While the adoption of electric cars is increasing, Australians still have many questions about how electric cars perform in certain climates and terrains.
So when Subaru invited me to a snow driving experience in Falls Creek, Victoria, my first question was, “Can I get a Solterra EV?
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The Solterra is Subaru’s first electric car. It has a platform with the Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ and, like the Lexus, is only available with all-wheel drive.
For those driving to Falls Creek, the trip from Melbourne will take approximately 4 hours and 40 minutes. Depending on your itinerary, the adventure extends between 386 km and 404 km from the city center.
All Solterra models have a range of 485 km on the laboratory-tested NEDC cycle and an energy consumption of 14. 1 kWh per hundred kilometers.
However, I’ve read several times that electric cars are notoriously tricky in cold weather, and that the cold of winter has a significant effect on their range. In addition, public charging cannot be reliable in cities. . . Surely wouldn’t the peaks of the Alpine mountains be better and even less reliable?
However, according to the PlugShare website, there are now more than thirteen type 2 charging issues along the M31 national road if you take this route.
Plus, what’s great about Falls Creek is that there’s an EV charger on the mountain, which calms any mind eager for diversity.
My adventure began in a family friendly Subaru Crosstrek powered by gas. Two Outbacks and an Impreza were also part of the convoy from Melbourne. The rest of the visitors arrived from Albury, New South Wales, to meet us at Mount Beauty, Victoria, before heading to Falls Creek Resort. The New South Wales convoy included a pair of Foresters, Solterra, an Impreza and a Crosstrek. In total, Subaru brought nine cars for the trip.
After lunch, however, I was given the keys to the Solterra, which is halfway between Subaru’s small Crosstrek SUV and the Forester midsize SUV, and is priced at $69,990 plus on-road costs. After plugging in my phone and setting all the weather controls to maximum, I started the car and drove away.
The biggest difference between driving the Solterra and an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle is simply being careful about using excessive energy. Although I knew there were charging stations near our resort, I am aware that the diversity could be depleted by heavy use of climate controls, excessive acceleration, and additional weight.
I later learned that it takes less force to force heated seats and the guide wheel than it does to adjust the fan speed to the maximum. Therefore, finding small tactics to force and keep passengers and yourself warm will be key to expanding the diversity of an electric vehicle.
The Solterra also has a powerful heat pump, which draws warm outside air into the cabin’s air conditioning system. In very cold climates, the system also includes an electric coolant heater to further help warm the cabin, combating extreme weather conditions.
With the climate controls engaged, I drove it uphill for half an hour and didn’t notice a really significant drop in battery percentage. Without getting too technical, I found out later that Solterra has a formula that heats up the battery during charging, which is helping to reduce charging times in cold weather.
During the trip, Subaru charged the vehicle in Falls Creek and stated that it took approximately two and a half hours to charge 60 capacity batteries on a 22 kW AC charger (the Solterra has a maximum charge rate of 11 kW on a AC).
Another useful feature in cold weather is the Solterra’s radiant heater on the dashboard in front of the passenger. This is ideal for heating the passenger without consuming energy for the air conditioning system.
Of course, one undeniable way to optimize diversity is to avoid using unnecessary weight. External accessories, such as roof bars, can increase resistance and increase energy consumption. However, given the number of devices required for an annual outing on the slopes, this may simply be an unavoidable evil.
I found that there was plenty of room inside the car for bags and snow gear, but once you’ve packed a group of family members and the value of down jackets and snow boots for a weekend, I can see why a larger SUV might be more appealing (and practical) to some. For reference, the Solterra is smaller than a Toyota RAV4.
My micro-anxieties aside, the climb up the mountain to Falls Creek Resort at Solterra made me feel good.
The car handled the winding roads very well. Its AWD formula also made me feel safe when traveling on rainy roads, something essential to feel in the snow. A snow warning would appear when the temperature dropped below a certain temperature, as a reminder to be very careful with the car.
The Solterra is also the first vehicle in the Japanese brand’s range to feature “Grip Control”. This special feature allows Solterra to move slowly over more difficult and slippery terrain at low speeds, automatically adjusting acceleration and braking to a given speed.
Unfortunately, in my time the Solterra wheel was totally faithful to the asphalt. The snow was literally thin on the ground, so I wasn’t able to test the other traction modes to their full potential.
This brings me to the next point: the tyres. We used popular tires for the entire tour and had no problems.
At no point did I feel unsafe behind the wheel in rainy and cold conditions, but I will warn drivers who are thinking of venturing into the snow this season: In my experience of this trip, the morning fog is thick and dangerous.
I may see slightly more than a meter in front of me, and when I cross the street, I may only hear cars passing by, but I may only see them when it is too late. And a reminder: If you’re in an electric vehicle when it’s snowy, pedestrians can’t see or hear you coming.
Slow down especially in these conditions. Make sure your fog lighting accessories are on to increase visibility and be prepared to prevent if necessary.
If traveling in convoy, keep your distance, especially early in the morning. There may be black ice, which is very slippery and dangerous whether you are in a 2WD, AWD or 4WD vehicle.
In general, I admit that before this I was a little nervous about driving in the snow due to my lack of experience, and in particular nervous about how an electric vehicle would behave in those situations, perhaps unreasonably so.
When I was on the mountain, those two considerations temporarily disappeared. I took my time, drove wisely, and made sure I understood the floor situations before driving. I also made sure I knew where my next fee was coming from.
If you see black ice, don’t drive, that would be my suggestion. It’s unpredictable and you don’t value risk. Ice can melt as soon as the sun rises, so all you need is a little patience.
While I can’t say, based on my limited testing, that an electric car doesn’t experience a noticeable drop in various sub-zero temperatures, I can say that I’ve seen about 20 electric cars on the mountain over the three days. Excursion of the main Tesla Model Y, Model 3 and BYD Atto 3.
There were no cars queuing every time I passed the charging stations, and only one electric vehicle was charging at any given time. That’s not to say that all the electric cars on the mountain didn’t want to be recharged, however, it gave me the confidence that if I wanted them, the resources were available and functional.
I can’t wait to do a deeper check of an electric car in the snow. But the first thing I think is that in Australia, with our mild winters, electric vehicles are more than adequate for family trips to the snow.
In fact, there are a few other things to do (how to increase range, where to charge, and how high you can turn up the air conditioning, to name a few), but with a little common sense and planning, they’re pretty manageable. .
Subaru Australia is conducting test drives of its Outback pickup truck from Bullocks Flat to Perisher Ski Resort, New South Wales, from 10:00 a. m. m. a 2:00 p. m. on July 13 and 14, 2024.
Market journalist
Currently founded in Melbourne, Jade has worked in the automotive industry for over 4 years. She previously worked in automotive marketing and content creation roles before turning to journalism. Her favorite types of cars are big 4x4s and she needs to go for a drive in Australia one day.