EV poopy news A study by the American Automobile Association (AAA) found that an EV can lose as much as 12% of its range when temperatures drop to 20 degrees, a figure that shoots up to 40% if you turn on the cabin heater. To put it another way, for every 100 miles of combined urban/highway driving, the range of an EV at 20°F would be reduced to 59 miles. These figures vary according to the EV model, with a BMW 13s suffering an average 20.4% reduction in range at 21 F in combined HVAC on/off scenarios; Tesla Model S 75D sees a 11.3% deterioration while a Volkswagen 3-golf only loses about 6.9%.
The ideal operating temperature range for an EV battery is considered to be between 68 and 86 degrees, depending on the model. When a battery charges, lithium ions stored in the cathode are transferred back to the anode. In cold charging conditions, the ions flow less efficiently through the anode thus taking a toll on the battery's capacity.
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To make matters worse for EVs, charging times can double or even triple for older EVs. Low temperatures, therefore, make the chemical processes that electric vehicle batteries use to store and generate energy slow down, leading to reduced battery performance and increased charging times.
It’s a nightmare scenario for Uber and taxi drivers:
“When I should be asleep, I’m outside charging my vehicle, falling asleep in my car. I’m not making any money,” Marcus Campbell, an Uber driver in Chicago, has told NBC News.
To be fair, the performance of ICE vehicles also suffers when temperatures plummet, with the U.S. Department of Energy reporting that the gas mileage of a conventional gasoline car is 15% lower at 20 degrees than at 77 degrees. But, obviously, EV drivers are having it far much worse in the sub-freezing conditions reaching as far south as Texas and Florida.