- A Tesla driver said he survived a 14-hour traffic jam in snowy weather with 50 miles of battery range left over.
- Dan Kanninen said he was "grateful" he was driving an EV during the I-95 gridlock.
- Cold weather reduces an electric car's battery range by about 20%.
A Tesla owner said he was "grateful" that he was driving an electric car when he got stuck in a traffic jam for 14 hours.
"While fellow drivers burned gasoline running their engines to stay warm, my EV intelligently directed power solely to temperature regulation," Dan Kanninen, former White House liaison at the Environmental Protection Agency, said in a blog post. "As other drivers then fretted about their dwindling gas reserves, my EV intuitively monitored my power supply, giving me the peace of mind that other drivers did not have."
Kanninen was one of hundreds of drivers that was stranded on I-95 in Virginia earlier this month. Kanninen wrote the blog post in response to an opinion piece from The Washington Post that alleged the traffic jam would have been worse if every vehicle had been an electric car. The Post's Charles Lane argued that dead electric vehicles "might have littered the highway for miles."
The former White House liaison pushed back against the opinion piece and said EV drivers are less likely to worry about their car's range in a traffic jam as most owners regularly charge their batteries overnight and at work, while drivers with combustion-engine vehicles rarely maintain a full tank of gas. He also noted he was able to avoid long lines at gas stations, as charging venues were available every 10 miles along the highway.
In the post, Kanninen included a picture of himself watching Netflix from his Tesla display amid the traffic jam. He said his Tesla Model 3 had 50 miles of range left when he finally got to a charging station. Kanninen's Tesla model is the electric carmaker's shortest-range model that is available for sale.
A Canadian long-haul trucker posted pictures of a different Tesla that was caught in gridlock.
—My World Through A Windshield 🇨🇦 (@myworldtaw) January 4, 2022
The I-95 traffic jam was precipitated by a snow storm that downed six tractor-trailers and several trees. On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that several Northeastern US states are bracing for a blizzard this coming weekend.
Cold weather is known to reduce an electric car's battery range by about 20%, according to Consumer Reports. Sub-freezing temperatures slow down chemical reactions in battery cells and requires the car to use more energy to maintain the battery's temperature, as well as heat the cabin.
Driving-range anxiety has been identified as one of the main issues the US faces when it comes to the electrification of transportation. A 2021 study found that one in five EV owners switched back to a gas-powered car because of the hassle of charging their electric car.
But, Kanninen said its a "common misconception" that electric cars perform poorly in cold weather. In 2021, a Tesla driver tested his Model 3 in cold Norway temperatures and said the EV was able to idle with the heat on for about 72 hours.
Last week, Car and Driver tested out a long range Model 3 in 15 degree Michigan weather and found that the car could maintain a 65 degree temperature while idling for over 45 hours.