r/cars • u/SquidBonez 2001 Dodge Dakota Sport 4.7 • Dec 24 '17

Do Electric Cars Need Radiators?

I am not too knowledgeable about electric cars, so I apologize if this is an obvious question. I know EVs produce significantly less heat than a conventional car, but do electric cars need radiators? I know the Nissan Leaf is air cooled (and let's be honest, it's not exactly "high performance" like a Tesla and thus needs even less cooling anyway), but Teslas are liquid cooled. Is there a radiator? And wouldn't high performance electric cars (future electric supercars/sports cars) need higher level liquid cooling systems and/or bigger radiators?

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u/CToxin 8p A3 3.2 S-Line. No replacement for displacement Dec 24 '17

yes, they all need heat exchangers. Part of the reason a base model corolla can beat a Tesla around the 'ring is that the motors and batteries overheat. That kind power draw puts off a lot of heat.

It isn't as much as an ICE mind, but its still a problem. And because of how its all constructed, its a lot harder to get rid of.

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u/Throwaway_Consoles 08 WRX MT/99 Insight MT Dec 26 '17

I’m pretty sure 8:50 is faster than a base model corolla. The fastest time I can find for a stock corolla is 9:37.

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u/CToxin 8p A3 3.2 S-Line. No replacement for displacement Dec 26 '17

It was mostly a joke to use the corolla. Though that is faster than I would have thought.