Why do electric vehicles prefer the milder months?
Find out how the cold weather affects electric cars.
Driving an electric lease car in the Winter.
Perhaps unexpectedly, electric vehicles have some pretty strong opinions about the Winter – and they’re not all that positive. We’ve become straight-up, electric power converts in recent years, as top-level lease choices like the incredible range of Tesla cars, the adorable little Honda e, and the Audi e-tron have shown us just how good it can feel to ditch fossil fuels. And yet, come the colder months, your electric lease car might be prone to a moan.
What happens to electric cars in cold weather?
The consequence of chilly weather on your EV isn’t all that serious, you’ll simply experience a drop in mile range when temperatures reach extreme levels. You probably won’t want to venture out in freezing temps anyway but, if you do, you’ll notice that your electric vehicle can’t quite travel as many miles as it usually would. Don’t get us wrong, this will never be a huge difference and you can actually find calculators online that will help you work out how much your mile range will be impacted before you even get in the car. Still, it’s worth noting that this is a common occurrence in EVs, and you probably won’t be making any Christmas road trips to Lapland on one full charge.
Why does cold weather affect electric cars?
Basically, the battery power in electric vehicles works by producing chemical reactions that generate power. To make these reactions, battery cells like to be nice and toasty, otherwise they won’t generate power at the optimum rate. In the cold weather, your EV battery will be having these reactions at a much slower rate and will produce less power – this means lower mile ranges.
How can I maximise my electric car mile range in cold temperatures?
There are a few ways that you can get the most out of your EV battery in the Winter and ensure you don’t lose too much of that precious mile range. If you have a garage, parking your electric car inside overnight and when you’re not in it can help keep the battery warm and working to its potential. This rings true if you’re parking in public too – if you can pick between indoor or outdoor parking, do what’s best for your car and keep it nice and warm.
You can also consider preheating your EV before you hop in, as this will get the battery to a warmer temperature and improve performance. This is made easy by apps that often come alongside your electric vehicle, so you can get that heating on with a tap on your phone screen. If your electric car is parked at home and on charge, preheating the car won’t even run down the battery.
If your EV comes with an ‘eco’ driving mode, you should utilise this in the colder months as much as possible, to really ensure you’re savouring that power. This will likely provide a slower drive, but who wants to be racing around when there’s ice on the roads? This is a sure-fire way to preserve some energy and guarantee a safer drive.
Don’t let the cold weather put you off an electric lease car.
The implications of the cold weather on your electric lease car are minor and will only arise if we experience extreme temperatures. With the right care, you can really minimise these struggles to the point where you will hardly notice a change at all. When the temperatures are fairly normal and not dropping to crazy levels of cold, your electric lease car will be just fine, and will be happy to fulfil its normal mile range.
You can check out our full range of electric lease vehicles here.
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