Fleet Electrification: What do you want to know?

Q. Do extreme temperatures impact EV range?

A. Like with gas cars, an EV’s real life performance is often different from what is published based on standardized testing. The effective range of an EV will depend on a number of different conditions including: speed, driver behavior and temperature.

Temperature is one of the more noticeable conditions and it is the one most likely to vary throughout the year. Both extreme hot and cold temperatures have an impact on range, but it is not for the reason most people initially think.

Many assume that any range loss has to do with battery performance. While lithium-ion batteries can be a bit more sluggish in extreme temperatures, the change in range is actually more of a result of using auxiliary load– primarily due to energy being used to cool or heat the vehicle cabin. One of the best ways to combat this is to precool or preheat the vehicle while it is still plugged in to avoid using any additional energy from the battery.

For more information on what impacts EV range check out our blog.