It's time for new energy vehicle owners to get emotional, and they start to angrily call their cars "electric dads".
Beginning on 13 December, a severe cold spell that lasted for four days hit most of the country. The northern region will usher in persistent cold weather from December 15 to 20, and the minimum temperature will be close to the extreme value of the same period in history. Heilongjiang and many places in Inner Mongolia have experienced extremely cold weather of more than minus 40 degrees.
In such cold weather, many NEV owners have encountered difficulties, as the experience of using EVs in the cold conditions of winter has dropped sharply.
The first is a sharp drop in endurance. According to the ** test, many models have experienced a sharp decline in endurance in the winter environment of minus 20 degrees, and even some models have a range of only about 30% of the nominal. According to the actual tests of car owners, it has become commonplace for electric vehicles to have a sharp drop in range in winter. If the heater is turned on, the battery life cannot even reach half of the nominal, often only a quarter of the original nominal. Some netizens complained that his car had a nominal range of 300 kilometers, but it could only travel 78 kilometers in reality, and the range was lost by three-quarters.
For years, the issue of winter range has been a stubborn spell that has plagued electric vehicle owners. From a scientific point of view, the root of this problem lies in lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries typically use a liquid electrolyte, but at low temperatures, the liquid electrolyte becomes viscous like glue. This makes ion transport inside the battery difficult, which in turn leads to a decrease in battery activity. Just as a person loses its vitality, the battery life also weakens dramatically at low temperatures. At the same time, the charging speed will also be affected and become slow.
In addition to the problem of the battery itself, the heating system is also a large energy consumer. Unlike fuel vehicles, which rely on the engine for heat dissipation, the air conditioning and heating of electric vehicles completely rely on electric energy, especially PTC air conditioners, which have higher energy consumption. For example, the front and rear air conditioners of the NIO ES8 have a power of nearly 10 kilowatts, and the battery pack can only last for 5 hours at a temperature of minus 50 degrees just by turning on the air conditioner.
In addition to the battery life problem, this winter, many new energy vehicle owners also found that the electricity cost of public charging piles is obvious**. Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Chongqing, Qingdao and other places have generally seen a significant increase in the price of charging piles, ranging from a few corners to one yuan, and the price of Tesla charging piles in some areas during the preferential charging period (21:00 to 9:00 the next day) has increased from the original 108 yuan degree ** to 129 yuan. Some car owners report that it is almost impossible to find public charging piles below 1 yuan per kilowatt-hour of electricity.
Charging piles*** are mainly related to the increase in charging service fees. Currently, most charging operators are losing money, so it is only a matter of time before prices are raised. However, this price increase, coupled with the problem of the range decay of electric vehicles, has made new energy vehicle owners feel anxious this winter.
Despite charging***, in reality, driving an electric car is still more cost-effective than driving a gasoline car. A simple calculation can be understood: assuming that the power consumption of electric vehicles increases greatly in winter, according to the calculation of 20 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers, even if the extreme charging cost is calculated by 2 yuan, the cost per kilometer is only 4 cents. Considering that fuel consumption of fuel vehicles will also rise to a certain extent in low temperatures in winter, electric vehicles are still more economical.
However, the convenience of using gasoline vehicles is far greater than that of electric vehicles. The fuel car can turn on the heater at any time, and the interior of the car is as warm as spring, and you can even wear short sleeves. It doesn't have range anxiety, and it won't be able to find a place to refuel because the vehicle is lying on its stomach. However, owners of electric vehicles often struggle for range. They need to accurately calculate range, plan routes, and know where they need to recharge. In order to save electricity, they may not dare to turn on the heater, or turn the heater very low, and shiver in the car in a down jacket. Even so, there are often situations where people are not as good as heaven, and sudden drops in battery life lead to vehicles lying in dens.
Obviously, it is still too early to say that new energy vehicles will replace fuel vehicles. At least for now, new energy vehicles in the northern region cannot completely replace the role of fuel vehicles. For car owners in the northern region, backward fuel vehicles appear more reliable and reliable. Before the mass production of solid-state batteries, new energy vehicles cannot replace the position of fuel vehicles.
Just like a fledgling young actor, despite his unlimited potential and talent, it takes time and effort to surpass an experienced veteran actor. Similarly, although new energy vehicles have many advantages and potentials, they cannot completely replace the role of fuel vehicles in the current technology and market environment.
In the northern region, due to the cold climate, imperfect charging facilities and other reasons, the promotion and use of new energy vehicles still face many challenges. Therefore, in the current situation, backward fuel vehicles are still a reliable choice for car owners.
However, with the continuous progress of science and technology and the continuous support of policies, the market share and influence of new energy vehicles are gradually increasing. It is believed that in the near future, with the breakthrough and popularization of key technologies such as solid-state batteries, new energy vehicles will gradually replace the position of fuel vehicles and become the mainstream mode of travel in the future.