CLIMATE
Winter weather: Why do electric cars have less driving range in the cold?
The cold weather can affect a car’s battery and limit the driving range. How much does the cold limit performance and why?
Record-cold temperatures racked the United States over the last week, creating challenges for those who drive an electric car. When the air turns frigid, a car’s battery must work harder, limiting the driving distance of the vehicle. This phenomenon is often referred to as winter range reduction, and to combat the effects, Tesla has released an owner’s manual, “Cold Weather Best Practices,” to support drivers.
If one plans to use their EV to travel more than 30-45 minutes, the company advises drivers to warm up the vehicle and the battery before hitting the road. Your vehicle’s high-voltage battery is designed to regulate the charging process automatically to prevent overheating or sudden cooling.
You can activate a feature during charging that ensures your car is warm and ready to go once fully charged without putting any strain on the battery. Recurrent, the EV re-selling platform, recommends keeping your EV plugged in with a maximum charge setting of 70 or 80%, whenever possible, to avoid returning to your car with a lower capacity. The car will draw energy from the power network instead of the battery to keep it warm.
Out of Spec Guide on YouTube has also produced a video with additional tips for EV owners hoping to get the most out of their battery even in colder and more mountainous climates.
You might be interested in: Why don’t Tesla cars charge in cold weather?
Tesla owners in Chicago ran into this issue this week as temperatures began to drop below 0˚F. Describing the cars as “dead robots,” reports of cars left abandoned at public charging facilities after the batteries were unable to charge under the harsh climatic conditions, creating what some residents are calling “car graveyards.”
According to a report from Fox News 32, Tesla owner Chalis Mizelle expressed her frustration and disappointment when her car failed to charge. She described the situation as “crazy” and “a disaster” and had to abandon her car to get a ride from a friend. Another Tesla owner, Tyler Beard, has been trying to recharge his electric car since Sunday afternoon but has had no luck. He described his efforts as fruitless and stated that his car’s battery was still at zero percent.