Electric vehicles are generally considered good for the environment. But it turns out that these advanced vehicles are also good for attracting rodents.
Joe Wiesenfelder from Cars.com recently reported that a rat had climbed into the engine compartment of his Chevrolet Volt and chewed through a wiring harness. The rat caused the rear window defroster to malfunction and also triggered various warning lights.
While Wiesenfelder’s story, aptly titled “A Rat Ate My Chevy Volt,” at first seems highly unusual, Green Car Reports has revealed that EVs are actually ideal for attracting rodents. That’s because vehicles like the Volt or the Nissan Leaf are plugged into wall sockets for several hours at a time. This causes their batteries to stay warm, which in turn attracts heat-seeking rodents.
All electric vehicles “condition” their battery packs to stay at the right temperature while recharging. It may mean using some of the wall current to warm the pack, or to operate fans to keep the pack cool in cars with air-cooled packs like the 2011 Nissan Leaf. In vehicles with liquid-cooled packs, like the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, wall current may go toward operating the pumps that circulate the coolant.
Unfortunately, the damage to Wiesenfelder’s Volt wasn’t covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, being that it was an “act of nature.” But, his story provides a good lesson for potential owners of EVs with a thermally managed battery — before you buy, make sure your garage is well-guarded against rodents, said Jaguar Boston.
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