Clearing the air: Why EVs can outperform conventional vehicles in freezing temperatures

In 2022, when Dan Kanninen found himself in a sudden snowstorm that brought traffic on I-95 in Virginia to a standstill for an entire night, being in his electric vehicle (EV) was an advantage. “While fellow drivers burned gasoline running their engines to stay warm, my EV intelligently directed power solely to temperature regulation—I did not have to inefficiently burn fuel to power my entire engine in order to keep us safe.” When traffic cleared in the morning, Kanninen had 50 miles of range remaining and his car helped him navigate to a nearby charger.

Indeed, the longer EVs are on the road, the more data are revealing their advantages in cold weather. Internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) and EVs alike are less efficient in the cold. This is because cold air is denser and causes more drag on vehicles; cold air reduces tire pressure and increases rolling resistance; and snow-covered roads reduce tire grip. All of this means higher fueling costs for both ICEVs and EVs. However, because driving on electricity is cheaper than driving on gasoline, cold weather can increase the costs of driving gasoline vehicles more than the costs of driving electric.

A recent survey of EV drivers in cold regions in the United States showed that about 20% of respondents had prior concerns about driving their EVs in the cold. But after having experienced it themselves, more than 60% of them had little worry or no worry at all.

The figure below compares the estimated cold weather electric range of a few popular EVs in the United States with data on average daily driving distances, based on data from the National Household Travel Survey. The estimates of electric range in cold weather are based on analysis of EV range loss in freezing temperatures by Recurrent and applied to official consumer label values for EV range from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Based on the Recurrent analysis, we applied range losses of 26% for the Tesla Model 3, 42% for the Chevrolet Bolt, and 46% for the Volkswagen ID.4. As shown, adjusted range is still enough to cover more than 96% of daily travel.

Combustion engine vehicles can cycle excess heat from the engine through the cabin to warm the vehicle. Meanwhile, in EVs, the battery must actively heat the vehicle while also powering the drivetrain; most of the additional energy consumed by an EV in cold weather is used to heat the cabin. When the cabin heater isn’t used, fuel economy in EVs drops only by about 8% in cold weather, and range drops by only about 12%.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, when running at less-than-optimal engine temperatures, ICEVs can have 15%–25% lower fuel economy, depending on the length of the trip. Additionally, at freezing temperatures, ICEVs may be completely unable to start, which isn’t an issue for EVs. Testing by Consumer Reports showed a decrease in driving range for EVs by about 25% when cruising at 70 mph in cold weather conditions (16 °F).

Additionally, most EV batteries have preconditioning features that automatically heat or cool them to the optimal temperature to allow them to charge quickly and right away. In extreme cases where battery energy is entirely depleted and the battery is cold, charging an EV requires first heating the battery to an optimal temperature by plugging in to a charger before any range is added. That means you won’t see your range increase until the battery reaches a temperature that allows for charging. Some drivers in Chicago may have faced this situation during a recent cold weather event when they struggled to charge after waiting in line for a public fast charger.

Drivers would do well to fully charge their EVs in advance of extreme weather events, just like many gasoline car drivers fill up before a storm. Unlike gas cars, however, this charging can be done at home. Some models even come equipped with vehicle-to-home bidirectional charging that allows the EV to act as a backup power source for a house in the case of an outage. Multiple EVs working in unison in the same neighborhood could even mitigate blackouts for a block or neighborhood with vehicle-to-grid bidirectional charging.

EVs are reliable in cold climates

Maine’s climate is characterized by cold, snowy winters with average temperatures ranging from less than 15 °F to 25 °F; 99% of respondents to a survey of EV owners in Maine said that their EV was reliable. Widespread adoption of EVs in Norway, where winter temperatures average around 20 °F (-7 °C) and can get as low as -40 °F (-40 °C) is another endorsement. In Norway, most EV owners have adopted the technical and logistical best practices for optimizing driving electric in the winter, and thus have maximized the performance of their vehicles in frigid temperatures. For example, many drivers plug in to a charger and turn on the heater for several minutes before a trip. This makes both the battery and the cabin warm, and the vehicle can run more efficiently because less stored energy is spent warming the cabin while driving. This increased efficiency extends the range.

Heating technology has also improved with the advent of heat pumps in cars instead of, or in addition to, resistance heaters. Heat pumps are, on average, three times more efficient than resistance heaters, and this leaves more energy available to drive the vehicle. As heat pumps become more widespread in new EV models, EVs’ cold weather performance will further improve. Consumer behavior can also minimize the effects of cold weather on EV performance by using seat and steering wheel warmers instead of the cabin heater to save energy and range.