Maximizing Your Electric Car’s Performance in Winter: A Guide to Science and Consumption

[Article déjà publié le 29 novembre 2024]

When we look to the future, we tend to see a future where the electric car will have taken over from the thermal car. But, even if the foot is in the door to allow us to imagine a new future, questions still remain unanswered, such as simply: in extreme cold, what is the performance of the electric car?

Lower battery life and longer recharge time

Based on an article from Engiewe remind you that the vast majority of electric cars on the road use lithium-ion batteries. A technology which makes it possible to achieve low emissions while driving, but which is, by nature, sensitive to extreme temperatures, whether very high or, on the contrary, very low.

If an electric car is used in temperatures below 0°C, its range may be impacted, for two main reasons.

1. As recalled Engieif the optimal operating range of the battery is between 0°C and 45°C, the ideal temperature to be able to use the electric car at its best performance is 20°C. If it is too cold, the battery will have to draw more energy to warm up and thus function, therefore reducing its autonomy.
2. In winter, the cold is felt outside the car, but also inside. In fact, heating will also be a cause of the reduction in autonomy. Engie even explains that it could “reduce vehicle autonomy by 20% or even 30%”

But that's not all. If the battery of your electric car may take time to start functioning optimally because it must warm up, the same goes for recharging which may not be very fast.

How to use your electric car properly in very cold weather?

Although France is a country where winters are relatively mild, it can happen that certain days or weeks are particularly hard to live through because of the extremely low temperatures.

For these moments, here is some advice provided by Engie to avoid any inconvenience with your electric car when low temperatures are likely to hit. You will see that some of them also apply to thermal vehicles.

1. Preheat your car when it is charging to avoid using the vehicle battery directly.
2. Leave your car plugged in as much as you can. Indeed, in an electric car, when it is charging, the vehicle's battery is already heating up, so this prevents it from cooling down too much and therefore having to warm up when starting.
3. Ride with the bare essentials. This is advice that applies as much to electric cars as to thermal cars. In fact, the more heavily loaded a car is, the more energy it will use to move forward.
4. Finally, and as with gasoline or diesel cars, drive in a way that saves energy. Your autonomy, already impacted by the cold, will not suffer the full force of too “violent” driving.

Source : Engie