As for any battery-operated device, cold temperatures affect the battery range. Is it also available for Electric Vehicles (EV’s)?

Yes, but the cold weather alone is not the direct factor, the other processes needed to supplement in cold temperatures. The cold weather doesn’t necessarily make a vehicle’s battery drain faster. Any aspect that significantly drains the battery, such as increased usage or the warming air conditioning on full blast, could affect range.

How Much Battery Range is Lost in EVs During Winter?

The good news is that this temporary range loss is not permanent, and as the ice melts and temperatures rise, your vehicle’s expected range at full charge should return to normal. Studies show that 20 degrees Fahrenheit weather could reduce an EV’s range by 10 to 12 percent, while the use of in-vehicle climate control might amplify range loss to 40 percent.

And this is backed up by this chart of EVs created by Autoblog.com.

Source: Autoblog.com

There are two main reasons why this happens to electric vehicles during cold weather:

• In cold temperatures, chemical and physical reactions in a battery occur more slowly.

We’ll dig into some physics and chemistry lessons, but we’ll be short. In cold weather, ions flow through the battery cells more slowly than in warm weather, causing lithium to build up outside the node and turn into an inert metal. This metal disrupts the future flow of energy and uses up some of the lithium that is supposed to power the battery. In single-cell observations, this can lead to a decrease in power and range.

• Heating systems during the cold season

Traditional cars use internal combustion engines (ICE), which are rather inefficient. The energy that ICE cars don’t use to propel them forward is lost as “waste heat” which is typically just lost energy. In cold weather, however, ICE cars redirect this waste heat from the engine to warm the cabin. On the other hand, an electric vehicle (EV) has a much more efficient motor that does not generate as much heat. In the cold, available motor heat is routed to warm the battery itself, meaning that cabin heating requires a power source. Cabin heaters generally draw from the high voltage battery, reducing how much battery is left for driving.

Do EV tires wear faster during the wintertime?

EVs have a different weight distribution, and their torque and acceleration put fossil-fueled cars to shame. Accelerations like that can, however, wear out the tires over time. In addition, their added weight and its distribution, with the bulk of the battery weight often located toward the rear tires, can lead to increased and uneven tire wear.

The discussion around whether the tires wear faster on EVs is highly debatable, as tire producers run tests that show that the wear could be less damaging than on conventional vehicles.

However, any fleet owner is responsible for knowing in advance such parameters: as tire usage, battery range, and available energy.

Does your Telematics Provider offer all the necessary information for your EV fleet during winter?

You can easily face all your telematic challenges with a large spectrum of parameters for electric and hybrid vehicles. Cango Mobility has developed an entire fleet management system with Electric and Hybrid Fleet Operators in mind. 

Parameters such as Battery Remain Capacity (Wh), Battery Temperature (%), Range (km), Torque Maximum, Battery Voltage, and All tires pressure(bar) are meant to help drivers and fleet managers get through winter with ease and prevent any incidents from happening.

Read all about our Electric & Hybrid Fleet management solutions and get in touch with us to make it work for you!