IONIQ5 in Minnesota: Cold Weather Experiences?

I’m relocating to Minneapolis from Southern California and wondering if my IONIQ5 can handle the cold. Any thoughts on how it works in a cold climate? I’m a little concerned :worried:

Yes, I have one in the snow globe capital of the US. It’ll be fine.

Rowan said:
Yes, I have one in the snow globe capital of the US. It’ll be fine.

Thanks! I heard some stories about charging stations not working in the cold. Is that true? Do you charge at home or at stations?

@Perry
Most of the stories were from urban areas during extreme cold, where cars without home charging tried to charge at stations. That doesn’t work well. There were some power outages, but overall it was exaggerated. I’ve had EVs in Minnesota for 7 years (Tesla, Rivian, Ioniq 5) and no issues. Charge at home, and yes, range is lower in winter, but it’s much better than gas cars in the cold.

@Wes
Thanks so much!!

@Wes
Do you use special winter tires? I’m in Chicago and this will be my first winter with the Ioniq 5. Looking at options.

WattWanderer said:
@Wes
Do you use special winter tires? I’m in Chicago and this will be my first winter with the Ioniq 5. Looking at options.

The tires on the Ioniq 5 are only good for light snow. I recommend getting separate wheels and winter tires. Discount Tire swaps them for free if they’re mounted on their own wheels. It’s an investment, but better than dealing with sliding or accidents. If you don’t need to drive in snow often, all-weather tires like Michelin CrossClimates work well.

@Wes
Cross Climate 2 or 3 are great for snow. Best option is dedicated tires, but CC2 are the best all-seasons.

WattWanderer said:
@Wes
Do you use special winter tires? I’m in Chicago and this will be my first winter with the Ioniq 5. Looking at options.

Snow tires on cheap rims for winter are the best. They offer great traction in tricky conditions.

@Perry
I didn’t have a home charger for two years and used public chargers without any issues. It takes longer to charge without preconditioning, but most charging issues are due to cars lacking heat pumps to warm batteries. I have an Ioniq 5 AWD with a heat pump, so no problems.

@Rowan
Thanks for the info, really helpful!

Why is this myth about EVs in the cold so widespread? Norway has 93% EV adoption!

Willow said:
Why is this myth about EVs in the cold so widespread? Norway has 93% EV adoption!

There was a Tesla issue in Chicago last winter that fueled this myth, but it was mostly user error.

@Talon
Yes, I heard about the Chicago issue!

I moved from San Diego to Minneapolis. You’ll lose range in winter, around 190 miles for the AWD. It’s best to charge at home, but even with that, the EV experience is better than an ICE car. Preconditioning the cabin is a game changer.

@Brown
How was the transition from CA to MN?

Perry said:
@Brown
How was the transition from CA to MN?

Aside from the weather, it’s great. Less traffic, nicer people, cheaper cost of living. Food options are a bit more limited, but you’ll find most things. Just make sure you invest in boots, a good coat, gloves, and a scarf for the wind.

@Brown
Thanks! We’re from cold climates originally, but it’s been a couple of decades :sweat_smile:

Charge at home, and cold won’t be an issue. But yes, it does get really cold!!

Archer said:
Charge at home, and cold won’t be an issue. But yes, it does get really cold!!

That seems like the plan!!