Winter Tips for Electric Vehicles
Is your EV ready for snow and ice? It's mid-October in Michigan and the morning school run is made in darkness. Raindrops reflecting the headlight beams looks like I'm driving through hyperspace. The trickle of drops hit the windshield ... only they're not drops. They are flakes. Those of us who live in colder climates know that as the golden leaves drift gently to the ground, we need to start thinking of winter habits. Electric vehicles (EVs) have some special considerations. Range The most pronounced effect of colder temperatures on EVs is range. Depending on your vehicle, temperature, and situation, the range loss may be as much as 30-40% . While cabin heating does take a toll on range, it's not necessarily the primary range thief, so just wearing extra clothing and leaving the climate control off won't give you summer range. As most EV drivers know, higher speed means higher air resistance and thus lower range. This effect is exacerbated by colder den