Has anyone got any tips when driving an EV in ice and snow conditions?
I thought Eco mode with full registration braking would be the safest as this would provide the smoothest driving style.
Just I parked up in Aldi car park last weekend when there was a bit of snow on the ground and when I was on full steering lock the tyres seemed to be scrabbling a bit.
Any thoughts?
Driving in ice and snow
Having had some snow and being the first time ever out in our Megane EV in those conditions, we almost slid into a parked car in our own road last week! Comfort mode was set by default and moveement was at a very low speed, with a bend in our cul de sac. Luckily after much praying we stopped just in time (visions of paperwork and nightmare repairs for a few seconds!). At that point we switched to eco mode which seems best for taming acceleration and wheel spin and keeping throttle control dampened.
We also thought about setting the car to full brake regen as well (by clicking up the steering wheel paddle), but elsewhere online people suggested no regen is best? Our view was it was best to stay off the brakes where possible, so we clicked it up a notch or two, allowing the engine regen to slow us down as we crept about. Previous manual vehicle cars, we’d just use the gears to slow down, to avoid any harsh braking.
Luckily the snow was short lived, but it’s a lesson learnt for us with frosty, icy roads on a very early morning commute to work.
We also thought about setting the car to full brake regen as well (by clicking up the steering wheel paddle), but elsewhere online people suggested no regen is best? Our view was it was best to stay off the brakes where possible, so we clicked it up a notch or two, allowing the engine regen to slow us down as we crept about. Previous manual vehicle cars, we’d just use the gears to slow down, to avoid any harsh braking.
Luckily the snow was short lived, but it’s a lesson learnt for us with frosty, icy roads on a very early morning commute to work.
An EV shouldn't be any different from any other car in adverse weather. Avoid harsh acceleration and braking, so eco mode and lower levels of regen make sense. Allow longer stopping distances so if using the cruise control set the following distance to max. Dropping your tyre pressures a bit will improve grip at the expense of efficiency.
Having driven the Megane E-Tech here in Norway for two winters, I can recommend that you use no regen to avoid skidding hills downwards due to the car slipping suddenly. Use the brake-pedal carefully to be in full control of the car driving downwards and keep a safe distance to traffic ahead of you. Accellerating should also be done carefully to avoid wheel-spin. If available, I can recommend that you find an open space and learn how your car reacts when the conditions are slippery.
-
Thermal runaway
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2024 8:14 am
Spot on advice. Thanks Bjornk. Smart thinking.BjornK wrote: ↑Wed Dec 04, 2024 2:12 pm Having driven the Megane E-Tech here in Norway for two winters, I can recommend that you use no regen to avoid skidding hills downwards due to the car slipping suddenly. Use the brake-pedal carefully to be in full control of the car driving downwards and keep a safe distance to traffic ahead of you. Accellerating should also be done carefully to avoid wheel-spin. If available, I can recommend that you find an open space and learn how your car reacts when the conditions are slippery.
