Electric Cars in Cold Weather

Electric cars in extreme cold weather tend to experience roughly a 30% decrease in range due to their battery chemistry and other factors. EVs, like people, don't function as well when it's freezing cold outside. If you live in a city known more for its frigid winters than its balmy summers, you might be hesitant about purchasing an electric car. Are those concerns valid? And are all EVs equally dire when the temperature plummets? We'll tackle those questions and leave you better equipped to decide if an electric car fits your life and your climate. 

Yes, electric vehicles perform worse when it's cold outside

But that decline in performance isn't equal across all makes and models, and it's primarily a problem when it gets really cold. If you live in San Diego and reach for a puffy jacket when it drops below 60 degrees, you don't need to worry about your electric vehicle's state of charge. 

But if you live in, say, Chicago, Detroit or Buffalo, you have reason for concern. Recurrent, an electric vehicle battery research firm, performed a cold-weather charging test and found that, among the 18 models tested, electric vehicles have 70.3% of their range when it's below freezing outside. Some models performed better than others, whether it be due to their battery composition or the use of a heat pump.

Why do electric vehicles lose range when it's cold outside?

There are two main reasons for electric cars losing range when it's frigid outside. The nerdy reason has to do with battery chemistry. The obvious reason has to do with climate control. When it's cold outside, your car works harder to keep the cabin warm. The battery you're relying on to get you from point A to point B is also in charge of your heated steering wheel, heated seats and, yes, the heat coming out of the vents. 

Do some electric cars perform better in the cold?

Yes. The Recurrent study we linked to earlier highlights the Audi E-tron for its relative efficiency in freezing conditions. The E-tron, like many (but not all!) electric vehicles, has a built-in heat pump that helps the battery and the cabin stay warmer more efficiently. Heat pumps have become a more common feature in electric cars. Many 2021 and newer Teslas have proprietary heat pump technology, and manufacturers like Hyundai offer a cold weather package on some of their vehicles. 

What are heat pumps, and can they help?

There are two ways electric vehicles are heated: radiant heat and heat pumps. The latter tend to be more efficient and are rising in popularity. A study in 2022 found electric vehicles with a heat pump attached lost 25.4% of their range compared to a 33.6% loss in vehicles with a standard interior heater. Vehicles like the BMW iX, Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Kia EV9 all have heat pumps.

Learn to love preconditioning

An electric vehicle's battery is happiest when it's at its peak temperature. That number varies from vehicle to vehicle, but a great way to ensure your battery is up to temp is by preconditioning your electric vehicle. If you charge at home overnight, setting a departure time allows your EV to get up to temp while still plugged into the wall. 

This step accomplishes two goals: It allows you to keep your vehicle up to temperature without drawing power from the battery and allows your vehicle to maintain a specific state of charge, usually between 70% and 80%, overnight. You may be familiar with preconditioning if you're a veteran of fast charging. Some vehicles, like Teslas, precondition your battery for fast charging to protect the health of your battery and speed up charging times. 

How does cold weather affect public charging?

Electric vehicle chargers do not perform as well in freezing temperatures. Some of this has to do with electric chemistry, but there are more apparent physical issues too. Ice and snow can get wedged into chargers, especially if they aren't returned to their holsters. Some chargers may go offline when it gets bitterly cold and public chargers may get more crowded when temperatures drop. If your electric vehicle's range is suffering due to the weather, keep in mind that many others will be dealing with the same problem. 

If you can charge at home, do so. If you don't have a charger at home, be prepared to be strategic during bad weather. 

Relying on heated seats and steering wheel can help

It takes more energy to warm up your cabin to a comfortable temperature than it does to use your heated seats and steering wheel. Dropping your cabin temperature to the mid-to-high 60s while using the heated seats and steering wheel can help you feel warmer while using less energy. 

With some planning, electric vehicles are fine in the cold

Edmunds editor Emme Hall took our long-term Rivian R1T on a long, snowy road trip to Colorado and it went rather well. The journey took longer than it would have in a gas-powered vehicle due to charging stops, but otherwise it wasn't much different than driving a midsize pickup over the Rockies. 

Edmunds says

Cold weather plus an electric vehicle requires some extra care and planning. But don't let frigid temperatures stop you from switching to an electric car or truck.