[snic]

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-03-02/why-are-beijing-s-taxi-drivers-freezing

They should have bought Volts instead. (Or not, depending on how effective you think the Volt's climate control is.)

 

[Mcgsp]

These issues will eventually resolve themselves, as bigger battery packs and faster charging stations are installed, taxi drivers will then be willing to sacrifice EV mileage over comfort.

 

[Dakster]

Or a Bolt with over double the range. It also highlights the fact that DCFC should be available too. Take that 2-3 hours down to 30 minutes...

 

[Joe67]

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-03-02/why-are-beijing-s-taxi-drivers-freezing

They should have bought Volts instead. (Or not, depending on how effective you think the Volt's climate control is.)

So they are being rangeholes, freezing themselves and their clients? Someone didn't think this one through entirely

 

[El Dobro]

Try the Kung Pao Chicken, that'll heat things up.

 

[Coppersnowboarder]

I think that someone is going to become rich selling after-market auxiliary heaters to plug-in car owners. I believe the poor thought that went into designing the climate systems in these vehicles is the greatest flaw in the blueprints. I live in a climate zone where there are only 90 frost-free days in a year. The Volt was designed well for southern California. The Donner Party would have needed to cannibalize their members if they had attempted to drive a caravan of Volts over the Sierras.

 

[snic]

I think that someone is going to become rich selling after-market auxiliary heaters to plug-in car owners.

Like, maybe a gasoline-powered heater?

 

[mikeg3]

I think that someone is going to become rich selling after-market auxiliary heaters to plug-in car owners. I believe the poor thought that went into designing the climate systems in these vehicles is the greatest flaw in the blueprints. I live in a climate zone where there are only 90 frost-free days in a year. The Volt was designed well for southern California. The Donner Party would have needed to cannibalize their members if they had attempted to drive a caravan of Volts over the Sierras.

I don't see the problem. With Remote Start, your volt can be as toasty or frosty as you like before you enter the car.

 

[Bacardi]

No doubt in my mind efficient electric heat and A/C are coming if for no other reason that the technology could be utilized by every single building in the world...

But this is why EV taxis make little sense, time is money, HVAC drains a bit of range and your doors are constantly opening to the elements...While there's always the exposure angle ("see, the city have EV taxis so you should get EVs too!") if they really are hogging up the chargers and cabbies are miserable complaining about freezing and having to charge every so often, might be counter productive...

 

[Jim in Tucson]

Has anyone dug up any real info on these BEV taxies? I'm courious to know what kind of heater these cars have. I thought heat pumps were fairly efficient. If these taxies are only equipped with two sticks to rub together, I can see the problem and it's not the BEV.

 

[JStrnad]

Has anyone dug up any real info on these BEV taxies? I'm courious to know what kind of heater these cars have. I thought heat pumps were fairly efficient. If these taxies are only equipped with two sticks to rub together, I can see the problem and it's not the BEV.

The problem isn't the heaters, it's the lack of infrastructure to support the electric taxis. Drivers are lining up to use too-few charging stations. In cold temps, the range goes down such that, with all the time spent charging, drivers are only getting in two trips a day!

For this to work, they need to have a fleet of taxis, half or more of which are charging up while the others are on the road. Instead of renting an individual taxi, drivers would rent use of the fleet. When their charge got low, they'd trade one taxi for another, charged one.