The world is not yet accustomed to electric cars, therefore, they are still skittish about purchasing them. In response to this, some have been test driving the few electric cars on the market. Many of the tests are intended to show how long their range is in reality, but, they were not very realistic. Some of them turned off the air conditioner and heater, while others drove with the cars empty to maximize range.
I have seen a few Tesla Model S test drives before, ranging from a short drive on a track, to cross-country trips which were over 2,000 miles. Do you really think that everyone is going to drive the car with no A/C, no heating, and without any cargo on a regular basis? I don’t, and Bjørn Nyland has conducted his own test during winter, and with cargo on board. He even had the heater on.
Part One
Part Two
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Using winter tyres, Bjørn Nyland used his P85 Tesla Model S (this is the 85 kWh Performance model) to deliver various items, attempting to travel 225 miles per charge in cold, snowy weather at a maximum elevation of 1,026 metres (3,366 feet). Some of the items were a pair of automobile rims (these are heavy).
He had some minor issues with the charging plug and had to fidget with it to get it to start charging (possibly due to the cold weather), but, he completed the trip successfully by doing mostly 20-minute charges to bring it up to an 80% SOC (state of charge) using Superchargers, and was never stranded. He drove the Tesla Model S at an average speed of 46 mph. This isn’t fast, driving at low speeds stretches range by improving efficiency.
However, people drive slowly during winter anyway. He was almost stranded once because he didn’t allow it enough time to recharge. The Tesla Supercharger charging stations were conveniently located near stores he could shop around and eat while charging the Model S. If I had the money to purchase a Tesla Model S, this is the test that would convince me to buy it.
It offers a level of realism that the rest of the tests failed to. This car really does work well in all weather. I do believe that Tesla Motors may be able to further insulate or even periodically heat the charging socket to ensure that it works all the time.
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Source: Inside EVs.
