Extreme weather conditions are the worst enemies of electric cars. Both the high summer temperatures, especially during heat waves, and the low winter temperatures negatively influence the performance of the batteries and the overall efficiency of the vehicle.
Various studies confirm the loss of performance of electric car batteries when driving in an environment where temperatures are freezing. At Moveo, we have echoed the results obtained in a driving test carried out by the Norwegian motorists association NAF. The data, collected in the urban environment and on the road at temperatures between -6ºC and 3ºC, confirms that, on average, batteries lose around 20% of their charge when the thermometer registers temperatures below 10 degrees.
From the United States we receive a more exhaustive study, based on the experience of drivers during their daily trips. The Recurrent Auto portal, specialized in electric vehicles, publishes on its website the results obtained from the study of the behavior of 10,000 electric cars in adverse weather conditions.
To conduct the research, Recurrent Auto used a combination of devices mounted on the electric models themselves along with real-time usage data. In this way, it managed to collect 3.5 million data to analyze and compare.
The sample focused on the 18 most popular electric models in the US market and reveals that, on average, the batteries only retain 70.3% of the range they offer in more favorable weather conditions.
In episodes of low temperatures, the capacity of the batteries decreases due to the slowdown of internal chemical reactions. This reduces the availability of stored energy and negatively affects autonomy, as reflected in the studies carried out so far. The loss of efficiency of electric accumulators is aggravated by the energy consumption of the heating system.
The worst results in the sample correspond to the Volkswagen ID.4. The German manufacturer’s car batteries lose 46% of their total charging capacity when temperatures drop. Next, the Hyundai Kona, Ford Mustang Match-E and 2015 Nissan Leaf are the other models experiencing above-average losses. The charging capacity of the batteries of these three cars only reaches 66% in winter.
On the other hand, the Audi e-Tron, with a 16% reduction in autonomy, is the car that in winter presents figures that are more similar to those it shows in more favorable weather conditions. The various Tesla models and the 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus also perform well in the cold.
The authors of the study suggest that electric vehicle users who see their autonomy considerably reduced in winter opt for the installation of a heat pump. This is a widespread technology in the domestic sphere, in homes with air conditioning, which allows the car’s autonomy to be preserved when it is cold.
Additionally, they suggest activating the car’s heating during night charging. In this way, the passenger compartment will be preheated at the beginning of the day, avoiding the need to turn on the heating system during the first moments of driving.
