No big freeze in electric vehicles | Letters
I had to laugh at John Richards's worry about people freezing in stuck electric vehicles because their batteries would run down in "no time" while those in a petrol car could run their heater (Letters, 3 March). Running the heated seats and climate control for about seven hours costs about three miles of range for my Tesla and it's probably something similar for a petrol or diesel car. The big difference is, the electric vehicle won't be killing the occupants with carbon monoxide poisoning. Indeed, the advice has always been not to run the engine if stuck.
Teslas have a 12v battery for "domestic" uses and a 400v battery for motive power. The 400v kicks in to recharge the 12v when needed. Think of the 400v battery as the equivalent of running the engine to top up the battery.
Cat Burton
Barry, Vale of Glamorgan