Zoe's in the snow/ice?

[shake n bake]

So, what are they like in poorer weather conditions? I wondered as they produce most of their power from the get go are they a bit awkward to use?
Are a pair of winter tyres worth while or am I thinking about a problem that doesn't exist?

[LordFlathead]

Here you go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCKqsHVdCFw

[appletonn]

Winter tyres plus fwd & plenty of weight over the front wheels appears to make it very capable.

This winter will be first for my wife's Zoe plus my Leaf - have been thinking of getting some winter tyres for the Leaf, but may wait & see how we go.

[gangzoom]

Apparently EVs are much better at getting traction in snow than ICE cars. The TC system can work much better than on any ICE car because the power delivered can be controlled and adjusted much quicker than any ICE system.

I'm looking forwards to trying the Leaf in snow

[FiF]

Be interesting to see as we once got stuck in a Prius going downhill. Yet sticking it in reverse it went back up without a problem. In forward it seemed to try and then sort of cut out. Yes I know a Prius isn't an EV strictly speaking but showed that how the power delivery is programmed in is critical. Seemed to have very little option in adjusting things as one might with a straight ICE, higher gear, careful use of gas and clutch etc. It was very different between forwards and reverse. Apologies for off topic.

[Undirection]

LordFlathead said:

Here you go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCKqsHVdCFw

Lovely place, proper picture postcard stuff. Sod the car, I just want to go there!

[mortones2]

A bit different to UK driving in snow: no panic! 30 years since we were in the area. St Gilgen, by the Wolfgangsee. Bit of a contrast as it was June when we were there. Lovely spot. Gluhwein called for in that chill!

[Beefmeister]

Have heard from an i3 owning friend in Norway that the quite noticeable regen braking makes driving them a bit tricky in the snow. You really have to concentrate on being smooth or the regen kicking in can easily unsettle the car.

[ooo000ooo]

Anyone noticed when running over the likes of a man hole cover when braking using regen the system gets a bit confused at the sudden lack of grip and releases the brakes? Feels to me like it's just at the point where physical braking would take over from regen and it sort of kicks the abs in for a moment?

[amstrange1]

ooo000ooo said:

Anyone noticed when running over the likes of a man hole cover when braking using regen the system gets a bit confused at the sudden lack of grip and releases the brakes? Feels to me like it's just at the point where physical braking would take over from regen and it sort of kicks the abs in for a moment?

It's removing motor regen torque whilst the ABS/ESP starts to intervene, most systems will do this. This behaviour led to some of the apparent 'runaway' issues reported with the Prius - the loss of regen braking can make it feel like the car's accelerating...

[amstrange1]

Beefmeister said:

Have heard from an i3 owning friend in Norway that the quite noticeable regen braking makes driving them a bit tricky in the snow. You really have to concentrate on being smooth or the regen kicking in can easily unsettle the car.

I've not driven an i3 in low mu conditions, but I'm surprised if it's as dramatic as that.
I spent a couple of weeks out in Finland doing final calibration validation & sign-off for an OEM's EV, and that included testing regen on a polished ice surface.

[AnotherClarkey]

Beefmeister said:

Have heard from an i3 owning friend in Norway that the quite noticeable regen braking makes driving them a bit tricky in the snow. You really have to concentrate on being smooth or the regen kicking in can easily unsettle the car.

I think that is the reason that FWD is best for electric powertrains - at least for harvesting energy via regen. You just can't put that much braking effort into the rear wheels without cocking up stability.

Edited by AnotherClarkey on Tuesday 3rd November 19:53

[SuperPav]

As a Leaf owner, I can tell you it's not great in the snow.
By that I mean it's not any better than a non-EV FWD hatchback on summer tyres.

In non-ECO mode, especially in B, it's not pleasant to drive on icy or hardpacked surfaces, as the instant on/off torque and regen are a hindrance.

Put it in D, ECO mode, and it's fine. Regen braking with electric booster still not ideal for slowing down smoothly, but certainly driveable and doesn't get stuck much.

I imagine with winters there wouldn't be any problem with snow.


Battery drain of heating and especially demisting the windscreen which seems to fog up at any opportunity is the biggest problem in winter/snowfall.