The cold winter months can take their toll on any vehicle, electric or gas. And while gas-powered vehicles can experience various wintertime issues, electric car drivers may see most of their problems affecting driving range.
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Learn what may be decreasing your electric car range in winter and what you can do to help.
Your EV&#;s battery uses chemical reactions to store and release the power necessary to operate your vehicle. Colder temperatures can slow this process, making it more difficult for the battery to function efficiently.
EV batteries (or high-voltage battery packs) must maintain optimal temperatures to function efficiently. Most EVs have a battery cooling and heating system to help maintain optimal temperatures. Since freezing weather causes this battery chemistry to slow down, the vehicle may use energy from the high-voltage battery pack to help raise and maintain its temperature. There are different ways to heat the battery pack, including cabin air from the heater, a heating grid system, or a heating element integrated into the battery&#;s liquid cooling system.
In short, your EV battery has to work harder to power and warm your electric car in cold weather. This higher demand on the battery can impact your vehicle&#;s range, especially in sub-zero temperatures. But this isn&#;t the only thing that can affect your range in winter &#; cranking the heat in your cabin can also produce the same effects.
Yes, running your heat can cause a decrease in range during the colder months, specifically if your cabin heater relies on energy from the high-voltage battery pack.
Gas-powered vehicles use a combustion process to power the vehicle. This combustion process generates a lot of heat which generally escapes and is considered waste heat. During the wintertime, however, this waste heat is pumped into the vehicle whenever you warm up your passenger space. Since the engine already produces the heat and it only needs to be diverted into the cabin, this process can use less fuel to heat your car.
On the other hand, battery-powered electric vehicles do not have a combustion engine to generate heat, so it must come from an auxiliary source. Many electric vehicles use a resistive heating system that requires high-voltage battery power to produce cabin heat. Other EVs may use a heat pump to redirect heat into the cabin, providing resistive heating in freezing temperatures when the heat pump becomes less efficient. While the heat pump may use less battery pack energy to produce heat versus resistive heating, all this warm air can still use up quite a bit of power. And using this power to warm the cabin means it isn't being used on range.
Possible range decreases may leave you wondering if purchasing an EV is worth the effort &#; especially if you live in a colder climate where it&#;s consistently below freezing.
If temperatures frequently dip below freezing where you live, and you&#;re considering getting an electric vehicle, opt for the most efficient option with the most range at full charge. This means you may want to forego larger body types, extra cargo space, third-row seating, or any upgrades or add-ons that can deplete your EV&#;s battery faster.
Additionally, to remain proactive against this potential issue, you'll want to ensure that your vehicle is garage-parked overnight. During this time, ensure that it has a full charge and that the battery pack is at optimal temperature before traveling. More energy is required to warm the battery pack and cabin temperature than it does to maintain it.
Despite their potential decreased range in winter, electric vehicles can still be an excellent option for drivers who take frequent short trips and want to save some money at the pump.
Keeping your EV well-maintained can help you stay prepared for colder winter months. Firestone Complete Auto Care has EV and hybrid vehicle services like general maintenance, scheduled maintenance, and high voltage system diagnostics and repairs. And you can get even more performance from your EV during the winter months by equipping Firestone Winterforce tires for improved traction!
Contact your nearest Firestone Complete Auto Care today to ensure high-voltage system repairs are available in your area.
Recent reports described people stranded for up to 19 hours on a Virginia highway in freezing weather during a winter storm. To stay warm, people ran their cars&#; engines, heating their cabin and protecting against hypothermia. The fuel gauge moves ever so slowly toward &#;empty,&#; with occupants assured of a reasonable number of hours of comfort before the situation becomes unsafe. And, while it&#;s possible to run out of fuel in a situation like this, it&#;s rare that traffic jams last long enough for fuel endurance to be of grave concern.
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As the adoption of electric vehicles expands, the variety of climates and geographies where they are driven increases accordingly. Gone are the days of EVs being exclusive to sunny California! Many are aware of the quantifiable limitations of an EV&#;s range in cold weather (if not, check out our report on the truth about winter EV range loss). But what about the safety and endurance of an EV in hazardous conditions like a white-out? What exactly happens when an EV gets stuck in a winter storm &#; and can it keep its occupants safely warm for as long as an internal combustion engine vehicle?
Contact us to discuss your requirements of How Do Electric Cars Heat the Interior. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
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There are numerous misconceptions abound about how long you can &#;survive&#; a winter storm in a stranded EV, with most time estimates being drastically underestimated. But not to worry, we have battery science on our side!
First, here are a few points of reference about gasoline cars as they idle in cold weather:
The first concern about idling in cold weather is moot in an EV. There are no tailpipe emissions to worry about; an electric car&#;s heater can be safely run regardless of fresh air ventilation.
The second point is largely a commonality between gas and electric cars. The amount of time you can sit in a car with the heat on is determined by how much fuel is in your tank or by the battery&#;s state of charge. However, unlike in the gas car, it is not common or practical to recharge an EV while stranded. However, mobile chargers and emergency batteries will grow in popularity as EVs become more common.
For the third point, given the enormous range of fuel efficiency and tank sizes on gas cars, it&#;s hard to nail down an exact figure for how long one can idle in cold weather. We&#;re using 30 hours as a baseline, assuming a full tank of gas in an average ICE vehicle.
Lastly, while a gas vehicle does generate its cabin heat through a very inefficient process, the same is true for most electric vehicles. In a stationary EV, there is little waste heat, so cabin heat is generated by heating up resistive elements, drive stators, or through heated seats or steering wheels. This heat also costs energy, and figuring out exactly how much it uses determines how long an EV can keep occupants warm.
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Let&#;s assume we have an average EV as per stats: around 250 miles of range powered by a battery with around 70 kilowatt-hours of capacity. There are five variables that affect how long you can heat an EV while sitting, in rough order from most important to least important:
How does this all play out practically? Let&#;s take for example an EV with a resistive heater, like the Volkswagen e-Golf. It is a small car with a small battery, and a small cabin to heat. Because of its resistive heating elements, all heat generated for the cabin costs the same regardless of whether or not the vehicle is moving. Drivers report approximately 1.5-2.5 kW of heater draw in outside temperatures from 35 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. With 50% charge on a 32kWh battery, that translates to between 6.5-10.5 hours of heat on a 15-35 degree day; double that on a full charge.
But what about a modern EV with a bigger battery and better heating options, such as heated seats?
Enter the Tesla Model 3. For , Tesla switched from resistive heating to a heat pump. Drivers report greatly improved efficiency when it comes to heating their cars. One user slept in his Model 3 and ran metrics on it overnight in sub-freezing weather, finding the battery consumed 1.36kW per hour, on average. For a Tesla with a 80kWh battery, this means you could sit in your Tesla nice and toasty for almost 59 hours on a full charge, or about 29 hours on a half charge.
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In fact, while writing this post, I decided to run a quick test on my own Model 3. Although I am in California where the temperatures aren't as cold as the Northeast, I blasted the heat in my parked car for 30 minutes. I set the temperature to "hi," which is the only temperature setting above 81 degrees, and boy - was it warm in there! After running for half an hour, my battery percentage declined from 88% to 85%, indicating that I used 3% charge over 30 minutes to make my car uncomfortably warm. At this rate, 6% an hour, I would still get at least 12 hours of heat, and honestly, no one would want it to be that warm for that long!
Starting the experiment at 88% battery capacityTo conclude, modern EVs with average battery packs offer cold weather heating endurance equaling or exceeding that of average gasoline cars, with the added benefit of not needing to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning. For some, this ability may come as an added luxury. For example, drivers report using their EVs for camping, readily using the heat all night without compromising too much range for the next leg of their trip.
Do you have a story to tell about using your EV in cold weather situations? We&#;d love to hear! Get in contact with us.
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