Concerned about driving electric vehicles in treacherous weather conditions? Here’s how an EV could actually have an advantage over a gasoline-powered car.
It’s largely common knowledge that winter months may involve incomplete road journeys due to the need for extended stops to recharge.
Yet there’s a strong argument for electric driving in the winter that is rarely considered in the larger discussion about EV adoption—heavy use of that particular pun is entirely intentional. EVs, by and large, excel in snowy and icy conditions, minimizing wheel slip and spin-outs significantly better than internal-combustion vehicles can.
The Lucid Air Sapphire and Dodge Demon 170 were compared, with the Dodge using dedicated drag radials. However, the 1,234 horsepower Lucid Air surpassed it every time. As one source put it, “The traction control system reacts so rapidly that you’re not even aware it’s operating.” This is due in part to the Lucid’s ability to adjust power output 1,000 times per second for each rear wheel, and an additional adjustment for the front wheels. This is significantly faster than the Dodge’s computer can modify engine power and redistribute it to its wheels.
Granted, that’s an extreme example with two extremely powerful cars. Most drivers won’t encounter the situation of racings two 1,000-horsepower vehicles regularly. However, they will likely face snowy conditions in colder states, where an electric vehicle’s ability to apply traction much more intelligently and quickly than a gasoline-powered car may provide a significant advantage they might not anticipate.
Honda Prologue Winter Driving
What An Engineer Says
While he could not discuss the details of how Honda worked on the Prologue, Koons is well-versed in this architecture and electric vehicle performance as well as anyone.
Koons confirmed the same principle applies to a car like this in the snow as in the drag-racing scenario: An electric vehicle can deliver power much more swiftly than an internal combustion engine would take for its computer to identify the optimal fuel use, spark timing adjustments, and so on.
One of the main advantages of EVs is that we can produce nearly instant torque. We don’t need to let the engine rev up to achieve the required torque and gear position, which enables a more seamless integration for features like traction control.
Honda Prologue Review
To achieve a more equal weight distribution.
“When an internal combustion engine is typically mounted, it is generally located at the front of a vehicle,” Koons said. This positioning results in a significant portion of the car’s weight being concentrated in the front, “and not at the lowest possible point,” he added. Consequently, the car remains unstable and prone to tilting excessively in turns on slippery days, rather than remaining level and steady.
Lifting your foot off the accelerator in an EV engages regenerative braking, which recharges the battery and minimizes the need to use the brake pedal to control forward movement.
When taking your foot off the acceleration pedal in an internal combustion vehicle, typically, you’re triggering the torque converter to open, requiring a shift down for optimal performance and efficiency.
Interestingly, since the Chevrolet buds have distinct tunes and some different software characteristics, the Prologue doesn’t have a dedicated “Snow Mode” or “Ice Mode,” whereas the Chevrolet Equinox EV and Blazer EV do. That mode further mellows the car’s acceleration and torque reflex to refrain the wheels from sliding on slippery terrain, however I believe the Honda handled well without it.
3. Reviews: Read reviews from other drivers who have purchased and used the tire to get a better understanding of its performance and overall value.
There are a few considerations that apply to my experience. To begin, this Prologue review was based on a dual-motor, all-wheel drive configuration, which is a common setup in the EV market, particularly in the Northeast. If the Prologue were a single-motor, front-wheel drive vehicle, or if it were a rear-wheel drive EV, it’s likely that its traction benefits would still be present, albeit at a lower level since less power would be available to the other wheels. Therefore, if you reside in an area with harsh winters, opting for a dual-motor setup may offer the best traction, unless the reduced range proves unacceptable.
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Honda Prologue Winter Driving
They tested some electric vehicles at the Auto Test Center and found that those with dual-motor AWD performed well in snowy conditions because of their better weight distribution, but they pointed out that car owners need to check the type of tires that came with their vehicles.
“Many of these tires are designed for performance,” Fisher said, like someone who owns a Tesla Model 3 Performance—a dual-motor electric vehicle, but whose Pirelli P-Zero 4 performance tires are intended for speeding, not weather conditions.
Car owners should refer to what was originally equipped on their vehicles or check the information available when purchasing a new one.
Electric vehicles such as the Mercedes EQS handled adverse weather conditions quite well, although they were equipped with standard all-season tires that weren’t ideal for challenging conditions. If you often encounter deep snow, it’s worthwhile investing in suitable tires rather than solely relying on the dual-motor power for traction.
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patrick.george@insideevs.com
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