Why Your EV is Less Efficient in the Cold

The reduced efficiency of fuel vehicles is well-known but electric vehicles aren’t immune to the grasp of winter, losing range and taking longer to charge. There are several reasons for the reduced efficiency. Let’s start with environmental factors. Colder air is denser and it’s windier in the winter both of which increase the energy required to operate an EV. Cold temperatures reduce tire pressure negatively affecting handling and braking, and it using more electricity to move the vehicle.

EV batteries have their own cold-weather challenges. Lithium-ion batteries start to noticeably lose performance at around 5°C as the fluid in the battery gets thicker and less effective. That can cut range by 20 percent compared with the summer. Batteries also need to be a certain temperature to work and many EVs have a heating system to keep them from getting too cold. These systems use power and reduce range.

What can you do to increase your EV efficiency over the winter? Keep the tires properly inflated. Don’t idle your car if possible. Store and charge the car in a warm garage. Warm-up the car while it’s still plugged-in (preconditioning). Use Delayed Departure Charging if available. This is when you tell the car the night before when you’re planning to leave in the morning warming up the battery by letting the car reach max charge. Use the heated seats and steering wheel heat as they are more efficient at heating you than the cabin heater.