This is why your electric car has less range in the winter

With the arrival of winter and colder temperatures, some motorists will see their electric car battery last less.

This is also an observation made by Consumer Reports, an American consumer association, which determined last July that electric cars' range will lose about 25% on the highway when it is colder.

This decrease in autonomy can be explained in two ways: the battery and the driver. This was made clear in an interview with CNN on Tuesday by the head of marketing for electric vehicle research company Recurrent, Andy Garberson.

First, batteries work through a chemical reaction. However, when temperatures drop, this reaction occurs less quickly, causing a loss of vehicle autonomy, the expert explained.

You should also keep in mind that when it's cold, we tend to turn up the heating level. Mr. Garberson added that this contributes to reducing the range of electric cars, unlike gasoline-powered cars.

But the latter pointed out that the latest models are equipped with heat pump systems that help reduce the heating effect on the battery.

“It's significantly more efficient at heating, whether it's for your home, your water heater or your car, so you're using less energy to heat your cabin,” he added, adding that this is not enough to limit the impacts. .

The Consumer Reports study found that making multiple short stops can also reduce your mileage at an additional cost, since you have to rewarm the cabin each time.