The range during winter months is a hot topic when it comes to the transition to electric cars. All cars become less efficient in cold weather, but when it comes to electric cars the reduced range is more tangible than in a fossil vehicle.
To explore how the electric cars are performing under different conditions, Recurrent has connected to 18,000 electric cars in the US and Canada. Now they have delivered a report based on gathered data from 12 popular electric car models and how long the range will be at -7C.
The analysis is based on two values; how long the range is on average under ideal conditions compared with data from when it is significantly colder outside. Ideal conditions in most cases are around 25C, and both values are measuring when the car goes the furthers during actual driving. In total the data consists of close to tens of thousands of data points from each car over a longer period of time. The figures then contain a mix of varying terrain, speeds and areas of use.
Big differences
The result varies greatly between different models. The electric car that presents the best in Recurrent’s test is the Audi e-tron. It loses only 16 percent relative to optimal temperatures. Close behind comes the Tesla Model 3, Model Y, Model X as well as the Ford F-150 Lightning and the latest generation Nissan Leaf.
A model with a surprisingly negative result in the tests is the Volkswagen ID.4. However, this has its explanation in the fact that the Volkswagen ID.4s from which Recurrent collected data were not equipped with a heat pump.
The reasons behind the reduced range
In the electric car, the chemical and physical reactions in the battery take place much more slowly in cold temperatures. The cold creates a natural resistance which reduces the available power. To counteract this phenomenon the car use its energy to heat up the battery to make more power available. However, the main reason EVs lose range in the winter is because they need to heat the cabin to keep drivers and passengers warm. Unlike the inefficient internal combustion engine, no exess heat is produced that can be used to heat the passenger compartment. Therefore, an electric car needs to draw from the battery to keep us comfortable.
Want to know what can be done to maximise range during cold temperatures? Check out this article where we collected pointers from the Recurrent study.
