Edmunds: What you actually need to know about wintertime driving with an electric vehicle

As a big winter storm rolled across the United States in mid-January, many news outlets reported on drivers of electric vehicles dealing with dramatically reduced range and multi-hour waits at public charging stations. It’s true that driving an EV in freezing weather poses extra challenges compared to a gasoline-powered vehicle. But it’s also possible to employ techniques that can make EV winter driving less challenging. The car experts at Edmunds report on what you can do.

Freezing temperatures slow down chemical reactions in batteries. You’ve likely experienced this with a regular car when its 12-volt battery struggled to start the engine. It’s the same with an EV. Their batteries work best in warmer temperatures, and the vehicle will actually use some stored energy to warm up its battery if it’s cold. An EV also needs to use its battery to run the cabin heater, heated seats and so forth. All of these issues can combine to noticeably reduce range.

How bad can it get? Expect a range reduction of 20% to 30% in very cold weather. That means an EV with a usual maximum range of about 250 miles might only have 175 miles in freezing temperatures, for example. Cold batteries also charge slower at fast-charging stations.