About Chloe Bennett

Chloe Bennett is a climate change reporter based in Lake Placid, NY. Originally from North Texas, Chloe has always been drawn to the natural world. In 2022, she graduated from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY where she focused on environmental reporting and audio production. She grew a deep appreciation for the Adirondack Park while interning for the Explorer in the summer of 2022.

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  1. Paul says

    A friend of mine who has a Tesla drove it on a colder winter day from NYC to his home in the finger lakes- normally a 4 hour trip. He almost never made it home with all the charging stops he had to make since it was just dying with the power needed for heat. I hope someone in SL is just using this for short commutes, or maybe we will be okay if thigs stay mild in the winter… You definitely want to consider a heated garage for an electric car in SL. Unless you are just using in the warmer months and have enough money for another gas powered car for the winter.

    I am getting one soon but it will be an added car. I can afford multiple cars.

    • Greg says

      Just like heat pumps, electric cars work for most of the year just fine, but suffer significantly at very cold temperatures (0F and below). Our car works fine, but really need to stay plugged in over night or in modestly heated garage to have a chance of success beyond around-town use. In doing to it heats the battery all night “wasting” a lot of energy.

      Same with heat pumps — they are no better than resistance heaters at these temperatures and why each person mentioned has an alternative source for cold weather. It’s a double dipping problem — they output less heat while consuming more power — just when you need the more BTUs than any other time of the year. Our heat pumps will run for multiple days straight in the winter without ever turning off once! Several cold nights can cost more than the entire remainder of the month — sapping any perceived savings over propane.

      The real challenge is decreased cold weather range with the lack of DC fast chargers in the Adirondacks. A trip across the Blue Line and back may not be physically possible in winter at all for certain regions — especially in the western half of the Adirondacks.

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