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are in the midst of updating range measurements for cold and warm temperatures, which will allow us to quantify the range reduction in cold weather better. One important note: There’s a reduction in charging speed if you do it outside in cold weather instead of in a garage. Regarding charging prices: DC-Fast charging, which you might find at a rest area while on a long trip, costs drivers 43 cents per kWh on the Electrify America network. We recently paid 28 cents per kWh on Tesla’s network of Superchargers.
Our annual Auto Issue (April 2022) revealed our 10 Top Picks, great used-car deals, and what makes cars safer to drive. But “Time to Go Electric?”—our look at the new EVs—really captured your attention. To add your thoughts, go to CR.org/goelectric. I appreciate your 2022 auto issue and especially the section about electric vehicles. I’ve read many pros and cons on these. But nowhere have I read about the expected longevity of their batteries. Every chargeable device I own loses battery strength over time, and many quit accepting a full charge (sometimes in just a few years). I know that a wellmaintained gas engine can last for years. What about electric vehicles? What can we expect? —Sam Perschau West Des Moines, IA
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editor’s note With early EV models, there was degradation in battery capacity over a period of eight years. But battery management has been evolving so that with newer EVs, battery degradation is expected to be less of an issue. In fact, it’s rare for an EV to require its entire battery to be replaced. Instead, it’s possible to change out individual battery cells that aren’t charging fully anymore. “Time to Go Electric?” fails to address the use of E-cars in northern climates, except for a brief “con” statement: “Very cold or hot temperatures and cabin climate conditioning reduce driving range.” This provides little or no incentive to people living in the northern
tier who encounter consecutive months of cold and snowy conditions requiring heat, wipers, headlights, seat warmers, etc., in addition to the effects of sitting outside overnight in frigid conditions on battery longevity and efficiency. How much of a mileage reduction? Is charging slower in cold temperatures? And this sounds naive, but who pays for e-charging stations when “filling up”? —Mark Behar, Milwaukee editor’s note When we’ve tested EV range on winter days at our track, we’ve found that extreme cold (below 20° F) cut the range almost in half for short trips in succession (20 miles at a time). Our auto testers
Given the latest IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report, it is irresponsible in the extreme to purchase an internal combustion engine car. Particularly from a “consumer” perspective, as the resale value of these dinosaurs will approach zero as fuel prices rise and the advantages of electric driving become more patently obvious. We have a very narrow window to avoid the catastrophe that continuing burning fossil fuels will bring about. It’s really time to step up and put our consumer dollars toward the future. —James R. Hare, via CR.org There is an existing tax incentive for purchasing new electric vehicles, but as far as I can tell, not for new and especially used hybrids. New electric cars are very expensive, and they are too new to have a supply of used ones, but hybrids have been around for many years now and are available on the usedcar market. But I believe there is no such tax incentive for fuel-efficient used hybrids. Should we not use every incentive to get fuel-guzzling cars out of circulation? Fuel efficiency reduces medically harmful air pollution and reduces the race to dangerous
JUNE 2022
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