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EV drivers often see their range drop during really hot or really cold weather. This causes anxiety at best and inconvenience at worst.
Here are some simple, proven steps to preserve range and protect your battery year-round.
Extreme weather, both hot and cold, can have a noticeable impact on your EV's range. According to our research, cold weather can reduce EV range by up to 30%, while hot weather can also cause noticeable dips, even though it must get to a much higher temperature in order to see similar range effects.
Key tips for maximizing range include:
- Precondition your car and your battery: Use your app or onboard systems to heat or cool the car while it's still plugged in. This uses energy from the grid, not your battery, to get the battery and the cabin to a comfortable temperature.
- Moderate cabin heating: Resist cranking the cabin heat. Instead, use seat and steering wheel heaters when possible, as they're more energy-efficient. This also builds on point one -- if you cabin is already warm, you can rely on more localized heating to keep you toasty.
- Drive smoothly: Aggressive acceleration and stopping burn more energy, especially in cold weather when regenerative braking is less efficient.
- Use eco mode: Most EVs offer settings that tone down power output and climate control to stretch range.
Some cars do handle cold weather much better than others, often due to cold weather pacakages, battery preconditioning features, and heat pumps.
Real-world tests show that heat pumps, offered in newer EV models, make a major difference in winter efficiency. For those facing extreme heat, parking in the shade and pre-cooling your vehicle while still plugged in offers similar benefits.
Using these strategies, you can reduce the impact of weather and keep your EV running strong, year-round.
