Cold temperatures can sap electric car batteries, temporarily reducing their range by more than 40 percent when interior heaters are used, a new study found.
The study of five electric vehicles by the American Automobile Association (AAA) also found that high temperatures can cut into battery range, but not nearly as much as the cold. The range returns to normal in more comfortable temperatures.
Many North American owners discovered the range limitations last week when much of the US was in the grips of a polar vortex. Owners of vehicles made by manufacturers including Tesla Inc, the top-selling electric vehicle company in the US, complained on social media about reduced range and frozen door handles during the cold snap.
“As long as drivers understand that there are limitations when operating electric vehicles in more extreme climates, they are less likely to be caught off guard by an unexpected drop in driving range,” AAA director of automotive engineering Greg Brannon said in a statement.
AAA tested the BMW i3s, Chevrolet Bolt and Nissan Leaf from the 2018 model year, and the 2017 Tesla Model S 75D and Volkswagen e-Golf. All have a range of at least 160km per charge. They were tested on a dynamometer, which is like a treadmill, in a climate-controlled cell.
The automobile club tested the cars at 20°F (minus-6.7°C) and 95°F (35°C), comparing the range to when they were tested at 75°F (23.9°C), according to a report on the study.
At 20°F, the average driving range fell by 12 percent when the car’s cabin heater was not used. When the heater was turned on, the range dropped by 41 percent, AAA said. At 95°F, range dropped 4 percent without use of air conditioning, and fell by 17 percent when the cabin was cooled, the study found.
When the temperature tumbled to 20°F last week in Hickory, North Carolina, near Charlotte, Jason Hughes noticed the range fall when he drove his Tesla Model 3 on the commute from home to work.
“It would easily use double the amount of power for that 15 mile trip,” said Hughes, who owns four Teslas and runs a business that refurbishes and sells salvaged Tesla parts.
Range would be reduced further by extreme cold in northern states, he said.
AAA recommends that drivers heat or cool their cars while still plugged in to a charging station. It says electric cars can still be used in extreme climates with a little extra planning.
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