Cold weather might affect your electric car’s operating range, which is among the most critical performance indicators. In the cold, ions in Lithium-ion batteries have a tougher time moving around, which might reduce the range of your vehicle.

Cold weather has an impact on charging, and your vehicle’s battery prefers to operate within a specific temperature range. If it is extremely cold outside, it is preferable for the battery to warm up first before charging at higher rates. As a result, in the winter, charging may take longer.

The entire process is managed by the car’s battery management system, which preserves and enhances the battery cells’ performance.

best range EV

Here are six ideas for getting the most out of an electric car during winter:

1. If at all feasible, park your automobile in a garage

Although not everybody has a garage, if you have, park your electric vehicle there. (And if it’s stuffed, clean it out; your automobile requires it.) The performance of your vehicle’s battery can be affected by keeping it inside throughout the winter. 

The warmth of the garage makes your vehicle’s battery last longer and charge faster. Furthermore, if you’re out and about and need to park, if you have the option of parking outside or in a parking garage, choose the latter.

2. Start your automobile in the morning by warming it up

Most electric vehicles come with apps that enable you to warm up your vehicle ahead of time. If you switch on your car’s heating system before leaving the house, it will warm up the cabin to your preferred temperature while simultaneously warming up the battery to improve performance. 

The majority of people charge their vehicles overnight at home. The battery charge will not be tapped if the automobile is still connected when you begin heating it in the morning.

electric car

3. Make sure the battery charge isn’t too low

When it’s particularly cold outside, the car’s battery management system saves a portion of the battery capacity – usually around 15-20 percent – to warm it up.

Therefore, if you maintain your battery charged at least 50% of the time, and preferably above 20%, you’ll have a great margin to maintain your vehicle’s performance as optimum as possible.

4. Heat the passenger rather than the vehicle

Because EVs may not have an internal combustion engine, there isn’t much waste heat in warming the passenger compartment.

Whenever it’s chilly outside, however, cranking the heat can deplete your EV’s battery and restrict its range. Consider turning air vents on or off, or regulating seat or steering wheel heating settings to limit heating to only the driver. It uses less energy than heating the entire vehicle.

electric vehicle

5. Make sure your tires are properly inflated

The air in your tires compresses when the temperature drops, lowering the pressure. Check the tire pressure on a regular basis to get the most out of your winter range. 

You would like your car to have as little resistance as possible while driving. Additionally, if you reside in an area where there is a lot of snow, you might think about getting winter tires.

6. Switch to Eco-Mode

Most EVs offer an “eco-mode” feature that allows you to increase mileage while lowering power consumption by restricting the amount of energy provided to the driving engine and cabin warmers. You may have to drive your electric car more slowly, but in ice or snowy circumstances, this can make driving safer.