Winter EV Range Drop: Temporary Chill, Not Permanent Loss

There is only one way for an Australian EV driver to avoid your electric car estimated range dropping during Winter, which is to move to Northern Australia where it's warm all year round.

Jokes aside it is quite common to see questions like the following in Australian EV owner groups during colder times of year:

"Anyone notice u get less kms when the temp is cold? I get at least 50km less per charge. How to maybe fix that problem if possible?"

The Kia EV6 manual has a great short explanation:

"Distance to empty decreases when the high voltage battery temperature is low in winter. It is not a permanent change. If the temperature rises, the distance to empty is restored".

▶️MORE: How to extend electric car range | Electric Car Range: Everything You Need to Know

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Image by - Neerav Bhatt

Polestar agrees, stating that the main reason EVs are affected by the cold is due to the temperature of the battery. If the temperature is too low, the electrochemical processes in the battery will slow down, which will affect both charging speed and range. In addition, heating the car’s cabin to a comfortable temperature requires more energy than cooling it does in the summer.

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You can't do anything about the cold weather but you can maximise your EV range during cold weather by following these tips:

Eco or Chill mode

Tesla suggests that a great way to combat the degradation of loss of range in those winter months is to use the Chill Mode feature. Chill Mode simply moderately limits your Tesla’s acceleration to preserve energy. In most other EVs this is called Eco mode.

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Battery Preconditioning

Many EVs have a battery preconditioning function. As the name suggests, this allows you to preheat your car before you drive it. Other than providing you with a warm car, it saves you range as you won’t have to do it while you are driving.

If you precondition your battery for some time before you leave while it is still plugged into your home charger it will have time to warm up and be at a more optimal temperature when you set off.

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Park Inside

Speaking of warmth, obviously keeping your car inside in a garage will keep it warmer than it would be outside parked on the street. This will save you some extra energy when warming up the car.

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Heated Seats and Steering Wheel

You don't need to heat your whole car if there's just you driving it or one front passenger.

If your EV has them then using heated seats and steering wheel can keep you feeling warm during shorter trips while enabling you to turn down the cabin temperature, improve your EV efficiency and range.

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Car Pre-Heating

If you have an app for your EV, many models like the MG4 allow turning on heating for a short time eg 10min before you leave while your EV is charging, so much less of your precious battery energy will be wasted on heating the car once you're on the road.

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Drive Efficiently

Kia reminds EV drivers that an easy way to conserve electric range is simply by driving in a more efficient way.

Maintaining a steady pace, taking the shortest map route for your journey and avoiding sudden braking or accelerating all help to maximize your EV’s range.

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Tyre Pressure

Last but not least MG reminds EV drivers to check their tyre pressure regularly and always adjust it to the recommended pressure.

The rolling resistance of the tyres has a major influence on the energy consumption.

The lower the tyre pressure, the higher the rolling resistance and the less efficient your EV is.

With the correct pressure, you prevent unnecessarily energy consumption. In addition, it ensures better driveability and safety on the road, less tyre wear and less noise.

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