Did 120° Las Vegas Heat Break My EV Silverado?

[@timmiser]

I enjoyed your video. Thank you! Looking to get one myself but have a question for you... Can you tell me if the Google maps that is included has the ability to show a satellite view on the screen? I really like that option in the Carplay version of Google maps so hope that is also an option on the Silverado Google map view?

[@NielTheRealDeal]

@timmiser I don't see that option on my current map screen, but it could be. They just did an update that added more features, so I'm sure if it's not here now it will be eventually.

[@devengudinas1649]

I’ve been in Vegas when it was 128 degrees. Back in July of 2005. Had to run the heater in the thunderbird just to keep it cool.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Oh wow!!

[@Mathingon]

Great video and love the graphics showing your state of charge and position on the journey. Would have loved to hear more about how the AC worked in such extreme heat and if there were any other things you learned about the truck from this trip.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Thank you. Jacob Ball does an excellent job on the editing, for which I'm very grateful. I wish I would've thought to mention the A/C! (Which would make sense in a video about heat:)) But to the truck's credit, it was good enough that we really didn't even notice anything, which is probably why I didn't think about it.

[@runits]

the heat in vegas does odd things while driving around. like your car will send random over heat codes. transmission and stuff.

[@renes7944]

Another thing that might be affecting your range is your speed. I have a Chevy EV blazer and I’ve noticed mileage is greatly reduced when you drive anything over 70. The efficiency estimated mileage tends to match the odometer mile for mile when you stay at 70 or below.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

I totally agree.

[@tg69210]

As a fellow Silverado EV owner, I pose a question to you. Isn’t it funny how the EV doomsday “experts” always seem to be people who don’t own EV’s? Don’t let the haters get you down, I say EV 4 LIFE!

[@natevazquez2425]

I had a Tesla model s I will never own another ev ever

[@NielTheRealDeal]

I was certainly hesitant myself. However this Silverado, because of range and a myriad of features, has changed my mind almost completely.

[@tallll70]

don't know about any doomsdays, but the vehicle is more expansive but does less and depreciate worse because of battery, now if you ok with spending money for that by all means enjoy the EV benefits, if i would have the money i would probably do it too even for enjoying innovation alone

[@tg69210]

@@tallll70 Do you own an EV?

[@tallll70]

@@tg69210 Nm... You don't need the answer since you don't read the comments

[@pa60pilot]

Congrats on your Silverado EV. We're a dual EV household now (non-Tesla), and will never go back to ICE. I can't have, and don't want a gas statin in my garage, but I can have a cable that's ridiculously convenient for "fueling" our daily drivers.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Congrats. I must say, I really enjoy charging at my home as opposed to stopping at a gas station regularly.

[@bilo6832]

@@pa60pilot same, we have two Mustang Mach e’s and are never going back to ICE.

[@neilambrosio9183]

Thanks for this video. We just got a Cadillac Lyriq for my wife and we love it. I drive a Silverado and am considering getting the Silverado EV going full electric. 2 questions. How long does your charging at home take on the included charger? Do you have the 50amp plug in charger or did you hardwire? And second, I am in Florida, so like you Vegas it's HOT. How did the glass roof with no shade cover do? Was it crazy hot with the sun beating in?

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Love the Lyric. Charging the Silverado at home, I get about 14mi/hr according to my dashboard. Seems like charging overnight I get about 25% charge depending on about how long. I'm using a 30amp 220v charger. They sent me the new Powershift charger, but it hasn't been installed yet. According to GM, I should get closer to 30mi/hr charging with that, plus the future capability to charge back to my house in event of an emergency. Great question on the glass roof- I had that same concern myself. HOWEVER, it has a special coating where it never gets overly bright inside, and I've NEVER felt like the sun was bearing down on me through that top part. Has really been a nice addition with little-no downside. As far as going all electric, assuming it fits into your lifestyle, it could potentially be the right thing to do. I don't believe I'll go that way myself, but could be ok for certain people. If you're just a commuter and don't have a boat/trailer to pull long distance regularly, the Silverado would be great for you! Follow up and lmk how it goes!

[@kelviskelvis7140]

I agree with these assessments. We took delivery of our Lyriq in Jan and our SEV RST 2 weeks ago. We had already installed a 60 amp circuit and now share the circuit with 2 tesla universal wall coonectors. Charging at home the Lyriq gets 32 miles of range per hour the SEV gets about 23 when only one is in use. (Half when both are in use) As for heat in the summer we have the SEV RST in white. No issuses the glass roof has a nice IR block on it. We have no regrets transitioning off ICE fully.

[@KyleHubb]

Your speed affected the range more than the AC.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

For sure.

[@rose415]

That’s been my experience with EVs. I liken it to more like a pilot for long trips. You have to map it out as opposed to the convenience of an ICE car. But the flip side is as a daily driver you have everyday convenience with NEVER making a stop at a gas station, and if opec decides it wants more profit and cuts oil production. That’s what makes USA 🇺🇸 great,drive what you want.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

And if we can get more hyperfast chargers that WORK, it would be a non-issue completely. And the mapping out in the Silverado EV with Google has been really slick.

[@flipphonewizard5448]

Most small aircraft can fly 400 to 500 miles before empty......... going just 120 miles and having to charge to half a tank to go another 120 miles would make for a long long trip. That drive is around 420 miles and my "travelling car"/ 2015 tahoe can do that easily on 3/4 tank without stopping and drive 80 to 85mph

[@rose415]

@@flipphonewizard5448 wow that’s great for your Tahoe, but how much did it cost you to fill that up in the summer, and how much does that cost to fill up as your daily driver. I guess it all depends if you big driving trips every month,maybe an EV isn’t for you. I don’t have time for long driving trips so I fly to my destination as it takes a day just to get out of Texas which DOES NOT have the infrastructure for taking on a regular basis long EV trips. Enjoy your Tahoe as we enjoy EVs

[@NielTheRealDeal]

@flipphonewizard5448 so it could go way further than 120 miles (it has about 440+ miles of range), but the computer calculates the most efficient charging locations based on how full the battery is. I'm traditionally a gas guy too, but actually don't hate this route at all.

[@user-wf6cn6zv1j]

For 30% thats super expensive. For 90% thatll run you more than $120.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Yeah, the on-the-road charging is expensive. It's the home charging where you really get it for cheap. Plus keep in mind its 440's per "tank". As opposed to my gas one that's realistically 230 and costs $85.

[@IndefiniteGentlemen]

whoa, nevada is next to arkansas according to his map.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Ayooooooooo

[@poker_18rs92]

What did you do for those 30 minutes while it was charging in St. George? Did you just sit inside the truck and bake in 108° heat?

[@NielTheRealDeal]

It was in a Walmart parking lot, so we just went inside. On a side note though, I did notice charging slowed when we left the truck on while charging.

[@FROSTY420692002]

How does this benefit . Like you have to pay this much for a charge so what’s the difference

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Yeah, good observation. Fast charging on the go you pay about the same amount per mile as you do with gas. The big savings are when you are charging at home on a regular basis. When you do that, it's a huge savings. There are a bunch of other reasons for going electric.

[@timmiser]

Fast charging is about the same as gas costs, however at home, you could fully charge a Silverado EV from empty for about $25. That's $25 to go 440 miles in a pickup truck is pretty cheap. Gas would cost about $100 for the same mileage!

[@bricks-mortar]

No mention, so we assume the ac in that vehicle kept you cool, in that intense heat.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Yes, exactly. Failure on my part for omitting. But credit to GM for making it good enough that it didn't cross my mind!

[@JakeRichardsong]

The range loss might also be from driving too fast. When temps are very high, lower the speed AND for better efficiency, drive 65.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

For sure! There's just no way I'm driving that slow! :)

[@flipphonewizard5448]

I 15 is mostly 80 mph in utah. Lower the speed?........ you could just stay home for the best efficiency

[@fixnkev]

I'd be curious how much it cost you to charge up for the entire trip.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

$/mile is about the same as my gas silverado when using the hyper chargers. Your cost savings come from the miles you charge at home for very cheap.

[@ffmcmav40]

All you’re gonna do is like it more and more … you simply cannot beat having a gas station in your garage … if people got use to the connivence of charging at home vs using a gas station the whole “EV on a long trip” argument would cease to exists. When on a road trip does anyone stop, fuel up for 3 minutes and leave ? No one does, you use the bathroom? Get some food and fuel up … it’s an easy 15-20 minute process anyways … there’s not much of a difference. Now being able to find DC fast chargers 150kwh or higher at every stop along the way … that is a different story. When you plan trips you have to map out how fast the station is, luckily the Google map option when used, preps the battery for you before you arrive allowing for the fastest charging possible, and will tell you how many spots there are, how many are currently being used, and or when the last time someone used that charger so you don’t plan your way to a broken charger, which I have yet to see.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Some great points here. Caveats from my perspective being the following: 1. 150 kwh isn't nearly fast enough- especially for a huge battery like the Silverado EV. Needs to be at least 250 (like teslas) to make it fast enough to not get annoying. This is exacerbated exponentially when towing- (video coming soon). 2. I agree with stops being a few minutes anyway. When I've found a working hyper charger, and it's only 15 min to charge, it's seemed very convenient/reasonable. 3. The google map option is great, but not always accurate. The biggest problem being when chargers are "operational" but charging much slower than capacity. That way you plan on a particular stop and it being short, but ends up being long. 4. I've had several chargers underperform (grossly) which really put a hindrance to my long distance traveling. But these were in direct sunlight and high heat. Why don't they protect them at all with some shade!? Thanks for watching and for comments.

[@oscarreynaable]

Driving too fast man. Lol. I think if you went 70-75 you would see a difference. Just a like an ICE car. If I have the hammer down my gas mileage will suffer.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

No, I totally agree. I just don't have the patience 😂 to go slower. Speed limit in Utah is 80 for most of i15.

[@oscarreynaable]

@@NielTheRealDeal I hear ya! Great review!

[@camwhitman5425]

$41 to charge 1/3 of a tank. That’s no cheaper than gasoline, maybe even more depending on the grade of gas you use. My f-150 hybrid I put Olin non-ethanol and can cost me $120 to fill up but I will also get 680 miles from a tank.

[@electric-rideshare]

BUT the Silverado will only cost him $20 to FILL UP 100% at Home where most likely 90% of where is charging is going to be. Road Trips he's paying retail just like gasoline. But overall his fuel bill bill wil be thousands less than yours. I have driven ev over 4 years now. Costs me $6 to fill up my ID 4-240-300 miles of range depending on weather. (xcel energy half price charging midnight to 6 am..like most electric companies) Education is a fantastic thing, instead of posting your "views" or those of others use the greatest tool every invented and search for the reality . battery technolgy has come a long ways and getting better every year. the Solid State ev batteries stae coming out in 2027 an will reduce weight by upto 50% , will be denser (hold more energy) and range will start at 400 miles and go to 800+ miles depending on vehicle

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Good observation here- thanks for notating. However, @electric-rideshare below has a point regarding the typical costs. It's the hyperchargers for road trips that become as costly as gasoline. Otherwise, it's extremely economical.

[@camwhitman5425]

@@NielTheRealDeal but there’s a cost/convenience scale when you’re using such a vehicle for traveling or business across long distances.

[@mikecarter2737]

The problem is that emissions cost nothing.

[@JakeRichardsong]

Wrong, most EV charging happens at home when the rates are far less. Also, the ICE POS spews toxic air pollution every mile it is driven. And gas comes from the gas and oil industry that causes disastrous oil spills and fossil fuels are cooking the planet. Also, toxic air pollution in the form of particle matter harms human health. There are many other costs to using fossil fuels.

[@joevigil5274]

Great video showing your normal trip experience. Thanks for sharing. What was your avg. energy usage rate in mi/Kw-hr? It seems you did quite well at 80 mi/hr and high ambient temperature. Your efficiency would be good to know as well.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

You know, I was too new to EV's on this maiden voyage to pay attention to that, but as I recall from afterwards, we were about 1.8mi/kwh. And that's with the heat and me driving about 80-85mph. I'll be posting a towing video soon that has that rate and how it was recorded and calculated.

[@joevigil5274]

@@NielTheRealDeal at an avg. 1.8mi/kw-hr that is 368 mi range for a usable 204 kw-hr battery under high speed and high temperature. This is very good in my estimation.

[@ffmcmav40]

If you check the left side of the screen and change the to the trip odometer I found it gives a much more accurate real time miles per KWh … and of course it will tell you how far you went on how much power etc, there’s also a screen option that displays how much battery is being used for propulsion and how much is used for AC or Heat …

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Correct. That's really about what it was. I was happy with it.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

@ffmcmav40 yeah, i didn't figure this out till after shooting this video. :) But the range calculation is super helpful.

[@PerfectoKiss]

Tesla had me take the car down to 6% going from SF to LA in the 120 degree heat and the car throttled down to 30 mph on the freeway. Thank goodness we were only 3 miles to the charging station and we were close to the off ramp. I would never trust Tesla taking me down that low again. Also, the battery took forever to charge in that extreme heat. My Tesla is 8 yrs so the battery tech is older. Never again will I take an EV on a road trip. Too many stops.

[@JakeRichardsong]

Not all EVs are that old though.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Wow. In my silverado, you can set the minimum charge at arrival to whatever level you want to prevent that. I would assume the newer tesla are improved on that. The heat kills the stupid chargers.

[@OutDoorMaintenance]

Put it to the test after 10 years, buddy😂 that’s if it’s still running

[@kelviskelvis7140]

@user-sp1ig3mh1e BOT comment not a real OP. Programmed propaganda.

[@GDM1787]

It never has to run. That’s something ICE engines have to do because they are inferior. Replace the battery at 10-15 years & these EVs will run like day 1. Let me guess, $10-$15k is a lot to replace a battery, right? You do realize that you will have spent around $50,000 in the same time on gasoline ⛽️? Because people can’t do math, the oil industry has control.

[@electric-rideshare]

EV batteries charging speed does not change , range will lose 10% based on previous testing on older evs. (other than Nissan leafs which are terrible because they dont cool the batteries, no thermal management whatso ever) all evs batteries come with at least 8 years/100,000 warranties (same or more than gas engines)...rivains come with upto 175,000K mile warranty

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Yeah, this Silverado came with 8/100k warranty. I believe I bought an extended one beyond that too...assuming I keep it that long.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

I have pretty solid confidence it should be a working vehicle for years to come. However, for it's regular usable life for me of less than 5 years, I know it will be great. But I understand your hesitancies, I had them myself....

[@LarryRichelli]

The big problem is that you bought a GM product.

[@NielTheRealDeal]

Consistently well-made, attractive, and quality vehicles.