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Buying an EV? Don't Waste Your Money on That Sporty AWD Model
(www.gearpatrol.com)
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this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2023
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I think I agree with you. The author mentions AWD in snow as a minor passing thing in a way you can tell they haven't lived somewhere with it.
But that said I haven't driven an EV and I'd be worried about the extra direct torque they can provide making starting on ice or snowpack more difficult and dangerous.
I’ve owned two EVs, and that instant torque is much more of a pro than a con, even in the snow. Think about traction control: when the computer detects a loss of traction, it cuts power to the motor until it detects traction has been regained. In a gas powered car, you can really only change the flow of gas a couple times per second, because there’s some delay between applying throttle, waiting for ignition, etc. But in an EV, you can modulate the power upwards of a thousand times per second, and it gets applied to the wheels practically instantly. So when you slip in the snow, the traction control can react far faster.
My first EV was RWD and I would say that winter performance was comparable to my FWD sedans that I drove before, because the weight is distributed much more evenly, and that traction control is amazing.
My current EV is AWD and even on all season tires, it’s insane. Obviously no powertrain helps you stop if you don’t have snow tires, but for starting off in rough traction, it’s insane. Comparing my car to our Honda CRV, it’s wildly different. I can basically drive the car like there’s no snow on the ground (except I leave a massive gap in front in case I need to stop). The CRV slides all over the place
Sorry for rambling, I’m just a bit of an EV evangelist, and snow is somewhere that they really shine
My experience has been that on steep, snowy roads heavy EVs struggle. It could have been that they all had the wrong tires but going up Berthoud pass I've seen a handful of Tesla Ys and Xs doing their best Tokyo drift impressions trying to just get up the hill - virtually zero traction and sideways struggling to even stay moving much less staying in their lane
I will say my FWD EV isn't as good in snow as my old AWD/4×4 Jeep, or even my old Ford Taurus. I do notice the extra weight in snow, and the centre of gravity is closer to the battery pack, not the "engine", at least middle not front. I think a RWD EV might be a little better.
Still, just drive to the conditions. I'm not going to cross the Coquihalla or the Malahat in winter conditions either.
Yeah, heavy cars definitely do worse in general, especially if they’re on shitty tires. I’d love to get snow tires but we only get two or three days a year where the weather is bad enough to justify them, and they’re too damn expensive, so we just stay home when the roads are bad
Weight is good on snowy roads in some circumstances, but not for going up hills.
That's only half of what traction control is. The other half is applying the brake to the slipping wheel to divert power back through the differential to the stuck wheel. That braking control is electric, and while I don't think it operates with PWM, it can be applied many times per second.
Depends where you live with lots of snow. If you're not emergency personnel and you live in a major metropolitan area with good salting and plowing? You absolutely do not need AWD. If you're like in the GTA or the Chicago sprawl you'll be fine - make sure to pick up your groceries the day before the blizzard. Any day where the roads are bad-enough to need an all-terrain vehicle, everything will be closed anyways. The only urban places I'd be tempted by AWD would be the Prairies Provinces, where they sometimes get snow below -10C (usually it's bone dry here in Ontario when it gets below -10C) and salt can't melt that so they just dump in some grit and hope. At least it's pretty flat there.
However, if you live rural? Absolutely. My in-laws live in a hilly rural area and I've tried visiting them in an FWD minivan in the winter. Do not recommend.
I've needed AWD in Houston in the summer to get up driveways because of a thin film of oil or some gravel.
And rural driveawys in hilly areas.
FYI: Winter driving modes on most EVs limit the amount of torque from launch to adjust for reduced grip on surfaces like snow and ice.
I live in one of the snowiest states and have never had AWD. Never gotten stuck in 25+ years.
That said, my next EV will be AWD because I want the power and there is very little mileage penalty.