rivian is on the wall charger and charging @11 kwh, is there a net loss to SOC from preconditioning the cabin?

 

[Blueassassin]

I'm lucky enough I have a heated garage to park in at home and there is a charger at work to plug in and slow charge to keep the battery warm. But chicago winters and the cold sucks.

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