Some of the United Kingdom’s most popular EV cars could lose lots of miles of range this winter.
There are two common issues that EV motorists face; cold weather and cabin heating.
Something as natural as freezing weather can cause an EV to lose up to nine percent of its range overnight caused by the intense energy usage needed to power through the freeze, according to data from Macklin Motors.
The second major issue is cabin heating, which can cause an EV to lose a range of 1.5 percent.
An EV can lose more than 30 miles of lost range before it even leaves the driveway due to the effects of freezing overnight weather and in-vehicle heating.
Data from Vertu Motors of the top 10 most popular EV cars found that the Tesla Model 3 loses the most range (37.8 miles) due to cold weather and cabin heating. That’s equal to a one-way trip from Manchester to Liverpool.
| Most popular EV models | Range (miles) before | Miles of range lost | Range (miles) after | Total miles lost | |
| Freezing weather | Cabin heating | ||||
| Tesla Model 3 | 360 | -32.4 | -5.40 | 322.20 | 37.80 |
| Polestar 2 | 335 | -30.15 | -5.03 | 299.82 | 35.18 |
| Volkswagen ID. 3 | 263 | -23.67 | -3.95 | 235.38 | 27.62 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQA | 263 | -23.67 | -3.95 | 235.38 | 27.62 |
| Nissan Leaf | 239 | -21.51 | -3.59 | 213.90 | 25.10 |
| Peugeot e-208 | 217 | -19.53 | -3.26 | 194.21 | 22.79 |
| Hyundai IONIQ Electric | 193 | -17.37 | -2.90 | 172.73 | 20.27 |
| MG ZS EV | 163 | -14.67 | -2.45 | 145.88 | 17.12 |
| MINI Electric | 145 | -13.05 | -2.18 | 129.77 | 15.23 |
| Honda e | 137 | -12.33 | -2.06 | 122.61 | 14.39 |
Tesla’s Model 3 high range loss is no surprise since this model comes with a great range.
Another EV car, the Honda e, has just 122.61 miles left on it after sitting in freezing weather overnight and being heated up (for a trip from London to Leicester one-way).
Other areas that cause energy loss
An EV has other areas that energy losses can occur. These include using old or worn tires, accelerating frequently, parking up, and charging the battery.
Here are the top six areas:
- Acceleration – 20% lost
- Old tires – 20% lost
- Charge – 16% lost
- Cold weather – 9% lost
- Cabin heating – 1.5% lost
- Parking – 1% lost
These lead to a total loss of 68%.
Mitigate losses on an EV’s range despite charging the battery and parking up being unavoidable.
How to mitigate losses:
– Park in a garage (at home) or a multi-story car park (when you’re out) to save miles.
– Use rapid charging points when out and about, even though they can be expensive.
– Have your EV charged at around 50-80% when it is parked.
– Avoid leaving fully charged batteries for long periods to prevent loss of energy long-term damage.
A spokesperson from Vertu Motors suggests trying to charge your battery overnight at home.
For further insights and advice from Macklin Motors, visit Vertu Motors.
