Consumer_Reports_-_April_2020

EV QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

DO COLD TEMPERATURES

AND STEEP INCLINES

REDUCE VEHICLE RANGE?

COLD TEMPERA-

TURES can

indeed reduce

the range of

EVs. That’s

partly due

to battery chemistry; the

energy-producing reactions

in batteries don’t work as

well in cold weather. In

tests that CR conducted last

year, outdoor temperatures

between 0° F and 10° F

reduced the range of a Tesla

Model 3 and a Nissan Leaf by

about 50 percent from their

advertised maximum range

on a full charge. (Extreme

heat also can take a toll.)

EV owners can mitigate

some of this temperature-

related loss by parking

in a garage that’s at least

partly heated. Owner’s

manuals may have specific

instructions for this,

such as running the climate

control system while

the vehicle is charging.

In that way, the power

will be coming straight

from the power grid rather

than the battery.

Having the heat on in an

EV cabin also can cause a

significant battery drain.

You can help conserve

the battery charge in cold

weather by selecting a lower

climate control temperature

for the cabin, say, 66° F

instead of 74° F, and relying

on seat heaters and heated

steering wheels for comfort.

As for steep inclines,

all vehicles work harder

when going uphill. But in

an EV, some of that lost

charge is restored when

going downhill through

regenerative braking, the

technology that converts

the energy of a car’s moving

wheels into electricity.

Aggressive driving or long

stretches of fast driving

(more than 70 mph) also

can deplete a battery faster.

As with gas-powered

cars, EVs let the driver

know when power is getting

low. We advise always

factoring in a safety

margin, such as a quarter

charge, so you have latitude

to deal with an unexpected

emergency errand or

unavailable charger.

A:

32 CR.ORG APRIL 2020