How Is Electric Vehicle Battery Charging Affected By Winter?

Despite some rather negative reporting, the electric car market is going from strength to strength even as it enters the time of year EVs are perhaps least suited to.

One of the most amusing stories in this regard involves the company Stellantis, owner of Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Vauxhall and Lancia, who complained that the UK’s electric car targets were impossible to reach just before it was announced that they and the industry as a whole hit those targets.

This means that there is a much larger market for EVs than even many manufacturers expect and by extension a need for electricians trained to install charging stations for both residential and commercial purposes.

An electrician is also in the perfect place to help new owners with the cold weather, both when it comes to installing the station itself and the best practices for driving their new EV in winter.

How Are EVs Affected By The Cold?

There is a commonly held view that EVs are far less practical in the old, with less range and a greater propensity for mechanical issues and compromised comforts.

This is not historically false, as the Sinclair C5 rather infamously failed as a product in no small part due to the utterly bewildering decision to launch it during a particularly bitterly cold January in 1985.

Some of the batteries failed entirely whilst others saw the already limited performance of the tricycle dented somewhat, causing it to be defeated by the slopes around Alexandra Palace.

This has somewhat unfairly shaped the view that battery-powered cars cannot be used in the cold, something that is clearly and evidently untrue given that the world leader in EV adoption is in the very cold country of Norway.

Modern electric vehicles have preconditioning systems which allow the car to heat to an optimal temperature whilst connected to the mains, which saves the battery for the journey itself. It also warms the battery up itself, allowing it to start at an optimum temperature without wasting its own power.

This is important, as cold weather can cut the range by an estimated 20 per cent due to the weather.

As well as this, almost every EV offers heated seats and steering wheels as standard. Whilst considered a somewhat luxury feature on a conventional car, heated seats are one of the most efficient ways to heat a car and save a lot of battery power that can instead be focused on the range.

All of this can be combined with simple solutions such as installing the charging station in a garage away from the elements so that the car is protected from the cold temperatures that could necessitate more intense preconditioning.

Finally, planning a route before driving allows the battery to factor in increased charging needs and plan routes with charging requirements in mind.

Ultimately, whilst there is naturally an effect on batteries in cold weather, it is nowhere near as huge as you might expect, and a lot of advanced features make the most of the battery life that is there.

As with cold weather driving in any car, always have more charge than you expect and plan routes to be safe rather than sorry.