With winter temperatures dropping, electric vehicle owners face several challenges, such as winter range reduction and charger issues. Data from over 10,000 EVs has revealed that cold weather could reduce the driving range by up to 37%. And a recent AI-assisted research of 1+ million reviews has shown that 1 out of 5 charges are non-functional.
As temperatures drop, EV batteries become less efficient due to chemical reactions slowing down in the cold. This reduces driving range and increases charger times, as discovered by Recurrent. Recurrent analyzed data from over 10,000 EVs from 20 popular models across the U.S. determined that an EV’s range could drop by up to 37% in freezing conditions. This data also accounted for terrain, driving speeds, and battery aging.
The reduced efficiency often causes charge anxiety, which is a fear of being unable to find a working charger when needed. Charge anxiety is considered the primary concern for EV drivers, especially when considering the differences in plug types, payment options, and the protocols between charging speeds.
And battery performance is not the only issue that EV owners are concerned about during the winter. There are concerns about charger availability and hardware issues. According to a recent Harvard Business School study, EV charging stations have an average reliability of about 78% so 22% of chargers are often out of order. This exacerbates charge anxiety during the winter months even more.
In October, the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation reported that EV charging stations have doubled since 2020 and has passed 200,000 nationwide. This is primarily due to programs like the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) and strategic partnerships between private and public organizations focused on advancing the EV industry and open standards. For example, Comcast’s smart technologies division partnered with electric vehicle charging company NovaCHARGE to expand Comcast’s suite of smart technology offerings to include smart EV charging stations for businesses, multifamily properties, and mixed-use development.
These stations have weather-resistant NEMA-4-rated enclosures featuring corrosion-proof materials. Several automakers like Ford, General Motors, Mercedes, Nissan, Rivian, and Volvo also adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) for future EVs, giving drivers access to the Tesla Supercharger network. Plus, Kia America has partnered with Currently, a mobile charging network provider to offer concierge charging services to Kia EV owners in select areas.
To alleviate concerns about charging your EV in the winter, there are several tips you can consider. For example, warming up your EV while charging the vehicle helps maintain range. You should also plan for longer charging times since it takes longer to warm up lithium-ion batteries to charge in the cold. Also, keep an eye on your range and plan to make charging stops more frequent during long drives.
