Can You Drive an Electric Car in Cold Weather?

With winter comes snow, ice, and difficult road conditions which can be a headache for any driver. The freezing temperatures have drastic effects on normal vehicles, but how do cold climates affect electric vehicles? Hawk Nissan is here to help you discover the difficulties that EVs face when the temperatures drop, and what you can do to prevent range loss.

How Does the Cold Weather Affect Electric Cars?

In cold temperatures, EV drivers can experience a loss of up to 40% miles of range, depending on how cold it is. This is because the reaction that occurs within your vehicle’s battery slows down, and thus provides you with less power to work with. Heating the cabin also draws power from the vehicle’s battery, meaning that your car is working twice as hard to keep your heated seats and engine operating.

Can You Prevent This Loss of Range in Cold Weather?

Yes, there are a few things that EV owners can do to avoid drastic loss of range.

• Stay Plugged in While Warming Up – Instead of hopping in the car and going, it is better to warm up the cabin while you are still attached to the charging station. This replenishes the power needed to warm up the vehicle before you even leave.
• Park Indoors – If you can keep the electric vehicle in a garage, there will be less heat to generate in the cabin, so less power is needed to reach a comfortable temperature.
• Research Your Vehicle – Many modern electric vehicles come with heat pumps and energy conservation modes that can effectively reduce strain on the battery. Knowing about these features can save you from having a dead battery in the winter.

If you want to try out winter driving in an electric vehicle, then come to Hawk Nissan of St. Charles to test drive the Nissan Leaf or Nissan Ariya.