How Much Do Cold Temperatures Affect an Electric Vehicle’s Driving Range?
Here's the cold, hard truth about winter’s effect on EV batteries and charging
With a proliferation of electric vehicle choices, more Americans are considering purchasing an EV. But challenges with winter charging and range may be cooling interest for some consumers in the snowbelt.
There are several reasons driving range goes down in cold weather, starting with the impact on battery chemistry when the vehicle is parked. Cold temperatures can slow down the chemical reaction inside the battery that allows it to create power. Supplying cabin heat is a major draw, and there’s the impact of maintaining battery temperature.
CR Tests Show How Temperature Affects EV Range
Learn more about our four-season tests of electric vehicles.
What EV Drivers Can Do to Combat the Cold
You can’t change the weather, but you can make a few choices in how you use your EV to reduce the impact of cold on its range.
“Maximizing an EV’s range in cold weather requires new processes—and some extra attention to manage the temperature of the cabin and battery—that are different compared to a regular gas car,” says Alex Knizek, Consumer Reports’ manager of auto testing and insights.
Our experts further advise:
• Precondition the cabin/battery when connected to the charger rather than drain the battery to perform these functions. To make this convenient, most cars let you use the departure scheduling feature on an app for this. If you tell the car you plan to leave at 9 a.m., it will automatically heat itself up beforehand. For nonroutine trips, you could have the car preheat before getting inside.
• Precondition the battery before DC charging. This process takes energy from the battery to heat itself up to the optimum temperature for quicker charging. It “costs” driving range to do this, but the trade-off is generally worth it. Drivers can usually do this by entering a DC fast charger into the vehicle’s navigation system. Some cars have a button to manually trigger the process.
• Lower the cabin temperature, relying more on your heated steering wheel and seats for warmth (68
If you think the climate where you live might be too harsh for an EV, consider a plug-in hybrid. You’ll have the advantage of electric power around town and for short commutes but still have the safety net of an internal combustion engine for longer trips and extreme temperatures.
Editor’s Note: This article has been expanded from an episode of Talking Cars.
