How well can EVs handle the heat — and the cold? AAA put them to the test
text.npr.org

Electric vehicle batteries are a lot like people, in one important respect: They’re most comfortable in temperatures around 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the weather gets much colder or hotter than that, a battery works less efficiently. It has to work harder, too, to keep the vehicle’s cabin comfortable for its equally picky human occupants.

The result? Electric vehicles can’t drive as far or as efficiently in extremely hot or cold weather.

AAA has been testing exactly how big an effect temperatures have on modern EV batteries. In its latest research, shared exclusively with NPR, it found that hot temperatures reduced range by an average of 8.5%. Cold weather cut vehicles’ range by a whopping 39%.

  • iknewitwhenisawit@fedinsfw.appEnglish
    37·
    4 hours ago

    “Internal combustion engine vehicles also lose range in extreme cold weather,” points out Ed Kim, the chief analyst with the research group AutoPacific, who was not involved in AAA’s research. The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated a 10% to 30% drop in gas vehicle fuel economy in cold weather, depending on the type of trip. “This isn’t a problem that’s exclusive to EVs. This happens to basically any kind of vehicle when it gets really cold.”

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
      27·
      4 hours ago

      I mean, diesels need to be plugged in with a heater running all night during winter in large portions of America and I think all of Canada.

      When we start talking about this stuff, location really matters.

      “Cold weather” is vague as fuck

      • Annoyed_🦀 @lemmy.zipEnglish
        1·
        7 minutes ago

        The article mentioned they tested “cold” in 20°F(-6°C) and “hot” in 90°F(32°C). But yeah subzero(°c) temp makes everything run inefficiently, ICE car need to warm up and maintain the heat in the cabin, so does EV, just that we don’t really measure ICE car and announce it like we do with EV.

      • frongt@lemmy.zipEnglish
        125·
        4 hours ago

        And in REALLY cold weather they literally idle them continuously, because if they get that cold they will not start at all.

        And if you get stuck out in the woods, you have to literally light a fire under your engine to warm it up enough.

        But I think they’re just talking about regular cold weather, like Minnesota. Trying to use an EV in the really cold places is just a bad idea.

        • vagrancyand@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          29·
          4 hours ago

          Counter-point, Norway is almost exclusively EV at this point. EVs are fine in cold weather if you have a sensibly built society. At least they aren’t worse than gas or Diesel.

          • folekaule@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            3 hours ago

            Location really matters in Norway, too. On the coast, the climate is pretty temperate with lows just below freezing, whereas up North (with the reindeer), the temperature can drop below -40 in the winter.